Six Rivers Students and Parents:
First and foremost, I wish you all good health. As always I encourage you all to follow the guidance of health professionals and keep you are your family well. As stated in Superintendent Macdonald's message to the parents our schools are "closed to the public with the exception of essential services." In addition, the closure has been extended "through April 20, following our Spring Break" which matches the announced closures of our associate schools. However, I believe that we are aware that this may go longer and we need to be prepared for that contingency. The bottom line is that this is a remarkable moment in history that has forced our district to consider carefully the best way to keep us all safe while meeting the challenge of maintaining the essential elements of education for our students.
In the last week, teachers have been asked to accomplish the monumental task of reformulating their curriculum to be taught utilizing a distance-learning format. From what I have seen and heard there are excellent activities and assignments ready for students in the Google Classroom. All of our students are familiar with Google Classroom as many teachers have used this tool to varying degrees during the regular school year. We will now ramp up this effort as this will be the central platform for lessons. For each teacher, this will mirror their unique style and the demands of their curriculum. We are in this together. We are committed to doing our very best, but it will require effort by all.
During the past week, teachers and staff have balanced the needs of their families with the development of their online curriculum and preparing students to access learning. Because the distance-learning model requires connectivity to the internet, all students who indicated they lacked Chromebooks or wifi connectivity have been contacted by the administration and machines have been delivered and arrangements for wifi connectivity have been made. If your child lacks the necessary technology to access the online curriculum please email me immediately.
In our mission statement, we have stated the goal of moving students to become "independent learners". This is especially true for the following.
- Check your student email. This is where you will find any email messages from teachers as well as all your Google Classroom notifications. Notifications will link to assignments and instructions. With this in mind, it is important that students turn on Google Classroom notifications. Already many students have accessed this curriculum and begun to turn in assignments though they are not official due to until next week. Students are expected to check their email on a daily basis.
- Work. Set aside time to complete assignments. Many assignments are posted already and it is not too early to begin. For example, bio and chem students know the format to complete homework hours. An assignment in Health is centered around the film "Super Size Me". English offered excursions to virtual museums. I encourage you to get started.
- Get Support when you need it. Teachers will set office hours and be available to support your learning. Please watch for a complete schedule of office hours in a subsequent email. In addition, soon (not yet) Mr. Giddis will be available by appointment to video chat with students using Google Hangouts. In addition, Mrs. Ralulu and Sofia will be setting up small group instruction as well as individual support.
- Questions are encouraged and should be submitted to teachers or administration via email. We will be supporting students throughout this process to the best of our ability while following the safety protocols. Email addresses can be found in the "Contact Us" tab on our website.
- Nurture yourself. Northern Humboldt and schools throughout our community are serving food at their sites. If your child has not been able to access a meal please call the District Office at 839-6484. More information regarding the lunch program visit https://www.nohum.org/apps/
pages/student-meals . In addition, the Humboldt County Office of Education has an extensive list of information and resources regarding the current crisis including information regarding the availability of food at other schools at https://hcoe.org/covid-19/.
Our mission statement also challenges students to become "interdependent". Not only will students know where to go to access support, but they will be an interconnected part of their community.
- I am happy to share that the Journalism class will continue production of the Swashbuckler to share a student voice and perspective on the current situation. Watch for an electronic edition to land in your email inbox! In addition, Journalism students will continue working on the yearbook. I appreciate their dedication to the Six Rivers Community.
- Students are encouraged to set up their own study groups through "Google Meet." This is as simple as sending a meeting request with the hangout box checked. See https://www.nohum.org/
apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID= 1621192&type=d&pREC_ID=video& showMore=1&titleREC_ID=239784 for a quick and easy tutorial on how to complete this. - Another example of determination to serve the community is through Senior Project. I have fielded a number of questions from students regarding their senior project given the crisis. In fact, Kat Ziegler made a point to pick up supplies to needed complete her mural before the shelter in place order was made.
- Parent Advisory Committee and Pirate Parent meetings will be rescheduled and held virtually. These are open meetings and all are welcome to attend. invitations will be in your inbox.
- Principal's Office Hours. I will hold office hours as well. If you are interested in posing a question or seeking clarification, I am eager to chat with you. Send me an email if you wish to talk and I will call.
At this time, I know I can count on family, friends and the staff at Six Rivers. I also acknowledge the fact that there are many questions yet to answered and this creates anxious uncertainty. The Six Rivers team is determined to do its best for students while keeping a proper balance of our personal and professional responsibilities. I wish, you all the very best in the coming weeks.
It is good to be a Pirate
Ron Perry
Principal
Six Rivers Charter High School
Six Rivers Charter High School
707-825-2015