August 15, 2024
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June 13, 2024
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A Note from the Director – November 2020
Dear Families,
Safety of our students and staff has always been the top priority for Fuente Nueva. As we move towards reopening for in person instruction safety is a part of every discussion we have. Most of us have experienced the sensation of having to learn a lot of new information while living through a pandemic. In addition, the guidance continues to evolve as scientists discover more about actions we can take for our communities safety. It is all quite a lot.
With each step we have taken to educate ourselves on how to create the safest environment in the time of coronavirus, I can confidently say that Fuente Nueva is taking every precaution possible. At the same time, we are committed to being flexible and transparent as we move forward.
The on-campus instruction plan is now available for your review. I encourage you each to take the time to read through the material and understand your role in helping to contribute to the safety of our students, staff and families. It is only together that we can be most effective in our goals.
Please, if you have ideas, thoughts, questions or concerns, my door is always open, and I encourage you to never underestimate the power of collaboration. Together we rise to the challenge.
***
Una carta de la directora – Noviembre de 2020
Estimadas familias,
La seguridad de nuestros estudiantes y personal siempre ha sido la máxima prioridad para Fuente Nueva. A medida que avanzamos hacia la reapertura de la instrucción en persona, la seguridad es parte de cada discusión que tenemos. La mayoría de nosotros hemos experimentado la sensación de tener que aprender mucha información nueva mientras vivimos una pandemia. Además, la guía continúa evolucionando a medida que los científicos descubren más sobre las acciones que podemos tomar para la seguridad de nuestras comunidades.
Con cada paso que hemos dado para educarnos sobre cómo crear el ambiente más seguro en el tiempo del coronavirus, puedo decir con confianza que Fuente Nueva está tomando todas las precauciones posibles. Al mismo tiempo, estamos comprometidos a ser flexibles y transparentes a medida que avancamos.
El plan de instrucción en el campus está ahora disponible para su revisión. Les animo a cada uno a tomarse el tiempo para leer el material y entender su papel en ayudar a contribuir a la seguridad de nuestros estudiantes, personal y familias. Solo juntos podemos ser más efectivos en nuestros objetivos.
Por favor, si tienes ideas o pensamientos, mi puerta siempre está abierta, y te animo a nunca subestimar el poder de la colaboración. Juntos estamos a la altura del desafío.
Dear Families,
First, I hope that this finds you well, healthy and with joy in your life. Now more than ever I find it important to reflect on those qualities in my life to provide balance and perspective. I am reaching out to share the outcomes from the meeting held last night. The charter council faced very difficult decisions that have shifted the course of our program offerings at the start of the school year.
The changes in the course of the program offerings are as follows:
Each of these decisions was made considering safety, equity, and the stability of the school as a whole as guiding principles. There were several parents present to help provide insights into their own needs as well as what they know from other parents. At the same time, council members recognized there were voices not present that deserved representation. We all did our best to consider and hear those voices. The decisions were not easy ones and we know we still have much work to do to support our students.
Next week on Wednesday 8/19 the council will meet to discuss how we move forward with the implementation of the distance learning plan. The formal decision will be made about who works from campus and if we bring individual students to the school for some in-person support. There will also be additional items such as policies and procedures that will be included.
To say that our hearts are not heavy would be a lie. And yet, this morning I wake up with the realization that when one door closes another opens. We all know that there are families in our community that desperately need child care. My question to all of you is how can we and you, as the greater community, help? This is not a challenge that the school alone can solve and we are always stronger when we act as a full community. To this end, today I will work with staff to create a format for us to share both family needs and community ideas that will lead to solutions.
I understand that this decision will have a huge impact on families. Please know that my door is always open, and I welcome the opportunity to have a conversation on how this decision was made. In closing I want you to know that the teachers have been working tirelessly this summer to prepare for distance learning. They received high quality training in the spring and most teachers have attended more professional development this summer. All of them have spent time imagining and creating a more robust and engaging learning environment for the students in distance learning. We know it is not in person, but we know that we can find the love and joy of teaching and learning either way.
