Message from Principal Chardin: March 18, 2020

Message from Principal Chardin: March 18, 2020
Posted on 03/18/2020

Hello Putnam Ave. Family,

We view this time of school closure as an opportunity to practice our core values of balance--by spending time with our families and doing things that energize us at home--and perseverance--by continuing to overcome the obstacles that we are presented with. It is also an opportunity to reimagine how we learn in new and different ways, so we would like to update you on how to continue your child’s learning experiences while we are out of school.

The current district guidelines acknowledge that “while the teaching and learning experience for students during this extended period of emergency closure is not expected to mirror a typical school day, CPS is committed to providing enrichment learning resources for all of our students and families.” As this is a work in progress, here is how we envision this working at Putnam Ave.:

  • Communication: Starting next Monday (March 23, 2020), grade level teacher leaders will send out a proposed daily schedule with activities in each of the content areas, portfolio, and the specialty classes. Core teachers will be posting assignments on Mondays and Wednesdays on Google Classroom (codes can be found on the contact sheet attached here) and are committed to checking their email at least 3 times a day between 9AM and 3PM, so do not hesitate to reach out if there are questions.

  • Continued Learning: Student learning can be accessed either from the daily schedule or the students’ Google Classrooms. During this time, teachers will be reviewing student work and scoring it for completion as a part of their overall participation grade. Families may check Aspen to monitor completion scores; if a student has not completed the assignment a missing grade will appear in Aspen as teachers will be grading weekly.

    In general, given the proposed daily schedule that we will provide, assignments that are given on Monday should take Monday and Tuesday to complete; similarly, the assignments given on Wednesday should take Wednesday and Thursday to complete. The Friday schedule which we will provide will be a school-wide, open-ended exploration--Friday Fun Day! These lessons will be posted in your students’ advisory/portfolio Google Classroom. We have also built time into the schedule Monday-Thursday for students to continue to reflect on the core values through their portfolio; the access code for their grade-level portfolio Google Classroom can also be found on the contact page attached to this letter. Portfolios are due on Tuesday, March 31st. If, at any time, you have questions about assignments, please feel free to reach out to grade level teachers, teacher leaders, and/or our coaching staff.

    Special Educators and Interventionists will be communicating with students on their caseloads at least weekly during this time to answer questions as well as to provide support, scaffolds, and resources. Know that they are also working with core teachers to support planning and accessibility. In addition, students who are in our Basic Academics Class may access their assignments in Google Classroom as well (see the attached contact page).

  • Community: We recognize that this time can be challenging for all of us--students, families, and staff--and it is necessary to support one another as we move forward. Please know that in addition to direct support from our teachers, students and families can also reach out to our counseling and coaching teams as well as Special Educators and Interventionists for support with questions or concerns (contact information can be found at the end of this message).

By continuing our commitment to communication, continuing our learning in new and exciting ways, and coming together (virtually!) as a community, I am sure that we will emerge stronger and more connected.

Best,

Mirko Chardin
Founding Head of School

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