July 31, 2020 - Special Edition
Principal's Message
Diane Prystas, Principal
Kristy Jackson, Assistant Principal

Dear Roy Cloud Families,

Welcome to the 2020-2021 school year! Though the calendar still indicates summer vacation, I know returning to school is on everyone’s mind. Now that we know distance learning will continue through our first trimester, our district and school administrators are moving forward with planning for the school day and for the delivery of quality instruction while keeping everyone safe and healthy.

Though nothing is yet set in stone, I'm happy to share some details with you. We will continue to share more as our plans solidify. 

  • Distance learning will follow a normal school day, taking place between 8 am and 3 pm. 
  • Each grade will have a required amount of instruction each day starting with 180 minutes for kindergarten, 230 minutes for grades 1-3, and 240 minutes for grades 4-8.
  • There will be a focus on grade-level priority standards for English Language Arts (ELA), math, social studies, science, and English Language Development (ELD).
  • Unlike last spring, a stricter system for taking attendance will be in place. Our office staff will be on site to support our teachers with this task. We understand that some level of flexibility will be necessary, but the main goal is to ensure that students are engaging daily with their teachers and their classwork.
  • Lessons will be both synchronous (live) and asynchronous (self-directed) as we strive to give students adequate face time with their teachers while providing breaks from screens. Students will have the opportunity to engage directly with their teachers every day, throughout the day.
  • We are looking at working in smaller class sizes, which afford greater opportunity for discussion and meaningful interactions.
  • Each day will likely start with a class meeting for relationship building, social emotional support, and mindfulness.
  • We are considering concentrating instruction time in the morning and leaving the afternoon for things like PE, teacher checkins, group work, and enrichment activities.
  • The school will provide every student with a device on which to complete activities and submit assignments. Grades K-1 will be assigned tablets. Grades 2-8 will be assigned Chromebooks.
  • Devices, as well as required classroom supplies and textbooks, will be distributed via drive-through pickup at our school a few days before school starts.
  • I have received some requests to group students who are participating in pods. I understand that parents are being forced to find creative ways to solve the challenges of distance learning, but given the number of students, the many complexities we face in scheduling, and the potential inequity these pods may cause, I cannot guarantee that requests to align with pods will be honored

To help us with our planning, please complete this brief survey, which will take you about two minutes and help us tremendously with finalizing classes. 

Finally, I want to once again thank our supportive PTO for providing additional funding for increased counseling services, and ongoing support for programs that support the social and emotional wellbeing of our students, staff, and families. The staff and I are making concerted efforts to begin the year with relationship building, and laying the foundation for a caring community with a focus on kindness and respect for ourselves and one another. 

I look forward to meeting your students in their virtual classrooms and will continue with regular communications to our families as we move ahead into our new distance learning adventure. 

Most sincerely,
Diane
Calendar
This Week

Upcoming
  • Wed, Aug 5, 8:00 pm PTO-Hosted Kindergarten Parents Meetup via Zoom
  • Wed, Aug 12, 7:00 pm RCSD Board Virtual Meeting
  • Wed, Aug 19 First Day of Instruction, 2020-21 School Year
  • Tues, Sep 8, 7:00 pm First PTO Virtual Meeting - All Parents Welcome!
PTO President's Message
Ryan Flynn, PTO President

Dear Parents,

I am honored to be working with you this year as the new PTO president along with my fellow team members . It goes without saying that this will be a challenging start to the school year and more challenges will undoubtedly arise throughout the fall and winter. Rest assured, the PTO will do everything we can to help the teachers and staff provide the best possible experience for our children. I would like to remind everyone that every family, new and existing, is already a member of the Roy Cloud PTO and there will be many ways to get involved throughout the school year.

The PTO board is working on increasing our communication channels with our teachers and parents (see details below about next week's kindergarten meetup). We are also remaining in constant contact with our enrichment program vendors to prepare for distance learning. We want to ensure that our budget commitments can be managed flexibly in response to any specific needs that may come up throughout the year.

The Roy Cloud community has always been a strong and resilient one and despite the uncertainty of the present situation, I expect nothing different this year.

Onward,
Ryan
Attention Incoming Kindergarten Parents!
We sure missed hosting meet-and-greet playdates this summer, but here's your opportunity to join other Roy Cloud kindergarten parents and our PTO officers for a discussion and Q&A. Learn about how to stay informed, build your community, and get involved to enhance the experience for your child – and all children – at Roy Cloud school.

Wednesday, August 5th, 8:00 PM

Hosts:
  • Stephanie Gotelli – PTO Kindergarten Liaison (and 3-time kindergarten parent!)
  • Ryan Flynn – PTO President
  • Alex Dendy – PTO VP
  • Ali Oldford – PTO VP, Communications
  • Julia Swenson – PTO VP, Fundraising  
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