Middle School

Dear Middle School Saints,

The faculty and I are disappointed not to be seeing you on campus this week, but I know that we will make the most of this challenging situation. The faculty has worked extremely hard this week to prepare an online learning program that will be meaningful, engaging, and even fun. It will allow you to pick up your learning right where we left off for break, and you’ll learn everything you need in order to be ready for next year. I know that you have lots of questions, so I’m going to jump right into sharing with you how this is all going to work.

Where do I start?

We’re kicking it off with this email! Please read it thoroughly and feel free to email your advisor or me with any questions. There are two other ways to get information coming to you as well. Most importantly, later today you will receive an invite in your school email to an online Circle Up session with your advisor at 10:30 AM tomorrow (Friday, March 20th!) If at all possible, we’d like you to join that session. It will allow you to test the technology, and your advisor will be sharing important information and answering any questions you might have. Additionally, later this evening, I will be sharing a slide presentation for your parents to look at. If you still have questions, I encourage you to watch it with them!

How will I know what to do each day?

Each weekday, you will login to your school gmail account and start the day by checking out your grade level assignment calendar. These are the same calendars you’ve been using all year. It will be your one stop shop for all of your assignments, news, and the links you need! Each day, you will have the opportunity to connect face-to-face with your teachers and peers if you need it. However, most of your work will happen at your own pace and direction. We’ll give you some sample calendars to think about organizing your day, and you’ll have a nifty online checklist to submit each day that will help you keep track of that day’s work.

Each day, one of your subjects will be “On.” That class will be your focus for that day. You may even be logging in to an online class with the teacher and your classmates. At the end of the day, when you submit your checklist of what you’ve done, completion of your “On” day tasks will count as your attendance at school. So make sure to finish everything and to submit the checklist! If you’re curious about the checklist, look over the slideshow this evening – it includes a screenshot of a sample checklist!

Your other classes will be “Off.” But you will still have work to do in them. Think of your “Off” classes like independent classwork. Even on “Off” days, your teachers are working hard to include innovative and engaging approaches. You might have videos to watch or interactive activities to complete. There will also be space on your checklist to check off your “Off” day activities. Both “On” and “Off” activities can count for your grades in your classes, so make sure to complete ALL of your work each day.

You will also find a recommended schedule attached to this email. Consider printing it or copying down and trying to stick with it! Keeping some structure during these days will be really helpful to you.

The assignment calendar sounds really helpful – how does it work?

We hope that having everything in one place will make this transition more seamless. Each week the calendar will be posted in advance. You can do your work on your own pace. However, you should check the calendar every morning! Your teachers may update assignments, and you will need to submit your checklist each day. While the assignments are posted in advance and we don’t expect many changes, the calendar will stay live – teachers may change a day’s work before 7:30 AM. Also, your “On” class may require you to participate in something that can only be done that day. Your advisors will review the calendar with you tomorrow, and it will become accessible before the weekend.

How do I turn in work?

Your teachers will give you directions on submitting work in the assignment calendar or on their Google Classroom home page. Our teachers will be using a variety of applications and approaches – so check to make sure that you know how to submit it. Your work is due by 9 PM on the day it is due. We want you to get to sleep at a reasonable time.

Wait – 9 PM! – How long is it going to take me to do the work?

Don’t worry! We expect that a focused and committed student can get their day’s work done between 8 and 12 in the morning. However, you have longer than that so that you can plan your own schedule and work at your own pace. Keep in mind that any class that you requires you to login personally will take place between the hours of 8 and 12:30.

What if I can’t get my work done that day?

We understand that this is a challenging time and situations may change during your time at home. We want to support you and will be flexible in working with you to make this happen! If you can’t get your work done on a particular day, email the teacher and your advisor and let them know. They’ll work with you to arrange an extension – it’s as easy as that!

That said, we also think it’s really important for you to stay up to date with your work. In an online environment, getting behind can really snowball. If you don’t communicate in advance, late work will have a penalty in order to encourage you to stay on it! Also, if I or Mrs. Morse hear that you’ve fallen behind, we’ll reach out (in a friendly way, I promise!) to see what we can do to help. We don’t want anyone falling by the wayside.

What if I need help from teachers?

St. Andrew’s has always been committed to ensuring that your teachers are here for you. We know that this is especially important in an online environment. All of your teachers will have in-person Google Hangout office hours each day from 1-2 PM. The links to join to these sessions will be on the assignment calendar (of course!)

