Coronavirus School Closure Update March 19, 2020

Coronavirus School Closure Update March 19, 2020
Posted on 03/19/2020
Dear Galway Families,

In our continued effort to support our students and families, the following guidelines have been shared with both Jr/Sr High School and Elementary School staff. We are sharing this information to provide you with clarity and answer any questions you may have.

Expectations of Learning

Phase 1: Supplement instruction during the period of time when we are not in school.

We've concluded our open hours and we thank the families who came to school to retrieve their child's device and teacher information packets. This afternoon, the administrators will deliver any remaining devices to student homes.

General information:

•  Emails to students, parents/guardians will be delivered via SchoolTool, Google Classroom, Remind, or Gmail each week to provide weekly instructions and check in on your child's progress.

•  Teachers have the autonomy to provide instruction/resources utilizing online communication/platforms and this may vary from classroom to classroom.

•  We realize not all students will be available during designated times related to their child's schedule. Teachers will be flexible with the submission of work or deadlines.

We want to assure all families that grades will not be given at this time. Our focus is on connecting with our students and families and working to provide as many resources as we can to support learning as we navigate uncharted territory.

• New information/material may be presented but there is no expectation by teachers that students have mastered content presented to them when they are home.

• Teachers have been asked to include parents/guardians when emailing students. Many students are not in the habit of checking email and recruiting parents to help establish this routine will assist your child.

• The district utilizes School Messenger for mass email. If you are not receiving these notifications, please check your settings to be sure School Messenger is not going to SPAM or has been "whitelisted." Information on how to correct this within your system is included in the following link. Click here for support related to School Messenger.

• Should your child require any technology support while trying to access resources, please email [email protected]. Our technology team will make every effort to provide fast and efficient support.
Please hold on to all your hard copies of materials and completed work.

• At this time, we have received information from the New York State Education Department that the 3-8 ELA Assessments have been suspended until further notice.

• We are pleased to share that both libraries are fully online. Students can see what is available at any time. Elementary book requests should email Mrs. Derwin [email protected]. Junior/Senior High School book request should be emailed to Karen Moffat at [email protected]. All requests should be made by noon on Wednesdays. We will work to get books together for each student request. We will have the books ready for pick up on Wednesdays from 1-3. Book pick-ups will be in the elementary circle. Book drop-offs can be made in the Junior/Senior High School entryway. We will sanitize the returned books prior to redistributing them.

Joseph Henry Elementary School Library

Galway Jr/Sr. High School Library

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We have been asked to share this message on behalf of the Saratoga County Office of Public Health

During this period of school closures, it is critical that students and their families stay home as much as possible. If you leave your home, it is essential to follow social distancing guidelines by avoiding crowds, canceling social gatherings, and maintaining a safe separation of at least 6 feet from others.
Keeping your distance from others will not only help reduce the spread of COVID-19 but can also help protect your family members from getting sick. We know this is a difficult time and we want to make sure students can stay connected. While we know that many students will want to spend this time with friends it is important that you do not gather together but rather find other ways to connect such as social media, face-time, etc.

This is a great time to clean out your closets, walk your dog, read a book, or go for a bike ride. You do not have to stay indoors. It is okay to go outside, however, regardless of the activities there should not be any large groups hanging out together. If a few students wanted to go outside and hang out together it should be with activities that still allow for social distancing. During this time social distancing is important to protect not only you but also your family, elders and others around you.

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Thank you,
The Admin Team

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