Dear Parents and Guardians:
We hope this letter finds you and your family well. The uncertainty of the changing world and the disruption of our daily lives is stressful, and we understand our friends and neighbors in East Granby and Hartford are worried. Our neighbors will work to support one another, as in the past. While we move toward implementing an online distance learning plan, please know the teachers, staff, and administration have been working diligently on incorporating a variety of experiences for your child's education. We will go live with the plan this coming Monday, March, 23, 2020.
For parents and guardians of K - 5 students, classroom assignments are posted in the Google Classroom platform designed for parents. In order to access these new grade-level sites, you need to create a free Gmail address (directions located on the COVID-19 Information page at eastgranby.k12.ct.us). You will be able to communicate with teachers and the principals at both Carl Allgrove Elementary and R.D. Seymour Elementary within the platform, through email, and using Google Meet, a video communication tool. Teachers will be online during the school day to assist. You will find their classroom hours in the first post on the classroom page. You will receive an email with the specific code to join the grade-level class prior to Monday.
For parents and guardians of 6 - 12 students, your students will continue moving forward in their regular Google Classroom as they have been doing in the past. These classrooms are for the students only, adults should not join with a student code. Teachers and principals will communicate with you regarding school work if a student fails to turn in assignments. Grades will be posted in PlusPortals.
All students across the district will have assignments and activities daily, which are graded. For further information, please see our Parent Overview, also located at the COVID-19 Information page. Help for Google Classroom K-5 is at the bottom of the document. Attendance, as explained in the linked document, is recorded via completed assignments. For more detailed information, the twelve-page plan is also available on the COVID-19 Information page. These documents will help answer many questions you may have about implementation.
In the beginning stages of online learning next week, there will surely be technical difficulties and frustrations. We know it may take a little while to work through this new, and perhaps unfamiliar, territory. The faculty and staff, along with school administrators, want to support our students and their families as we work together. Patience is key in the coming weeks.
An email with help on using Google Meet will be sent later next week, so as not to overload you. Also, please remind our East Granby students that our internet agreement is applicable when using the school's WiFi and Chromebooks. We will send further communication on the safety embedded into our systems in the future. We will be in touch frequently and set up opportunities for virtual discussions.
As we work together to support one another, let's become learners together while lifting one another up during this crisis. Stay safe, EGPS family.
Warmest Regards,
Marjorie G. Light
Director of Curriculum and Professional Development