Dear Blossom Hill Families,
Welcome to the 2020-21 school year! As we embark on this historical journey together, Team LGUSD is committed to providing a quality virtual educational program until education and health experts deem it safe to return to in-person instruction. The safety of our students, staff, and community members remain our number one priority. Last Spring all stakeholders quickly pivoted to Remote Learning literally overnight where attendance and assignments were simply recommended. With guidance from local and state control, the LGUSD Re-Opening Task Force composed of teachers, administrators, and board members have met regularly since May to develop a quality and balanced virtual program for this school year. Here is some important information for the coming week:
Class Placements:
Your child’s teacher assignment will be emailed on August 11th. On behalf of Team LGUSD, we can’t wait to offer in-person instruction and normal attendance when community health guidelines dictate we may do so.
Attendance:
Yes, attendance is mandatory even in virtual classrooms! Parents should adhere to the regular absence reporting procedures which includes calling the school attendance line (408) 335-2145 on any day a child will not be at school. Leave a message on the answering machine by stating the child’s name, grade, teacher and reason for absence. Include your name and relationship in the message. If a child is absent and the school has not received a call stating a reason for the absence, a staff member will place a call to your home/place of business to determine the reason for the absence. Parents of children who are habitually tardy will be contacted by the Principal to see if the parents are aware of the problem. We look forward to partnering with you as your child’s success depends greatly upon daily attendance and their engagement and completion of synchronous (live instruction) and asynchronous (pre-recorded/determined) learning and tasks.
Daily Schedule:
Here is the daily schedule for all elementary schools. Students will need to be logged onto Zoom and ready to begin by 8:30 A.M. daily.
8:30-9:00 A.M. - Good Morning! (Whole Class)
This first 30 minute instructional block of synchronous (live instruction) will take place Monday through Friday and will include, but is not limited to: morning classroom routines, a read aloud, video content from Principal, pre-recorded student council/assembly content, Project Cornerstone lesson, student of the week, show and tell, review of assignment expectations, etc.
9:00-11:30 A.M. - Core Curriculum Instructional Block (Whole Class and/or Small Groups)
Every child will be provided a minimum of 60 minutes of synchronous (live instruction) every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Grade level teachers will communicate specific schedules with families as we understand and value the importance of routines and predictable schedules for all stakeholders. While the focus will be on mastering prioritized grade level standards in English Language Arts and Mathematics, Social Studies and Science standards will also be integrated into this block of instruction.
11:30-12:00 P.M. - Directed Small Group Time (Teacher Selects Groupings of Students)
This synchronous (live instruction) is a differentiated instructional block which allows for individualized learning, confidence-boosting, opportunities for feedback on assignments, a laser focus on achievement gaps, and acceleration of learning when deemed appropriate.
12:00-12:30 P.M. - Wrap Up Before Lunch (Whole Class)
This synchronous (live instruction) instructional block will allow students and teachers to wrap-up morning learning and collectively organize the information they learned in a meaningful context. This might include, but is not limited to: student exit tickets, reflective thinking activities, verbal or written summaries, pair-shares, student assessments, etc.
12:30-1:30 P.M.- Lunch at Home
1:40 P.M. - Fall Virtual Electives with Specialists
Providing a balanced educational program continues to be a Point of Pride for LGUSD. This is no exception in the virtual classroom! The robust daily afternoon elective offerings will include Art, Library, Music, PE, and Social Emotional Learning (SEL).
