ISY Elementary School Blog - January 28, 2022

ISY Elementary Blog

Transition to In-Person Classes

Mike Simpson, Elementary School Principal

January 28, 2022

Next week is the second week of our transition to in-person classes. It was wonderful to have students in classes on campus this week. I was able to connect with many students online and they all seem very excited about the new Semester – whether they will be continuing to learn online or able to join in-person classes.

Last week went very smoothly with students settling well into new classes and routines. This week we will continue to assess and refine our practices with a view to a full return to in-person classes. ISY is currently planning to reopen fully for in-person classes to all grades from Monday, 7th February. This plan is constantly under review and Dr. Hedger will confirm whether we can go ahead with this plan on the morning of Thursday, 3rd February.

For your information, below is a copy of this week’s In-Person Transitional Schedule.

Please refer to your email from me with your child’s grade level schedule and Zoom links and any emails from your child’s teacher with specific instructions for their grade level. These emails have all the information you need to make sure your child’s Semester 2 gets off to a positive start – whether they are able to join in-person classes over the next two weeks or will be learning online.

Do not hesitate to contact me should you have any questions as we plan for a return to in-person classes.

COVID Considerations

Please refer to our ISY Adaptive Learning page for up-to-date health and safety guidelines – including this useful Can My Child Go To School Today? flowchart.

Parent and Student ID cards and Placards

A few people have asked about ID cards and vehicle placards. Please note that you will not be able to enter the approach road to ISY in a vehicle during the drop off (7:30 – 8:30 am) and pick up times (2:00 – 3:00 pm) without a placard. (Taxis will also not be permitted). You can come to the front steps at any time outside of these times to pick up your vehicle placard. Placards will not be distributed during the drop off and pick up times so as not to slow things down. Parent ID cards can also be picked up outside of the drop-off and pick-up times from the security team at the front steps.

Lunches

Students will need to bring a packed lunch and water bottle. Lunches can be dropped off at the front steps between the hours of 9am and 11am only. There will be no food vendors on campus initially and there will be no facilities to heat food.

COUNSELOR’S CORNER with Ms. Patty:

Supporting Your Child as they Come to Campus

Relationships before Rigor

Grace before Grades

Patience before Programs

Love before Lessons

If you were able to attend the Parent Meeting last week, you might remember that these are the words we, as a school, are keeping in mind as we welcome students back on campus. We understand that the transition from online to in-person learning is exciting, but it can also create some feelings of stress or worry. While meeting student’s academic needs, we will also focus on their social-emotional needs. You might be wondering how you can support your child’s social-emotional needs during this transition. Here are a few things to think about.

Actively Listen: Take a few moments each day to put away all other distractions and ask your child how they are feeling. Ask open-ended questions. These are questions that are difficult to answer with simply one or two words. Listen to their responses without judgment and try to place yourself in their shoes.
Support don’t Fix: Allow your child to share their concerns but resist the temptation to interfere or fix the issue for them. Stepping in too early doesn’t allow your child time to develop their own problem solving skills. Support them as they strategize ways to handle their challenges.
Continue the Conversation: In the days or weeks to come, continue to listen and ask how they are managing. Think creatively to provide opportunities for your child to share their feelings and experiences.

If you’d like to further this conversation, please feel free to reach out to me at escounselor@isyedu.org. I am happy to meet with students or families.

Warmly, Ms. Patty

PreK-Grade 6 Counselor

Ms. Patty is available to support all ISY families. If you have any questions or concerns please contact me at escounselor@isyedu.org.

Patty Amundson-Geisel

Pre-K to Grade 6 Counselor

Semester 1 Reports

Your child’s Semester 1 Report is now available on Powerschool. The purpose of this report is to provide a summary of what has been covered during this semester and an indication as to academic achievement and learning behaviors as described by the ISY Learner Attributes. If you have any questions about the report, please do not hesitate to reach out to your child’s teacher(s).

Instructions for accessing your child’s Semester 1 Report:

Accessing PowerSchool:

Click the following link to access PowerSchool
Enter your username
Enter your password
Click on the login button
If you have forgotten your username and/or password, please email powerschool@isyedu.org for assistance.

Accessing your child’s report:

Once you log in, you will see your child/children’s name on the left-hand side top of the screen along with the information of the student schedule.
Click on your child’s name
Click on the “Document” icon on the left side of the screen
Student Documents box will appear on the screen
Click on the file name “S1 Report 21-22.”

If you have difficulty accessing your child’s report, please know that you can contact the Elementary School office by email (elementaryoffice@isyedu.org) for assistance.

Internet Issues

Offline Learning Activities

Every Friday, your child’s homeroom teacher will email you a PDF of offline learning activities that your child will be able to do if they lose access to the internet.

Please only use these plans if your child is unable to access the internet. If you have the internet, your child will be able to attend online classes as usual.

To make sure the offline learning activities stay connected to what is happening in class, our teachers will review and, if necessary, update the offline learning activities each week. Please download the PDF document attached to the email as soon as you receive it on Friday. The email will also have a link to this instructional video:

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