A Note from Principal Farrington Dear Birchview Families,
I would like to personally begin our first newsletter by saying a BIG thank you to you for all your patience and understanding as we navigate the start of this school year. Our staff is committed to providing the best experience possible for all our students. Whether we are in person, hybrid or distance, we will do our best to make this year truly great for your child.
This newsletter will include helpful information to help you with getting ready for the school year. As we navigate through this year, I will do my best to keep you updated. Our staff is here to help!
Hybrid and Distance Choice Instruction As you know, we will begin the year in the hybrid model and some students will be in the distance choice model. Our teachers will continue to work collaboratively to engage students in relevant, meaningful and engaging learning activities across all grade levels regardless of hybrid or distance choice.
The link below gives you an idea of what to expect in the Hybrid and Distance Choice models. More information will be communicated by your child's classroom teacher soon. Safety at School Using the guidance from the Minnesota Department of Health and Minnesota Department of Education, we have worked to establish some routines to keep us safe at school. Together, we will need to do our part to help keep us all healthy this year. The video in the "Around the District" section will give you a snapshot of the safety protocols for the year. You can also visit our Wayzata Learns webpage to learn more. We will continue to do our best to align our protocol to the state recommendations.
I am looking forward to our partnership and our work together as we navigate our new normal. Despite the circumstances, I could not be more proud of our school community and I am confident that we will get through this together. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions. With sincere gratitude and excitement,
Mr. Farrington
Supporting Our Community Classroom and Teacher Assignment - September 1 Information about your teacher will be made available to families starting at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 1, through Skyward Family Access. Due to the complexity of creating balanced classes which meet our capacity requirements, please refrain from requesting changes to these schedules and placements.
New Family Orientation - September 1 A virtual New Family Orientation will be on Tuesday, September 1 at 5:00 p.m. This presentation is for parents who are new to Birchview and Kindergarten. A Zoom link invitation was provided to these families in a separate communication.
Welcome Kindergarteners - September 3 Welcome Class of 2033! We are so glad that you are joining us. Details about the welcome back event on September 3 have been communicated with all Kindergarten families in a previous email. Kindergarten teachers will send sign up information on August 31, 2020.
Meet with the Principal - September 8, 4:00 p.m. I want to invite you to a virtual event on September 8, 2020. I know that you received lots of information recently and I hope this will be another opportunity to help answer questions you may have about the school year. I am looking forward to getting to know our Birchview community.
Virtual Open House - September 9 Our Virtual Open House will be September 9, 3:30-5:30 p.m. This is an opportunity to meet your student's teacher, review some of the new procedures for us this year, and get a chance to meet some of your classmates. A zoom link will be provided by your child's designated teacher by September 4. Each teacher will do two 45 minute sessions (3:30-4:15 and 4:30 to 5:15) in the event that you have multiple children. A recording of the content covered during these sessions will be provided after September 9th for all families.
iPad and Material Distribution for Distance Choice - September 10 or 11 Students who selected Distance Choice will be able pick up their iPad and other supplies on September 10 (12 p.m. to 3 p.m.) or September 11 (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.). Details about the pick up will be shared with Distance Choice families at a later date. Kindergarten families will receive an email about iPad pick up from the classroom teacher.
First Day of School - September 14 and 15 We look forward to welcoming you back officially to school on September 14 (Cohort A) and September 15 (Cohort B). This is for hybrid and distance students! School hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 3:10 p.m. daily.
Did You Know? Bus Information Your student's busing information will be mailed and emailed to all families during the week of August 31. To ensure that your child is assigned to the correct bus and stop, your correct address must be on file with the Welcome Center. Please double check your address in Skyward Family Access if your family has moved over the summer or is new to the district. If an address change needs to be made, please call our Welcome Center at 763-745-5240.
School Supply Lists If your child is part of the Distance Choice model, please refer to the school supply list and determine what your child needs while working at home. For Hybrid students, please continue to use the school supply list. Your child's teacher will communicate if there are any changes or additions needed.
Reminders Medications at School All medications, both prescribed and Over-The-Counter (OTC), administered at school requires a medical order from a person who is a licensed authorized prescribing practitioner (physician, physician's assistant, dentist, podiatrist, osteopath or psychiatrist). Please contact your school health office about medication drop off before the start of school. For more information, visit our Health Services webpage.
Emergency Contact Information It is very important that we have accurate emergency contact information for each parent/guardian. Please take a moment to verify and update your family information in Skyward Family Access.
Birthday Book Program Our popular birthday book program will be back this year. This program helps grow our library collection while formally commemorating a special day in the lives of our students.
PTA News We love this school and adore these kids. We want to participate in making their elementary school experience the best it can be! We want to connect with other parents and work together to build a strong and vibrant community for our children and the families that love them. This is why our purpose is to enhance learning outside the classroom, provide equitable opportunities to students and staff, create community and show appreciation for our community members.
Around the District We are busy preparing our buildings and staff for the start of the new school year, with a big focus on preventing the spread of COVID-19 within our staff and student body. All of our buildings have optimal ventilation and enhanced cleaning and sanitation procedures are in place. Our school principals have established new guidelines for everything from entering the building to eating lunch. We need you to understand and follow them so that we can all stay safe and prevent the spread of the virus.
Community Ed New Online Classes We welcome you to our online classrooms! Our online classes ensure that you are able to gain valuable information, stay on track with your fitness routine, learn new skills, and connect with others during the next month. Our buildings may be closed, but lifelong learning never stops. We are offering a variety of online classes for adult and youth. You can find all the online options on our registration site. Financial assistance is available or call 763-745-5200 for more information.
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