Shrewsbury Public Schools Remote Learning Information for All Families - April 6, 2020

 

To:  All SPS Families

From:  Amy Clouter, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction, & Assessment

Re: Next phase of SPS Remote Learning

Dear Shrewsbury Families,

We may be communicating at a distance, but our commitment to students and families remains unwavering. This communication contains information regarding the next phase of Shrewsbury’s Remote Learning Plan, which builds upon what is already happening in order to provide even more connection for students, additional structure, and increased engagement with learning.  

Your children will continue to receive learning assignments and teachers will continue to provide feedback to students on the work they submit. To these we will be adding lessons on new content with opportunities for students to interact with their teachers in “real time.”  Parents and/or students will also have an opportunity to interact “live” with our educators during “office hours” each week, in addition to still being able to email during other times (please allow a business day for a response). 

Please read the 10-page document with information for all SPS families found at this link, which was developed for you, our families, with the goal of providing specific guidance about the next phase of remote learning.  There are additional links at the end of that document with even more specific information for each of the grade spans, which you can also access here for preschool/elementary, middle, and high school.    

While educators have been connecting with students and families via email, video conferencing, and other tools, starting later this week these interactions will be scheduled more specifically in order to avoid scheduling conflicts in families with students at multiple levels.  Please see the documents linked above for more details for specific times and frequency by level. Here is a brief overview of what you can expect for the coming week:

Level	Information	Implementation Date
Elementary Grades PreK-4	For information about interactive experiences in Grades PreK-4, click here.	Scheduled “live” interaction begins Thurs, April 9 Office hours begin Mon, April 13
Middle  Grades 5-8	For information about interactive experiences in Grades 5-8, click here.	Scheduled “live” interaction by subject begins Wed, April 8 Office hours begin Wed, April 8
High School Grades 9-12	For information about interactive experiences in Grades 9-12, click here.    Reminder: All make up assignments from before the Mar 13 school closure are due on Wed, April 8th	Office hours begin Wed, April 8 Scheduled “live” interaction by class begins Thurs, April 9

Special Education &  Student Services

We recognize that IEPs cannot be implemented as written in a remote learning environment. However, special education and related services in a remote learning environment can occur in two ways: 1. Educators will provide supports & resources. 2. Educators will provide instruction and services. Collaboration with students and families is vitally important to us. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with questions or concerns.  For questions or concerns about special education, please contact  your child’s liaison or building Team Chair.

English Language Education

Click here for translation support Elementary ESL teachers are providing interactive opportunities through personalized English language development lesson plans, which include videos and/or voice recording.  Elementary ESL teachers are also communicating through SeeSaw, ClassTag, or TalkingPoints; additionally, they may join a classroom teacher’s morning meeting.  Middle school ESL teachers are providing interactive opportunities through personalized lesson plans posted to Schoology and are connecting with students through email.   High School ESL teachers are providing interactive opportunities through personalized lesson plans posted to Schoology and are connecting with students personally through a variety of platforms.

Writer Thornton Wilder famously said, “We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” I’ve been reflecting a lot on this quote recently. Although we are all challenged by these trying times,  I’m just as struck by the positive ways the town has pulled together in the face of the pandemic. In Shrewsbury our mission statement makes explicit that we serve our students in partnership with others. All my best to you and your family. 

As always, if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out. 

Sincerely,

Amy B. Clouter 

(she, her, hers) 

Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction 

Shrewsbury Public Schools

aclouter@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us