Dear Elementary Families,
Good Morning!
I hope this communication finds you all safe and healthy as we continue to undergo some challenging and uncertain times. Yes, it was a bit strange to be at school yesterday and not be outside welcoming you all back from Spring Break at the drop off area. We miss you but thankful for your positive feedback as we partner throughout this upcoming process. We will get through this with prayer and God’s grace. Let us continue to give Him praise in all things!
Please continue to monitor school-wide communications for additional information. VCS is extending our campus closures through Friday, March 27. All scheduled events, after school clubs, practices, and athletic contests through Sunday, March 29 are postponed. The K-6 International Festival originally schedule for April 3rd has been postponed. All field trips scheduled for March are postponed and will be re-evaluated in April. At this point, we do not have any further information related to forthcoming school events but will keep you posted.
At this time, our interim elementary campus offices will be staffed Monday through Friday from 8 am to 2 pm in order to answer any phone calls and emails. However, per protocol, the campus will not be open to any guests or students. Our teachers will be available Monday through Thursday from 9 am to 1 pm to answer emails and facilitate information related to online school activities (see details below). Report cards will still be issued (via email) this week for the third quarter. If your child has any assignments pending from last quarter it will be marked as incomplete. This will not negatively impact grades. We want to give grace considering our current circumstances. However, students will be expected to submit these assignments upon our first day back to traditional classes to receive credit.
As online school begins tomorrow (Wednesday), we will try to provide assignments/activities that will best support meaningful, independent learning. Again, our hope is that students will work to the best of their ability and with the resources available to them at home. If necessary, we can print items for you to pick up if you don’t have access to a printer. This requires a one-day notice by contacting the elementary school office and should not reflect a daily occurrence. As a precautionary measure, if you choose this option, someone will meet you at the walk-in gate to pass the information to you. Students will not be required to retrieve textbooks or workbooks from campus to accommodate forthcoming online learning activities.
The entire elementary team is fully committed to working with all families during our online school days. We understand many of you may experience (if not already) logistical challenges and want to be sensitive to everyone. Please keep in mind the following when it comes to navigating the K-6 online school days:
- Renweb email is our primary mode of communication with families and teachers during K-6 online school days. This includes receiving daily learning activities, answering questions, and receiving other related information.
- There will be no deadlines set to submit learning activities you receive from K-6 teachers as part of our online school format. Instead, please allow your kids to work at a comfortable pace based on your schedule at home. For example, if it works best for you to work on items over the weekend or other designated times it will be fine. Please setup a school work time at home with whatever works best with your daily/weekly schedules as a family.
- Please do not email or scan completed assignments directly to the teachers. All assignments or related activities are not optional. They should be compiled and submitted the first-day on-campus classes resume.
- Our teachers will email independent activities in core instructional areas including reading, writing, Bible, math, grammar/spelling, and science/social studies. There will be certain learning activities (by subject) sent to you on certain days (see below). This will hopefully prevent the process from becoming overwhelming by receiving too much for the kids on a given day. Our VINE department will work with teachers as needed to provide any necessary resources or support.
- You will receive optional activities (for fun) from specials classes such as Fine Arts, PE, and Computer. These are optional activities to engage the kids and take at break from core subjects.
- Learning activities will be sent to you in the form of printable worksheets, online tutorials, email instructions, or scanned documents. Teachers may send video messages at various times as well. These videos will most likely have a private link within the body of a Renweb email (i.e. YouTube).
- Please supervise and access learning activities for your child given they will come to your parent email (via Renweb).
- Teachers will scan any specific pages of textbooks that may be required to complete certain assignments.
- We realize technology access and needs may look different at home for many of our families (given the age of our kids). Also, you may have parameters for accessing certain forms of technology. This is totally fine! This will be taken into account as much as possible by our awesome teachers. We are here to support you and will make it work!
- For now, there will be no “tests” for the kids to take at home. We are focusing on learning activities at the K-6 level. Teachers will use the learning activities as formative assessments.
- Please check for emails at the start and end of each school day. Also, please email teachers for any specific questions or clarifications related to learning activities.
- I will email everyone our traditional daily announcement and song to play for the kids. I am sure you have heard about it from the little ones. Also, we will be taping a weekly K-6 chapel for the kids. Again, I want them to have some sense of their school routine. These are two areas they seem to look forward to at school each day/week. #WORD.
We are all going to make it just fine! Please just do the best you can with your kids at home. We understand this is not ideal for all involved. Our heart is to simply do the best we can to engage the kids with activities at home. Yes, this is elementary school and will look different than the junior high and high school. That is totally okay! If your children need take a break and come back later it’s okay. If they still have some things to finish up once we return to school; you can simply keep in communication with our teachers. Remember, work at a pace that is best for you all! The learning activities will be effective for the kids but not overly extensive.
The following are content areas and learning activities that will be sent to you each day from teachers. You will receive grade specific communication from teachers later today and moving forward. For now, I wanted to make sure you have this information. Again, you can work at your own pace but wanted to let you know what to expect on given days.
Week One – Elementary Online School
- Tuesday 3/17
- Receive Weekly Agenda/Information from Individual Teachers
- Wednesday 3/18 (Online School Begins)
- Virtual Chapel Video (K-6) from Principal Fryar
- Reading/Writing/Language Arts
- Math
- Social Studies
- PE (optional/fun activities)
- Thursday 3/19
- Bible
- Math
- Reading/Writing/Language Arts
- Fine Arts (optional/fun activities)
- Friday 3/20
- Bible
- Social Studies
- Reading/Writing/Language Arts
- Computer (optional/fun activities)
Week Two – Elementary Online School
- Monday 3/23
- Receive Weekly Agenda from Teachers
- Bible
- Math
- Reading/Writing/Language Arts
- Fine Arts (optional/fun activities)
- Tuesday 3/24
- Bible
- Math
- Reading/Writing/Language Arts
- PE (optional/fun activities)
- Wednesday 3/25
- Virtual Chapel Video (K-6) from Principal Fryar
- Reading/Writing/Language Arts
- Social Studies
- Computer (optional/fun activities)
- Thursday 3/26
- Bible
- Math
- Science
- PE (optional/fun activities)
- Friday 3/27
- Bible
- Reading/Writing/Language Arts
- Math
- Fine Arts (optional/fun activities)
Our entire team continues to pray for all families and students around the globe during these difficult times. Thank you for working with us through this process. Let us rest in the Lord while knowing in all things He will be glorified. May the Lord use this season of uncertainty to draw our world closer to Him and to know Him as their Personal Savior.
Please give a high five and “WORD” to our awesome kids, we miss them!
Principal Fryar