Hello South High freshmen and families,
To say that I am disappointed that we cannot welcome you to South High School in person would be an understatement. Development in school is as much about relationships as it is academic content, and it is much harder to help you with both when we are physically apart. However, I have great confidence in our staff and our families that we will adapt, move forward, and make the best of a challenging situation.
Due to the late change, we will still follow the adjusted hybrid schedule for the first week of school. The obvious modification is that the scheduled class sessions that were to be in person will now be held remotely. Freshmen will follow the adjusted hybrid schedule and will attend classes in the morning or afternoon on Monday, depending on your last name. Freshmen should also attend each class session in the afternoon on Tuesday through Friday for attendance purposes. Depending on the activity, your teacher may have you stay for part or all of the period (regardless of last name). If you haven’t already, by Monday you will receive invitations to your teachers’ Google Classroom sites. As a reminder, every scheduled class session will be synchronous with your teacher. It is imperative that students check their email and Classroom sites daily for important information and updates. Beginning August 24th, all students will follow the Fully Remote Schedule.
This week during the mornings on Tuesday through Friday, freshmen will need to complete the on-line learning activities below:
- Introduction to Technology
- Tips for Success in Remote/Hybrid Schedule
- Complete the following Edpuzzle activities - log in as a student and use class code: zugabga
- Introduction to Counseling & Student Support Services
- 2020-21 Handbook Updates
- Tips for using Zoom and Google Meet
- Staying Safe with Social Distancing and PPE
- View the Mad Dash Directors welcome & Explore the Mad Dash site
We understand that with technology, issues can arise. As a quick reference guide, we have included a document to help troubleshoot issues. Additionally, if students have trouble with Internet access, we have wifi hotspots available for checkout. For Chromebook issues, or if you are in need of a hotspot, please contact our IT Department at southcb@csd99.org or by calling 630-795-8556.
We have begun to recollect all of the textbooks from the classrooms and prepare materials to distribute to all students. Each student will receive a box that will contain their ID, a lanyard, a stylus to use with their Chromebook, and PPE (mask, shield, and self-certification sheets). They will also receive textbooks, novels, and materials specific to the courses that they are enrolled in. If students do not have an ID, they will be able to have one made. We will send out an email Monday evening with a schedule of time slots for picking up the material.
PARENTS: One of the key suggestions that we give to students about working on-line is to find a private and quiet place to engage in the classroom. Besides allowing the students to focus, this helps to provide the same level of privacy for all that we expect in our regular classrooms. To respect the privacy of all students and the teacher, we do not allow visitors into classrooms on our regular school day. In the same way, parents and/or friends should not be visiting the virtual classroom. I ask that you please respect the privacy of all students and teachers in the virtual classroom by assisting your student in designating a private work area.
Parents who have attended the Parent Advisory Board meetings in the past know that we often end each meeting with a session that we call “I heard.” Given the current state of things, how frequently we have had to make changes, and the mountain of information everyone is managing, I am going to host an “I heard” webinar to try to answer some of your questions. This is open to parents or students and will occur on Wednesday evening at 6:30 pm. To make our time more efficient, I am asking you to submit questions in advance. That way I can consolidate similar questions into one answer and cover more topics. Please submit up to three questions on this form. I will send out the link to the webinar next week along with the material pick-up information.
Your teachers have been working very hard this week to prepare for the start of the year. The last-minute changes have made this more difficult, but they are excited to see you and meet you. We are all anxious to meet you. Have a great weekend and stay well.
Mr. Schwartz