** Holiday Baskets 2020! ** 

 From The Eagle:  Although this year looks a lot different than years in the past, we are still going to do what we can to help out our community and families. If you are in need of a Thanksgiving meal or Holiday basket, please complete the forms by clicking on the Holiday Basket or Thanksgiving Meals items in the link here. We are pairing up with the Olympic View Community Church once again for Thanksgiving meals and the Ballard Elks for Holiday baskets. We still need your help though! If you’re able to make a donation click here to see options on how to contribute.  Please contact Joyce Moreno at jamoreno@seattleschools.org or Sabrina O’Brien at snobrien@seattleschools.org for any questions regarding Holiday assistance.

OVPTA Welcome Letter

Find out lots of helpful introductory information.

Newsletter 

Read our September 2020 PTA newsletter  

Fall 2020: Eagles Go Remote!

Planning for Fall 2020: the latest news from Seattle Public Schools website. 

Virtual Familypalooza!  We had our annual family information night on Tuesday, September 15th, at 6:00pm. There were lots of good questions and information about remote learning at Olympic View. Did you miss it? Follow this link to a recording of the meeting. Below are the FAQ's from Principal Bean.

Remote Learning FAQ

 How are teachers being trained in technology? All of our professional development on Wednesdays is focusing around learning technology (Teams, Clever, Seesaw, Zearn, etc.) In addition, we have a technology specialist Lucy Cooley is giving daily tips and individualized training to grade level teams. Corinna Wright, our technology teacher is also supporting teachers on an individualized level. We also have strong technology teachers within each grade level who are supporting each other. This is truly a team response. Teachers are actively seeking help, looking on the internet, etc because they recognize the need.

 When are students going to have assignments on Seesaw: Our staff training yesterday focused on this area. Grade-level teams were able to collaborate with each other on creating these assignments (called “activities” on Seesaw). Your kids should be experiencing them immediately.

 Are classes going to be recorded for students to view at alternative times? I have a principal meeting tomorrow that should address this issue. There are still some FERPA issues to get figured out, and then creating the functionality (see my attempt at recording the video ?)

 What about options outside of Zearn: Zearn is our core curriculum. However, our mission is to engage all learners in engaging and meaningful math instruction. Many families asked about using IXL for grades K-2. This always is a possibility, but it costs a lot of money. We paid almost $4000 for grades 4 and 5. There are pen and paper options for Zearn, and there will be professional development around project-based learning. In addition, there was some misinformation from the chat board. There is no individual placement test for Zearn. It is intended to be the core instruction for kids. If kids struggle, however, it adapts and provides increased scaffolding. Some families have asked about supplementing on their own such as using Khan Academy. Please connect with your teacher on how to meet the individual needs of your child.

Is there flexibility in the school day? This question is related to the question about Zearn. Our master schedule was created to meet OSPI requirements on minutes/week of instruction. We recognize however, that during a remote learning environment, we can not have a one size fits all expectation. Many kids and families have unique learning needs. Families are understandably concerned about screen time. If you feel that you want flexibility with your child’s schedule, please reach out to their teacher.

My kid is missing class time because they are waiting to be admitted from the waiting room: For security reasons, we have to create a waiting room so kids can’t be together unsupervised. The challenge then is we have it individually admit kids to class. This becomes a problem when students arrive late as teachers can be focused on their instruction and miss the notice that someone is in the waiting room. Teachers are creating entry tasks that students can do upon entering so they can focus on admitting. Please have your child arrive to meetings on time to help alleviate this problem?

I am concerned about the chat rooms. As are we. I am continually communicating with central office leadership about this problem. We are working hard to teach students about internet citizenship, but we need your help in teaching students about the permanency of the computer. I know that in the next Teams update, these issues should be resolved.

When do small groups begin? In the master schedule, you will notice that grade levels have about 1.5 hours of small group/independent work time each day. Currently, teachers are largely using the small group time to have 1:1 meetings with students. This is so important to build relationships, connect with families, and to do individualized assessments. In a few weeks, teachers will begin to include more small group learning, with a focus on reading groups. For developmental reasons, kindergarten and first grade will continue to do more 1:1 work before moving on to small groups.

Questions about volunteering: Having parents monitor chats and helping to admit students is a potential help. I am having Crystal investigate parent volunteering for remote learning and if it is possible to have access to the platforms.

I am always having to sign in to Clever using the app. If you are using the Clever app on the iPad, you will always have to sign in. I am not sure if that is the case if you go through the district website to get to Clever. Corinna is going to investigate that tonight on her own daughter’s iPad.

Are kids expected to check email? For the most part, I would say no. Seesaw is going to be the most important route. However, for older kids, this might be an expectation because on Seesaw, students can not email the teacher directly, only parents can. Students would be explicitly trained on this, however. 

Food Resources for Families  

MESSAGE from Seattle Council PTSA: To better connect those who are most resourced with those who are most impacted at this time, Seattle Council PTSA has setup an outreach form http://bit.ly/SCPTSAoutreach that will help connect those offering help with those SPS families in need. Please fill out the form if you need groceries purchased, medicines delivered, internet connectivity, childcare information, tutoring, etc.. Please also fill out the form if you can offer purchasing items, delivering supplies, donating items, offering tutoring remotely, other skills, etc. Circulate this link widely via email and social media. See the Seattle Council PTSA's website for additional resources to receive and offer help. 

If you need help through the Right Now Needs Fund program, please contact our principal Andrew Bean. Olympic View has funds from the Alliance of Education to support short-term emergency housing, food, and other essential needs. Support has ranged from gift cards to helping with a month's rent. This is a completely confidential process. OV have limited funds and will make decisions on a case by case scenario based on criteria outlined by the Alliance of Education. 

Alliance for Education will be accepting our donations to Olympic View's Right Now Needs Fund through their secure form. Let's continue to take care of each other.

Technology Info for Families

Technology Supports from Seattle Public Schools website including many how-to videos and FAQs in multiple languages.

In-person Tech Support provided by SPS is available at multiple locations, including in NE Seattle: 

Nathan Hale High School
10750 30th Ave NE Seattle, WA 98125
Entrance is on 110th street near the athletic field. Parking is available on 110th.
Mondays and Wednesdays: 9 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Closed for Lunch: 11 - 11:30

Contact SPS Technology Support between 7am and 6pm, Monday-Friday: Phone number: 206-252-0100 (if the line is busy you can leave a voicemail). Email laptops@seattleschools.org.

Check out this document of Tech Tips from OV parent, Arthur.  Thanks, Arthur!  If anyone else has tech tips they'd like to provide, we could compile and organize them into this document.  Let's all help each other out!

OVPTA Mailing List

Join our Olympic View PTA mailing list. If you'd like to learn about the latest Olympic View Elementary School news, events, and volunteer opportunities, this is the list for you! Click here to subscribe.