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

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr

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.

Join in this great annual event that celebrates the intercultural friendship between Arcata and Camoapa, Nicaragua. If you have not been before, I highly encourage you to consider carving out some time to stop by. Better yet, if you want to lend a hand, donate a baked good with all proceeds benefiting the Arcata-Camoapa Sister City project.

The 33rd annual I Block Party, with live music and free admission, is on Monday, September 3rd, from 12-6 on I street, between 10th and 11th streets. Music from the Gatehouse Well, Kingfoot, Motherlode and the Latin Peppers.

Enjoy local microbrews, and delicious barbequed chicken, albacore, or tofu. Cold drinks and locally made desserts will also be available, as well as a raffle and silent auction. Brings the kids for free facepainting!

The I Block Party is the annual fundraiser for the Arcata-Camoapa Sister City Project, which is celebrting 33 years of international friendship and solidarity. All proceeds benefit Camoapa, Nicaragua.

While every month is a good time to talk about the contributions of African American leaders who have shaped our world today, Black History Month gives us an opportunity to take the conversation one step further. As a parent who grew up in an area with a lot more diversity than my kids have here in Humboldt, I have struggled to give them the experiences and knowledge that they need to be a true ally to the People of Color in our local community. A tremendous resource to learn more is right here with our local chapter of NAACP. This month they are sponsoring several events that I thought others may be interested in learning more. Click on this link to be connected to their Facebook page that has all the information you need to engage with our local community in celebrating this Black History Month.