Teachers will also be available from 2-3 PM by Google Hangout message or by email. They will get right back to you during those hours. If you reach out for help after 3 PM, teachers will endeavor to respond but it is possible that they won’t get back to you until 8 AM the next morning. Flexibility is key – so as long as you have reached out, they’ll work with you to resolve your issues without any grade penalty.

There are a few teachers in Arts and World Languages who have upper school classes as well. These teachers will still have regular office hours but only on some days. They will share their schedules with their students directly.

What about other school-based activities?

We want to keep things as regular as possible. All of your Arts classes are included in our “On/Off” rotation – so look for assignments there. The Arts teachers have been enormously creative in designing curriculum for you!

We will expand Circle Up and hold it at 2 PM Tuesday and Friday. Please plan on attending these sessions each week. They will be online Hangouts and will give you a chance to check in with your Advisor and peers. They will be critical for connecting everyone together and will help us get feedback on how to best support you.

Cancellations: Unfortunately, due to the virus, we have had to cancel our 8^th grade trip. 8^th graders, you have had a wonderful year, and I promise that I will do everything in my power to arrange an alternative at the first possible opportunity.

Additionally, the scheduled performances of the middle school musical have been cancelled. Ms. Taylor will keep you updated on possible alternatives in the near future.

Fitness and Athletics: Each day, the coaches will be posting workouts that you can do at home. At times like these, getting exercise each day is even more important. I strongly encourage you to take on the coaches’ challenges and complete each day’s workout. In addition, the coach for each athletic team will be reaching out directly to the players to give advice and instruction.

Arrrrrgh! I’m having technical problems – what do I do?

One of the reasons that we’re having a Circle Up this Friday (don’t forget – 10:30 AM!) is so we can check and make sure that everyone’s technology is functioning. If you’re having issues, here are some guidelines to get help:

URGENT REQUESTS - An “urgent request” is an issue that prevents your child from participating in a virtual class through Google Meet with a teacher.

Call the Support Hotline at (601) 853-6047. If no answer, please leave a message.

GENERAL REQUESTS - General requests are basic “how-to” questions or “where do I find information” questions. Email the support team at helpdesk@gosaints.org.

SUPPORT HOURS - The Technical Services Team is available Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4 p.m. to support you. Should you need assistance after-hours, please call the support hotline and leave a message or email helpdesk@gosaints.org. A member of our team will respond within 24 hours.

Online Expectations

Even though you are off campus, we have the same high expectations for your behavior and honor that we always have. We expect you to be thoughtful, kind, honest, and respectful at all times and in all of your online interactions. Being away from your friends is certainly going to be hard, and we know that you will find ways to reach out to each other. Please do not use class tools or programs to do so. These spaces need to be saved for our important academic work. In addition, we will assign consequences for unkindness or misbehavior. If someone is unkind to you, please let your advisor, Mrs. Irons, or myself know.

Attached to this email you will find a document outlining some behavioral expectations for us to keep in mind as we transition to an online environment. Please read over these and take them to heart.

Parents: Please continue to monitor your child’s social media when possible. Additionally, we ask that you take up all technology at night for the sake of your child’s sleep and their emotional well-being. They’ll thank you later for it! Additionally, I recommend keeping their personal devices (phones, IPads etc) until after the teacher office hours end at 2 PM. This will help them to focus on their work and to make sure that they don’t interrupt their peers’ work if they finish early.

Health, Wellness, and Student Support

If you happen to get sick at some point during our remote learning weeks, please inform your advisor. We intend to reach out if kids are missing assignments, but we want to make sure we don’t bombard you with emails if you’re behind on work due to illness.

Remember to stay active! Whether it’s through the provided Fitness workouts or just by getting outside. Daily exercise will be especially important for strengthening your mind and feeling better during this time away.

Mrs. Irons, the middle school counselor, is available to assist students and families with mental health concerns related to school or social issues. Students or parents should reach out to her at ironsc@gosaints.org. She’ll be hosting daily office hours between 12 and 3 and can also set up appointments.

If you’re feeling lost in your work or having trouble getting started, Mrs. Morse, the middle school learning facilitator, is also available by appointment. Please email morsel@gosaints.org to arrange an appointment.

As always, if you need help at any time about anything, I’m here for you as well. Please email me at elliottcl@gosaints.org with any concerns or questions. I’ll get back to you quickly (unless it’s the middle of the night!)

Sincerely,

Mr. Elliott