September 4, 2020: The First Hive of The New School Year

 Thinking

Over the summer we have all spent a lot of time in our thinking spots both alone and together. As I write this, the Friday before our first PD of the new year, I realize that there is still so much to be thought of. When I moved my son into his apartment they were (and still are) building it around him. I realized that this is much the case with what we will be doing for our students, families, and each other. We will have moved into our new reality but together we will still be actively creating it.  

Working this way will require us to show grace to each other and our families as we move forward. One of the things that I have been thinking about is how to actively show grace to others. 

Courtesy of the internet, here are 8 ideas that I think may be helpful to keep in the back of our minds.

How to Show Grace to Others

1. Words. Be kind and gentle in what you say and how you say it. 
2. Look for Needs and Opportunities. Simple everyday kindnesses and actions often help in great ways. 
3. Let it Go. Letting it go is one of the easiest ways to extend grace to others.
4. Be There. 
5. Forgive. 
6. Learn to Ask for Forgiveness. 
7. Watch the Way You Speak. 
8. Gratitude.

Professional Development Schedule

Here is a link to our schedule for PD. We will all log in together to watch the district offerings that are identified here. 

 

Registration Information:

• Participants will register in Cadence for all sessions. Participants can watch this quick video for directions on how to register. 
• The Cadence event site will go live at 6pm Friday night for both required and optional session registration. 
• Please register for the sessions that I have identified in the schedule. They align with our school priorities. 
• Please use a time when you are not in a transition meeting or meeting with me to register for Cadence on the 8th if you would like. 
• Our schedule does not include all of the "required" training at this time. Please select the sessions identified on our schedule

Master Schedule DRAFT

This version of the schedule may change. Keri has been tirelessly working to finalize it and clean it up. The good news is because of our decision making we can have a DRAFT master schedule today. The district still has not finalized guidance about sharing specialists between buildings. 

I want to thank all of our specialists for the amazing conversations that we have had. I truly appreciate the dialogue this week and the work that you do. All specialists will be remote and pre-recorded except for 2nd Step and Science. Jen and Ben have options for delivery that they may choose to toggle between based on the content. The remainder of our specials will be pre-recorded. That offers teacher teams the ability to plug and play the specials when it makes sense for your students. 

Class Lists

We will be creating homeroom lists for teachers as decided in response to our faculty senate debrief. Unfortunately, we cannot do that yet because the district is still maneuvering the A, B and Students prioritized for remote learning lists. A balanced class list (15/5) can not be created until they stop the behind the scenes manipulation. I am hoping to have these for you sometime next week. 

Students-Prioritized for Group Learning (Formely Group C)

These are the students that will be starting in-person on 10/1. Here are the criteria used to identify these students:

• Students with disabilities in therapeutic day schools
• Students with disabilities in substantially separate classrooms
• Students with disabilities in inclusion classrooms with high needs, as defined by the PL3 in the student’s IEP
• Students with limited or interrupted formal education (SLIFE)
• Students in English Language Development Programs Levels 1 & 2
• Students Experiencing Homelessness
• Students in the care of the Department of Children and Families 

Sharing the A/B and C lists information 

• The district is planning on sending to families next week (goal of Wednesday). District communications will be sent. 
• Once those communications have been sent, school leaders can follow up with families. 
• Families eligible for 4 days of in-person learning will be contacted by the district next week to find out if they are interested in coming for 4 days a week. Completing the survey does not guarantee a four-day placement. I will discuss this more at our staff meeting.   

What is the process for families who want to change their remote/hybrid learning choice?

• Families will be able to change from the hybrid model to remote on a rolling basis. 
• Families will be able to change from the remote model to the hybrid model at defined points throughout the year - BPS will share specific dates about when these changes can be accommodated. 

What is the process for changing A/B groups due to families who share childcare, etc.?

• Families who would like to change their A/B group may submit an appeal through the central office. All decisions will be made at the central office without consultation with the schools. 
• Siblings who are in the same household will be changed. All other cases will be reviewed individually. 

What communication will be the responsibility of schools v central office (A/B/C lists, building safety measures, etc---basically anything that is coherent across schools)?

• BPS will communicate cohort lists, appeals process and approvals, transportation, and district implementation to the schools
• Schools will communicate school-specific health and safety measures (building entering/exiting protocols, etc)

Partnerships

• Partners and third-party providers will be not allowed on school grounds and in buildings to run programming. This includes our ABA provider.
• Building and grounds access will be limited to BPS and City of Boston Staff.
• Boston Public Health Commission will be allowed in school buildings
  

Technology Updates

How will schools be able to give families coupons for broadband internet?

• The City of Boston has not settled the sponsored broadband contract but we anticipate receiving the first round of coupon codes by end of next week. 
• In the meantime, we recommend having families sign up for the 60 days free Comcast Internet Essentials, and then they can apply the coupon code retroactively to their account.
• Just a reminder that SSN is NOT required to sign up for Comcast Internet Essentials.
• Schools will receive a spreadsheet with the coupon codes and instructions for families.
• The CoB is extending the Verizon hotspots from the spring for the school year so we will not have to transition families off of the hotspots that were distributed last year!!!

How are families getting access to new computers?

• This weekend, new-to-BPS families will receive an email invitation with instructions to login to their Google account and instructions to pick up a Chromebook. 
• Distribution sites have been established across the city for the next two weeks to ensure that new-to-BPS families have the ability to pick up a device first. 
• As more inventory is delivered over the coming weeks, schools will begin receiving shipments of Chromebooks to assist with new deployments and repairs.