Friday, March 27, 2020

A Few Updates...



I hope this week's note finds you well, and that you have been able to embrace some signs of spring over the past few days.  I have seen many robins, and the buds are starting to shed color on the trees and bushes; that reminds me to celebrate the positives!

Report Cards Available Online
Your child's 2nd marking period report card is now available to view online. Click here to access the viewing instruction. Here is a short video that also explains how to access the report card online. If you need to update your email or phone number on Schooltool, please click this link.

Distance Learning
Hopefully you and your child have been able to access the distance learning portal.  We have received a lot of feedback about the activities provided for your children. The feedback has ranged from, "This is awesome! Thank you!" to "This is not enough. When will more learning be provided by the teachers?" and  "We are overwhelmed! This is too much!"
Please know that all of these feelings are normal and understandable. These first two weeks of activities, up until our scheduled Spring Break, are intended to help ease the transition to online learning. All activities planned through next week are meant as review and to keep your child engaged and productive. We are also using these weeks to make sure every family has access to the technology necessary for online instruction, and to ensure that our teachers and families are comfortable with the technology. Instruction that will include new material will begin after the Spring Break week, if schools are still closed, and will continue via the district's Distance Learning Portal as well as teachers' Google Classrooms. Please continue to reach out to your child's teacher if you have questions, or call our school and leave a message for me at 315-487-4653. 

Funny Little Story
One day last week, after a lot of working hours on the computer, I went out to walk my dog at the Conservation Area on a very muddy wooded trail.  We came upon one of our Onondaga Road families who had set up a picnic near the trail in their attempt to be outside for some fresh air, too.  Practicing "social distancing," we yelled to one another from several feet apart, excited to see each other.  My dog, Paisley, does not understand social distancing, and she has no manners!  So Paisley ran excitedly into the family's picnic, splattering them with mud.  Worse, she put her muddy face into their picnic basket, stole a full bottle of water, and ran away with it!  I tried to apologize for my dog's poor manners while I was running after her, shouting my good-byes to the family.  It was a muddy sight, for sure!  To our OR family that we may have offended (and you know who you are!), I promise to make it right, some day when we're together again at school, and replace what my naughty dog took.  Thanks for laughing with us!

Be well.