Student Update April 14, 2020

HHS Students,

Hope you are safe and staying well during this time of isolation. Please know that your teachers, counselors, and principal are here for you. Please reach out - if you need to chat or need assistance.

Please review the information below – it explains what you need to do for instructional and attendance purposes. This document clarifies what is expected of you as a student. You must do your part to be successful. We understand this is difficult for everyone but need to be clear that students are expected and required to be active participants in the educational process.

I know seniors have many questions and I hope to share some clarification to these many questions this week. Please be patient, as I am trying to find answers to some questions and also because our situation continues to evolve. If you need help with college planning or scholarships please reach out to your counselors.

Wishing you the best always!

Mr. Allison

Attendance Reporting – Very Important

Daily Attendance for the Building – Homeroom Attendance.

We need to collect an accurate accounting of daily attendance of students for state reporting.

We need to have students login ONE time daily to report their attendance through a questionnaire. The responses will go to Mrs. Jamison who will record daily attendance. The attendance link will be sent to students each day as a schoology notification.


Class attendance

Teachers will continue to record and monitor daily attendance in their classes by students’ completion of class activities. Teachers have set this up in various ways but each teacher will monitor and record student participation daily.

Some examples are Mr. Byrnes has a vocabulary word of the day for some classes – when students complete that assignment – he accounts for your attendance. Some math teachers are using short “quizzes” each day to record attendance.

Any teacher that has not had this system set up will begin doing so April 14, 2020. If you are not sure how your teacher collects attendance for their class each day please ask them.


INSTRUCTIONAL PLAN FOR HHS COURSES

Hopewell High School is planning to continue instruction through our online learning platform, Schoology, beginning on Tuesday, March 31.

Students in grades 9 through 12 are familiar with and have used this learning tool. All tasks that the teachers will ask of students are related to their classroom learning and students will be able to complete their assignments with guidance from their teachers. In preparation for our students’ continuity of instruction, students should:

  1. Keep current on Schoology. This will be the primary learning platform for all classes. Students and parents should have Schoology logins. If you or your child needs a Schoology login please see the instructions at the bottom of this letter.
    1. Turn in assignments based on the dates in Schoology.
    2. Turn on notifications - this is how you know if you have a message or assignment.
  2. Expect assessments and assignments that will require consistent work to keep up-to-date.
    1. It is expected that students will engage with course materials for each class each day. Lessons should require about 20 - 30 minutes for each course. Attendance will be recorded by teachers based on student participation.
    2. All grading will be Pass/Fail for the fourth nine weeks. Students will need to login each day and complete class activities to earn credit and progress towards graduation.
    3. As long as students are participating and completing assigned tasks they will receive a Pass grade and credit.
  3. THERE WILL BE NO FINAL EXAMS!
  4. Have a backup plan if Wi-Fi goes down: Can you communicate through phone if your Wi-Fi is down?

Can your phone be a hotspot, so you can access schoology and contact teachers? If you do not have access to the internet please email your principal for alternative arrangements: [email protected] or call 724 375 6691 ext 2021. And don’t worry, we will work with you to figure out an alternative means for learning!

Student Expectations – MOST IMPORTANT

  1. STUDENTS MUST READ THIS LIST AND FOLLOW THROUGH!
  2. Students must complete “homeroom” attendance each day. (effective 4/14/2020). There will be a schoology notification for students to access the link and report your daily attendance. Just like reporting to homeroom, this records that you are present in school that day. It does not account for your work in each class.
  3. Students must also login to each class EVERY DAY and COMPLETE ASSIGNMENTS as listed.
  4. Students must complete assignments every day to stay up to date in their classes.
  5. Students must pay attention to Schoology notifications from Mrs. Vallecorsa, teachers, and other school staff. This is our best and most efficient way to communicate with you. You should expect some kind of Schoology notification every day – since this is how homeroom attendance will happen.
  6. Students must access the Hopewell High School web page as important items will be listed as “News” on the HHS webpage.
  7. Students must understand the online learning platform and work with teachers to understand their expectations. Students may complete assignments from the first two weeks without penalty due to issues with wifi access, chromebooks, power outages, unfamiliarity with learning online.
  8. Students must make their best effort to stay up to date with all assignments.
  9. Students must communicate with teachers, please use schoology to do so.
  10. Students who need help must ask for it – ask teachers, your counselors are available, and so is Mr. Allison. ASK – communicate - do not be shy!
  11. Students must contact Mrs. Jamison or Mrs. Sundy in the HHS office if they need help with Schoology passwords.
  12. Students must contact Mr. Allison if they cannot access assignments and/or need to request a chromebook. His email is [email protected]. He will help you!!!


What you can expect from teachers:

  1. HHS teachers will utilize technology and the schoology platform to design lesson plans to engage students in each core subject and elective. Lessons will be published in Schoology daily and organized by date.
  2. A lesson will be posted daily for each class taught. Lessons should provide 15-30 Minutes of instruction and classwork per class taught.
  3. Teachers may use video for direct instruction. Virtual Field trips and simulations are encouraged where available. Teachers may also use other resources like primary sources, websites, newspapers and magazine articles which can all be valuable instructional tools.
  4. Teachers will avoid meaningless busy work and find meaningful engaging lessons.
  5. Teachers will be required to have assessments. These can take many different forms and may include short quizzes, class activities, student work submission, etc. These can be provided via schoology.
  6. Teachers can use programs like Mathia, Newsela, Khan Academy and other online tools which can support but not replace the instruction of the teacher. These should not be the sole means of instruction.
  7. Teachers will have access to tech support and peers who can support schoology skills.
  8. Teachers understand students do not have textbook access at home and all lessons will not require students to print documents at home.
  9. Lessons/assessments/assignments will be Pass/Fail.
  10. Teachers will track student attendance in each class.

The best time to contact teachers is during “teacher office hours” which are 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM on school days.

Students in Cyber courses

  • Students currently enrolled in Cyber will continue instruction through the Edgenuity programs. Work expectations have been modified for shortened term and pass fail grading.
  • Teachers who serve as teachers of record for cyber courses will continue to serve in that role.
  • Contact Mr. Nelson for any assistance you may need.
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