¡Viva Fuente Nueva!
Truly,
Beth
Dear Families,
Dear Families,
We are living in historic times.Our nation and the world are experiencing layers of emergencies and many of our mutual support systems are offline/unavailable right now. Fortunately, we are a strong and resilient community and together we are strong.
Collectively we have the opportunity to help our youth make sense of the moment we are in. They are likely hearing/seeing a lot of very confusing messaging and they may be feeling scared. I suggest that above all, you take time to listen to your kids. Ask them what they are hearing and what questions they have. Help them connect this moment to other times in our history with which they may already be familiar.
There is a lot going on right now, and it is important to stay hydrated, fed and rested. Emotions are running very high. Perhaps this moment will lead to positive change in our world. Perhaps things will get worse before they get better.
Whatever comes, we are not all going to experience events in the same way based on a lot of factors, including our races and personal/familial histories. Please be extra sensitive to one another so we may be sources of support and strength for each other in the coming weeks.
On the parent resource tab we posted an incomplete list of resources to help you navigate these times. As always, please do not hesitate to reach out if you need support.
Truly,
Directora Beth
Hello Families,
First, I hope this finds you well during these stressful times. The few times I have seen the faces of the students, through a car window, on facebook or on a zoom meeting, it has been a delight. I am reminded why the educators at Fuente are working so hard. I am also reminded of the challenges you must be facing daily. We hope the program we are putting together helps support you in this time. Thank you for your patience as we have adjusted to this new effort.
We are excited to share that we have made some great progress this week in launching a distance learning program. Below is a description of our rollout timeline. To help you get a clearer picture we will be sending out a schedule for the first week soon. Throughout this process we will be following the CDE Distance Learning Guidelines which are updated weekly.
March 23-27- Connection and Access
This week we built on the work from last week to connect with families to ask if they have any needs such as school meals and internet services. A team sent home learning resources packets for every student that will be used in the coming weeks of remote learning. Teachers created simple websites to act as the delivery place of lessons and instructional online resources. We have signed up for the necessary zoom memberships for the school and teachers are getting themselves trained on how to use them for instruction. Teachers created a schedule for next week to provide connections with the classroom teachers, aides, the school counselor and directora.
March 30-April 3 One Connection and One Academic
The second week teachers will be providing one scheduled connection activity activity using video conference on Zoom. Teachers will also share one learning activity with students. Maestra Angela will join grade level meetings in second through fifth grade. Students will be introduced to class websites during their zoom conference. We plan to host an all school reunion on Monday and Friday morning and offer character education lessons. Finally, Maestra Ortega will offer art classes. We hope your student can participate in these opportunities as much as possible. The team is using this week to assess which types of activities are most doable for students from home. Teachers will be working on developing more learning opportunities online to supplement what resources are already in place. In summary, this is our test week for distance learning.
April 6-10 Distance Learning
Starting April 6 will transition to a distance learning program. A schedule is under development to provide consistent opportunities for teachers and students to connect. There will be both scheduled lessons and drop in hours. We will implement a schedule that incorporates one art, music or pe lesson per week as well as regular character education. Teachers will be posting academic activities in all subject areas. Extended day will offer enrichment classes and we may even pull off spirit week and a dance party! Each week teachers will assess and plan for the following week.
Beyond April 10
We are making plans for distance learning to continue beyond April 10th. The program will improve as we figure out what works best or as the local situation changes. By partnering with families we will find a nice balance of instructional offerings and support. We will continue to evaluate school reopening decisions in partnership with Humboldt County School Districts and the Humboldt County Public Health.
This is certainly a lot of information and it may be hard to see clearly what it all means. One step at a time we hope to make that clear for you. Next you will receive an email with instructions for the zoom meeting platform and an invitation to all school reunion on Monday at 8:30am. We will have tech support available throughout this distance learning program. This reunion will be used as a time to give families a chance to work out tech kinks prior to zoom meetings that are scheduled throughout the day Monday for each grade. The schedule will be coming to you soon.
