Week 2 - April 9, 2020 - West Vancouver Schools

School Website
 Week 2 - April 9, 2020                               RPAC Facebook
                                                       District Website

Dear Parents, Guardians, and Friends,

Principal’s Note K-7

As we enter week 2 of remote learning, our new approach will still be
SLOW and focused on care, connect and comfort. As we consider moving
along the learning, please be aware where our District is. Currently we are
following the Ministry of Health/Education key priorities:
1 - Health & Safety protocols
2 - Essential Service Workers School- school at Hollyburn
3 - Vulnerable students - those with IEP’s
4 - Continuity of Learning - what teachers post every Friday

With that perspective, please realize that we continue to ask for your
continued understanding with what we must prioritize, be strategic and be
student focus. Specialist education (ie. ELL) still being planned and
developed to be effective with our new remote learning approach.

Attendance K-7

Part of our job is to have two-way reciprocal communication with all of our
students at least ONCE a week. Teachers are tracking this as
“attendance.” Besides connecting and making sure a channel of
communication is open - we want to also be sure in that students are
feeling safe. Ms. Podzun, our counsellor, has been contacting families that
she works with. Our LST teachers, Ms. Buchanan and Ms. Standeven, are
guiding our EAs to support students with IEPs. All of this correspondence is
documented so we know we are checking in weekly and see how our
students are proceeding with remote learning. Please ensure that students
readily communicate with their teacher by Fresh Grade or Google
Classroom – or parents can be that voice by email. If we don’t hear from
students weekly, we will follow up with a phone call home to check in;)

Assessment K-7

This is connected to attendance and the two-way correspondence that
teachers document and have with their students. Teachers love for
students to share their work – we get to see it and even build a bit of a
digital portfolio. We will see student learning over time. We are focusing on
“Formative Assessment” - feedback as you go - and the student needs to
take the lead with their learning. I know this may vary with how your family
can manage with this pandemic, work and kids at home – rest assured that
no child will lose marks over these next few months and all students will
move onto the next grade. Teacher’s task will have varied approaches, and
many have surveyed families to be adaptable as we try something new.
Please contact the teacher directly as we roll out remote learning – and
provide feedback what is realistic for your family. You can review the
Continuity of Learning again below.

School Wide Activity You Can do at Home for Week 2 - K-7

   Do 1 Give Day is on Wednesday, April 15th. The first two items below
    may be how students can participate locally with a gesture of
    kindness and bring a little bit of happiness into Wednesday, April 15th.
    Check out the link to the web page above for more details and other
    ways to “give” that you might consider.

   Bang pots and pans at 7:00 pm to join the movement to give a daily
    salute to emergency workers in West Vancouver, the North Shore,
    etc. It’s a virtual hug of gratitude to remind us that we are doing our
    part – so they can do their job safely.

   Compassion Campaign for the Senior’s Activity Centre (SAC) in
    West Van. Make cards with a poem, artwork, uplifting message for
    seniors – and these cards will be delivered to them as well as a free
    meal from the Vancouver Foundation. You can drop off these cards
    at the SAC from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm in a box by the entrance. Or you
    can mail them in to:

     Senior Activity Centre
     695 – 21st Street
     West Vancouver
     V7V-4A7

   Jersey Day on Friday, April 17th. Wear your favourite team’s jersey
    – this is a District Wide Theme Day. Send or post a picture to your
    teacher or to our Twitter account.

You can always share your participation with our school wide activities on
Twitter to our school account @RidgeviewDragon.

Term 2 Report Cards K-7

Please note that we have placed all remaining Term 2 MyEd report cards
(as well as any ELL or band reports) that did not get picked up into the mail
this week.

Please note: MyEd reports are paper reports (Kindergarten, Grade 2, 3 and
6). All other grades use Fresh Grade – those reports are online.

The Card Project K-7

                 The Card Project – going ahead :)

With the disruption of COVID-19, I’m sure many of you are enjoying making
crafts with your young artists at home. They are so creative! You can see
what the children have been making at school… because The Card
Project is going ahead!

How do I see my child’s art?

      Visit www.TheCardProject.ca
      Click on “To Order”
      Use our school’s access code RV91
      Use the drop-down menu to find your child’s teacher
      Enter your child’s first name to see their masterpiece!

How will I get my order?

    We can ship your order to your home address (a shipping fee of $12
     applies). Delivery will be 2-3 weeks.

Every child will still receive their free example card made with their art
when school reopens.

