Dear Parents/Guardians;
The first day of the reopening of school, with Grade 1 - Cohort A in attendance, went about as smoothly as I could have hoped for. The morning drop off started to trickle in at about 7:15 a.m. with the bulk of parents coming in from 7:30 a.m. onward. We arranged our schedule so we would bring students to their classrooms from 7:50 a.m. so timing for all this worked out well. The Grade 1 teachers were super on it again and brought down carts to help bring the students’ supplies up to their classrooms, as well as introducing themselves to them. Not unexpected, many of the students were quiet and looked nervous. This same behavior was still present during their first recess. It’s interesting to note that kids from two classrooms played in the field area near their classrooms, but after a few minutes, most of them walked back to the walkway saying it was too hot. In less than 10 minutes all of them were standing in the covered walkway. Apparently many of them didn’t play much outside while at home, but that was to be expected. They all had lunch in the cafe, and by then, most of them felt okay with being in school. You could see and hear them talking to each other and there was lots of smiling. After lunch, most forgot their lunch routine of throwing their plates away, going back into the cafe and walking out through the makai doors and waiting outside. Instead, they started walking out through the kitchen door and we had to stop to redirect them. Afternoon pick up also went well. School ended at 2:15 p.m. and most families did not drive up to the circle area until after 2:20 p.m. This is good because the students did not get down to the front of the cafe until a little after 2:20 p.m. so families didn’t have to wait very long. What helped a lot were those strips of paper with their child’s name on it. We had several adults down at the circle, so when we saw the names we could call out that child’s name and escort them to their car. The A+ program was also present at the school so we took students enrolled in that program to their leader. By 2:30 p.m. nearly all the students either went home or were in A+. Only a few non-Grade 1 students were left waiting to be picked up by their families. The take away from this first day is that parents did not panic and that they brought their child to school in the morning as they did on previous days – even though that day was 7 months ago. All the kids were a little nervous at first but adjusted and acted more normal as the day progressed. School ended on time and parents did not rush to school before school ended so there was little traffic holdup. Those strips of paper with their child’s name on it helped a great deal as we didn’t have to ask the driver for a name and they didn’t have to roll down their windows. All in all, it was a good start! The second day with Cohort B pretty much mirrored Monday. Students were quiet in the morning, tentative in playing during the first recess, and became more relaxed during lunchtime. I spoke to a few of them and they agreed that it was good seeing and talking to their friends in person. The afternoon pickup also went well with A+ getting their groups quickly and that there were not so many cars. The take away from day two was that some families needed those strips of paper, so if you do not have one, please ask for it. Write the name and grade of your child on it in big bold letters as this helps those by the circle driveway to see their names quickly. If possible, prop this strip upwards on the front window so we can read it easier. It is difficult to see the name when the strip is laying flat on the front dashboard. Right now, with only Grade 1 attending, we can guess some of the names of students, but later on when more students return to school, not being able to see the name or grade will make this task much more difficult. For families interested in early morning care, please know that the Nu‘uanu YMCA is running the program this year. Hours are from 6:30 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. daily. You can contact the YMCA directly for information. Please do not forget that on Wednesdays, unless school changes it for a special reason, we end school at 1:30 p.m. I realize that many of you might have forgotten this with all the changes going on. Mahalo, James Toyooka October 13, 2020
Aloha Parents/Guardians; The attachment to this eblast is a letter from the DOE regarding the Acellus program. Middle and high schools will still be using it for credit recovery, but many elementary schools will either stop using it or curb its use. At Nu‘uanu School, we barely used it before the controversy started. We are using it even less now. We felt that some of the components, like Math and Science, are nonjudgmental so could be used, but avoided using their Social Studies and Language Arts contents as that seemed to be the areas of contention. We would stop using it altogether but, since we paid nearly $14,000 for it and the fact that the company will not refund our money, we will only use a few sections of their curriculum. From the very onset, we have been using the programs - Stepping Stones, Wonders, IXL, iReady and will continue to do so. We’ve since added Brain Pop and Brain Pop Jr., and more of IXL (math, language arts, social studies components) so our students have not been victim to any false or misleading information from Acellus. On a happier note we will reopen for face-to-face instructions starting Monday, October 26, 2020. Grade 1 will be the first group coming back. Some heads up on how this works, not all of the grade 1 students will come back at one time, but will be coming back in cohorts. On the first week, Cohort A will have face-to-face instructions on Monday and Thursday, and Cohort B on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. The following week Cohort A will be in school on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and Cohort B on Tuesday and Friday. Wednesdays will be the alternating day every week. School’s start and end times will be staggered for the remainder of the school year. Grade 1 will start school at 8:00 a.m. and end at 2:15 p.m. every day except on Wednesday when they end at 1:30 p.m. Please do not drop off or pick your child up from the classrooms. Even if you are coming from the Dowsett Street side of campus in the morning, do not go to their classroom, but bring your child to the patio area in front of the cafe. We will escort all of the grade 1 students up at one time starting at 7:50 a.m. If you are late, report to the office. Be sure and check your child every morning before bringing him/her to school. Check for fever, runny nose, body aches, coughing, and all 12 symptoms that might indicate COVID-19 illness. See List at the end of this letter. (ref.: HIDOE Return to Learn: Health & Safety Handbook, Version 8, Oct. 9, 2020) If your child has any of these symptoms while at school we will call you to pick him/her up immediately. We will have adult supervisors stationed in front of the cafe from 7:30 a.m. to 8:10 a.m. in the morning and from when school ends to 2:25 p.m. daily (1:40 p.m. on Wednesdays). All students will be sitting on chairs placed under/near the walkway. Please do not forget to place those strips of paper with your child’s grade and name written on it and placed on your car’s dashboard so we can see it when you are driving up in the circle driveway. If we all follow the above rules and protocol, we will have a safe and healthy reopening for everybody - students, families, and school staff. Mahalo, James Toyooka Principal DAILY WELLNESS CHECK AT HOME All HIDOE staff, contracted service providers, visitors and students must complete a wellness check each morning before going to the school/office. STEP 1: Check for Symptoms of Illness If you/your child has any symptoms of illness - do not go to the school/office. Check for the following: ❏ Fever (a temperature of 100°F or higher) ❏ Chills ❏ Cough ❏ Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing ❏ Fatigue (tiredness, weakness) ❏ Muscle or body aches ❏ Headache ❏ New loss of taste or smell ❏ Sore throat ❏ Congestion or runny nose ❏ Nausea or vomiting (stomach ache) ❏ Diarrhea STEP 2: Check for Recent COVID-19 Exposure If you/your child are in quarantine, live in the same household or have had close contact (within 6 feet for at least 15 minutes) with someone with COVID-19, or are waiting for COVID-19 test results - do not go to the school/office until quarantine is completed or you are cleared by a health care provider. |
AuthorJames Toyooka, Principal Archives
December 2020
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