Principal's Note - March 30, 2020

By Margaret Barnes
Principal's Note
March 30, 2020

Dear Holmes Families,

Good evening!  At around this time last week when I sent my last email to you, we were unsure how long schools were going to be closed for the remainder of this school year.  Since then, we received the sad, but not unexpected announcement from Governor Northam that all school buildings in Virginia will be closed through the end of the school year.  You have also received a number of emails from our Superintendent, Dr. Brabrand, about what that specifically means for Fairfax County Public Schools.  Now that our School Board and Leadership Team have had a week to fully process the news and make some important decisions about how we will proceed, I want to share with you what that will specifically mean for your students at Holmes.  What we will miss the most is seeing and connecting with your students on a daily basis.  As a way to stay connected, this week (3/30-4/3) will be Holmes' Virtual Spirit Week!  See below for details.  Students can also participate in an online Lunch Bunch with me on Mondays at 12 pm.  They can email me at @email for an invite and a link.  

spirit

What should my child be doing now?

  • Working on any 3rd quarter work that was assigned before March 13th that your student may have been missing. 
  • Using the resources in the Continuity of Learning section (with the light bulb) on Blackboard
  • Reading! (see last week's newsletter for resources)

​​​​​​​Beginning this week, you will receive a grade-level packet by US mail from FCPS' Instructional Services Department (ISD) for any students you have in kindergarten through 8th grade.  The packet you will receive this week is an introduction and preparation to online learning from home in additon to review of grade-level content.  You will receive a packet like this (developed by ISD) each week through the end of the school year.  Our teachers will refer to these packets with students in their planning.

NOTE: It is very important that we have your most updated home address, phone number(s), and email address(es).  If you need to update yours, please email Ms. Hindi and [email protected].

When will online learning begin with teachers and what will it look like?

Online (or distance) learning classes will begin with teachers the week of April 13th.  The schedule for middle school is pictured below. 

schedule

Students will follow a Blue Day schedule on Wednesdays, and a White Day schedule on Fridays (including SOAR during the 8th period block of time).  Students will use an online videoconference service called Blackboard Collaborate Ultra, and their teachers will send them a link for them to connect to the videoconference of the classes.  Students should be checking the FCPS Gmail account (that ends in @fcpsschools.net) and their grade-level Google classrooms regularly.  We have also asked teachers to post announcements on Blackboard, and connect their Google classrooms to their Blackboard sites so that parents can view them.  (In order to see the teachers' Google classrooms, please ask your child to log into Google with the their fcpsschools.net account.)  Teachers will also hold office hours for students during the week, and they will publish those office hours. 

Teachers virtually report back to work tomorrow and will be using the week to collaborate and plan for distance learning.  Please note that this is a complete shift in the way that we work as educators and the way your students work as learners, so we want to ensure that we are thoughtful in our planning so that your student's online learning experience is clear and accessible.  It is also critically important that we all remain flexible in our thinking: Just as many of us are learning how to work from home while our children our home with us right now, the same is true for our teachers.  

NOTE: If you have a 6th grader at Holmes who was unable to pick up a laptop last week, we are offering an additional time for distribution this Tuesday, 3/31.  Our resources are limited, but if your 6th grader needs a laptop to participate in online learning, please sign up for a time HERE to come in with them to pick one up between 9 am and 1 pm on Tuesday.  

What about my student's "stuff"?

Our focus right now is, of course, to keep our students, families, and staff safe, so we are limiting access to the building.  There will be an opportunity at some point for students to come and clean out their lockers, but that will not happen for awhile.  Exceptions are the following: 

  • 7th or 8th grader who left laptop and/or charger at school.  Please email me directly at @email to let me know by the end of the day on Monday, 3/30.  
  • Band or Orchestra student who needs instrument.  Please complete this SignUp Genius to pick up the instrument on Tuesday, 3/31. 

What about my student's grades?

  • 3rd quarter is still open, but no new work for 3rd quarter can be assigned by teachers after March 13th.  However, students will have until April 24th to complete missing work that will help them to improve their 3rd quarter grade.
  • Learning activities will be assigned to students for 4th quarter, and teachers will provide students with feedback on this work.  All students will receive a "No Mark" for 4th quarter, due to the unique nature of these circumstances.  

I know that all of this is a lot to process, and I am happy to answer any questions you have.  Your teacher's SOAR teacher and/or an administrator or counselor will be calling you this week to connect with you and your student and to answer any questions that you have.  Our building may be closed, but we are still here for you!  Thank you, and have a great week!

Margaret Barnes

Proud Principal, Holmes MS

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