A big “Thank you!” to our teachers for encouraging creativity in the
classroom. We are glad that you can see the children’s beautiful art.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Marcelle at
Marcelle@TheCardProject.ca

Happy Birthday! K-7
Week 2 April 9 – 17 Happy Birthday to:

Alp D. in Grade 4
Arvin R. in Kindergarten
Castilla R. In Grade 6
John B. in Grade 1
Bianca A. in Grade 7
Mathew H. in Kindergarten
RAPC News

Hot Lunch Orders Cancelled

As we mentioned a couple of weeks ago, all orders have been cancelled.
If you haven't done so, please, log into your Munchalunch account.:

         o   If you have a credit, we will roll over the credit to the next
             school session. If you are leaving the school or have a
             significant balance and would like a refund, please, contact me
             at silmoscato@hotmail.com.
         o   If you have a balance owing (debit), we understand these are
             hard times, but if you can, please, try to pay it.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact Silvina at
silmoscato@hotmail.com .

Mayfair Cancelled

Due to COVID – 19, our RPAC Mayfair has been cancelled, including the
Silent Auction. We want to thank Julie Cameron and the RAPC Executive
with their efforts.

Photo Gallery K- 7

Continuity of Learning Plan K-7 (for your reference for another week)

Please check out West Vancouver’s Updated website for details moving
forward with our Continuity of Learning Plan – please note there are
approved digital resources on this page – your classroom teacher will
identify which ones they will be using in their communication with you.

https://westvancouverschools.ca

We wanted to send you an update regarding our West Vancouver Schools
Continuity of Learning Plan. School districts have been asked to provide
educational opportunities for students during the current COVID-19
pandemic. West Vancouver has developed a robust plan to support remote
teaching and learning. The West Vancouver Schools Continuity of Learning
Plan outlines roles and responsibilities, digital access, structures, timelines,
and resources and tools. It is important that we all understand that
teaching and learning will look different throughout the K-12 curriculum and
the expectation is not to replicate teaching and learning in the classroom,
but provide guidelines for what is essential for learning at home during this
very challenging time. To this end, we want to ensure we are offering
academic and social emotional support while understanding that this is a
global pandemic and circumstances and context for all members of our
community are unique. Our Continuity of Learning Plan will evolve over
time to respond to the needs of students, families and educators.

The Continuity of Learning Plan has been developed around three guiding
principles:
    Social Emotional Learning is at the center - we will care, comfort and
      connect with our students and families
    Flexibility - we understand that these are uncharted waters for
      students, teachers and families and will bring unique challenges and
      opportunities
    Teaching and learning will continue - we acknowledge that this will
      look different from Kindergarten to Grade 12 and will focus on
      essential learning: literacy, numeracy, and priority curricular
      competencies in other content/subject areas across the curriculum.

Currently, staff are preparing plans to support learning, including the
development of communication pathways, resources and an adjusted
curriculum. By mid-week, teachers will be working on contacting students
to reassure them that we are here to support and to reconnect. By Friday,
we anticipate that most teachers will be in the position to communicate a
general overview of what learning will look like next week, understanding
that this will be a starting point and will evolve over time.

Starting next week, teachers will begin to layer in regular instruction,
support and feedback. Teachers will share their preferred method of
communication and will be available to students and families during school
hours. Families and students should expect schools and teachers to:

     Share weekly learning plans that provide students with an overview of
      the week ahead
     Provide opportunities that engage students in learning for
      approximately 2-3 hours per day. This will vary from Kindergarten to
      Grade 12 and from student to student. It is important to note that
      learning from home takes twice as long and every student and family
      will approach home learning differently.
     Communicate ongoing feedback in relation to the learning
      opportunities provided
     Provide assessment information based on the work completed to
      date and essential learning over the coming months.
     Communicate learning opportunities and provide feedback through
      one of the District approved platforms (FreshGrade and Google
      Classroom)

Please note:
    Learning Support Teachers are working with classroom teachers to
     develop plans to support student IEP goals and objectives
    English Language Learning Teachers are working with classroom
     teachers to adapt instructional plans to support ELL students.

As mentioned above, we anticipate that the majority of communication and
learning will occur through our approved digital platforms. Teachers will
share learning opportunities with students and we have included some
helpful suggestions that may support them in their remote learning. If your
child does not have access to a device or the internet, please notify the
school – you can reach Mr. Zerbe at wzerbe@wvschools.ca and Mr.
Parslow at cparslow@wvschools.ca.

     Engage in the learning opportunities that present themselves
     Encourage students to connect with their teachers regularly through
      our digital platforms
     Develop a daily home routine where possible
     Create a physical learning space at home
     Monitor online activity and ensure that students take frequent breaks
      away from technology
     Encourage physical activity and exercise
     Practice patience and ease into remote learning
     Maintain social connections by keeping in touch with friends and
      classmates remotely
     Maintain physical distancing and follow public health guidelines

In order to assist students and parents we have updated the district website
to include many excellent student and parent resources. These sites will be
updated on a regular basis and will be used by our teachers to support
remote learning and are readily available to our school community.

Wishing everyone to stay safe and enjoy a happy Easter!

Mr. Warren Zerbe                        Mr. Chris Parslow
Principal                               Vice Principal
wzerbe@wvschools.ca                    cparslow@wvschools.ca