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ABS Thursday Notes- August 13, 2020

Published for the Arts Based School Community
August 13, 2020

First Day of School -Wednesday, August 19
ABS Will Begin School Year in Remote Learning for the first nine weeks.

How Do I Stay Up to Date with School ReOpening Plans?
We’re doing our best to keep ABS families, staff, and community updated with the latest information about our School ReOpening. We will continue to provide information in multiple places, including direct email, Thursday Notes, and Virtual Parent Meetings. If you have specific topics or questions, please send them to us via this form so we can be sure to address them. 

Here are the links to School ReOpening Information Meeting recordings. Grab some popcorn and enjoy the shows!

Q: How do I request a device to borrow from the school during Remote Instruction?  
A:

  • Step 1: We must have a Required Student Form on file for each and every student enrolled for the 2020-2021 school year. If you haven't filled out this form, please click here. If you have filled out this form, skip to Step 2.
  • Step 2: Click here to fill out the Household Income Survey 
  • Step 3: Click here to fill out the Electronic Device Agreement

Once you have completed these forms, you will be contacted by email to schedule a pickup of the device on Monday, August 17 between 9 AM and 3 PM.

Back to School Events
ABS Back to School Event is scheduled for Monday, August 17. All sessions will be virtual. Your classroom teacher will share the time and link for your event.

Counselors Corner
- Amanda Sullivan

Returning to school after the summer break can be both exciting and challenging at the best of times, but these certainly aren’t the best of times because of the pandemic. Going back to school virtually may feel quite tricky to navigate, given that students are expected to switch from being home with no schedule to being home with a new learning schedule, without the variable of physically going to school. Here are eight tips to help your child get back into a healthy learning mode for a great beginning.

  1. Start your countdown now! Since Wednesday, August 19th is our first day of school, start getting your children back into a normal school routine now. Get them to bed a little earlier each night as you build-up to the 19th.  Slowly return to your usual school morning routines like eating breakfast, making the bed, and getting dressed instead of lounging about in pajamas all day.  Perhaps you have a wall calendar that you can mark off as you get closer to the first day of school. Doing these routines that are typical for traditional school days helps put students in the right mindset to learn even if they are not going into the school building.
  2. Make it a point to do some back-to-school shopping, even if it is just for a few items. You may not need a new school bag or lunchbox right now, but perhaps a few new notebooks and pencils will be helpful, or maybe a new outfit to wear.  Back-to-school shopping is one of those time-honored traditions that helps kids get ready for the big day!
  3. Children thrive with structure. Designate a place in your home for online learning. It doesn’t have to be a whole room; it can be a quiet corner with a desk and computer and an area to store school supplies. Post their daily schedules in the same area where they will learn, making sure that they know when their next Zoom call will take place, when their assignments are due, when they are expected to do reading or math independently, etc. 
  4. Don't forget to schedule breaks during the school day! Make sure the break is something other than more screen time. Take time to go outside, do some exercise together or go for a short walk, dance to music, or do some kind of movement to restore their energy.
  5. On the first day of school, take a photo of your child, even though they won’t be going to the school campus. You’ll still want to document the milestone of starting a new school year.
  6. Make a special lunch for the first day of school. Here are some fun lunch ideas from “Lunchbox Dad.”  
  7. Let children feel their sense of accomplishment by checking off the items on their daily schedule as they finish each item. If tasks take too long, reach out to your child’s teacher or school counselor to help.
  8. Enjoy some time together once everything is done. Watch a movie, play some board games, get outside, and get some fresh air. Above all, don’t stress! It will get easier as we all become more comfortable with the new routines.

And remember, Mr. Ertl and I are both here for your children, just as we were when school was on campus, so please feel free to reach out.  We are available to have Zoom meetings with your children or communicate by phone or email.

Welcome back ABS families!  We’ll make it through these changes together.

Staffing Update
Welcome Meredith Bowles to our EC Team at ABS! She is a recent graduate from Appalachian State University and will being her teaching career at ABS. She will be partnering with Jennifer Carter serving our students with speech services.   

New Parent Orientation 
This program is designed specifically for new families in grades K-4th at ABS to support your transition into ABS and to answer parent questions. If you were unable to attend, here’s the link to the recorded session.  

Middle School Orientation
For new parents (grade 5-8) and also for parents new to middle school. This program is designed to answer questions about how our middle school program works (grades 5-8) and what to expect. If you were unable to attend, here’s the link to the recorded session.

Special Visits
Educational research shows that the relationship between the student and his or her teacher is one of the most important factors in a student’s academic success. This critical relationship is enhanced by our small class size and our educators’ commitment to children. In support of the teacher/student relationship, our teachers will be offering a Special Visit before school begins. A Special Visit is simply an opportunity for your child to meet his or her teacher in a familiar setting, a chance to learn a bit about the class and what to expect in the coming school year. Due to Coronavirus Safety protocol, Special Visits will be set up to occur virtually, individual meetings at the school for “new to ABS” students, or on the phone. This year’s scheduled days for Special Visits are August 13 and 14, 2020. Your child’s teacher will be contacting you to schedule a 15-20 minute appointment in early August.

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