Thank you all for your continued support. We are sending you all lots of love at this time. We miss the kids … big time! It is hard to go to school and see the empty rooms. Last night Scott our custodian texted me a picture and said the chairs are sad and miss the kids. We can’t wait to be together in person again, but for now we hope to get back to some of what is familiar through this distance learning program.
With gratitude,
Beth
We are holding a special meeting of the FNCC to update them on the progress on the schools response to the COVID-19 closure.
Beth Wylie is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: FNCC Special Meeting
Time: Mar 24, 2020 05:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
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Meeting ID: 306 935 257
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Meeting ID: 306 935 257
Dear Fuente Nueva Families,
Following guidance from various sources, including from the Humboldt County Office of Education, we have decided to close Fuente Nueva campus starting Monday 3/16 for two school weeks.
The closure is an effort to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in our community. There are still no known cases in Humboldt, but it has become clear, measures such as school closures are needed to promote the health of all. If it becomes clear that we must remain closed longer to help with this effort we will take necessary steps to participate fully in preventative measures.
At this time we are working to meet with the various school leadership teams to provide clear guidance to offer services during the closure. We will communicate with you as decisions are made and services are made ready. We are working towards offering both child care options and daily meals.
Optional independent study packets are available for all students. Please plan on coming to pick up your child’s learning packet. We will be open starting at 8:15am and will work towards a delivery service that limits contact. Thank you to the parents who have already responded that they will pick up their packet.
If you need assistance receiving your packet, please let us know, we will find a way to help you connect with this learning opportunity for your student(s).
Parent teacher conferences are still available via phone for all families. Please be sure you work with your teacher to ensure you have the appropriate time scheduled to meet together.
We are working towards getting more resources to families for learning opportunities including online distance learning. We will work to connect all families to access internet services and devices for online learning opportunities.
Thank you for your continued support and understanding during these unprecedented times. I hope that we can be a resource to families so please do not hesitate to communicate your needs.
With gratitude and appreciation for your support and understanding,
Beth
We have power and school will resume today ,Thursday 10/10 with a ONE HOUR DELAY. That means students may arrive for before care at 8:30, and the regular day will begin at 9:30. This will give us time to ensure we are prepared for critical services. Thank you everyone for your patience and understanding. See you soon!
In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Fuente Nueva is holding events 1/22-1/25 to empower our students to choose love and light where there is hate and darkness. We will explore concepts such as what it means to be an upstander versus a bystander, hurtful language and how to respond when you hear it, and the power of spreading love. Story teller Baba Jamal Koram https://www.griostoryman.com/, will be joining us to share his inspirational stories with our students. Activities will be held all week long, watch the classroom newsletters to learn more.
There is a lot of talk out there about the effectiveness of homework in elementary school and people line up on both sides of discussion. Opponents argue that we should let kids have free time to explore their own passions while supporters say it teaches students responsibility. Where does Fuente Nueva land on this issue?
We believe that homework should be meaningful, manageable, and minimal. While this approach will translate differently at each grade level, the goal is the same of aiming for quality of quantity. You will see less busy work, and more projects. Teachers will send home simple opportunities for students to share what they are learning with parents. So while homework is not going away entirely, we do hope that this new approach enables families to have more quality time together to immerse themselves in all the “learning in disguise” that can happen while they are away from school.
So what does this look like? As an immersion school we ask for parents to support their child’s home language development. In most cases at Fuente this is English language development. Simply reading with your child every night is a great way to both spend time with your family while also providing a learning opportunity. In grades 2nd-5th grade, homework assigned supports the limited amount of school time they receive formal instruction in English. In addition, teachers are ready to work with parents to provide additional home practice that fits individual needs. This could be simply referring parents to the learning opportunities on our website or as complex as creating learning packets for the specific needs of the student.
Fuente Nueva teachers are already reporting that the new approach is creating a positive shift in student engagement during lessons. As with all new practices we plan to monitor the impacts and adjust as needed. We sure hope that families enjoy the opportunity to read, play and spend quality time together.