Bailey’s Distance Learning Update from Dr. Easa

Thank you all for your support during this time and for the positive feedback regarding our daily school-wide News You Choose (NYC) emails.  We want to update you regarding what the staff has been doing and will do to support distance learning. 

We have held two virtual school-wide staff meetings the past two weeks with a third scheduled for this Friday where over 120 staff members received information and training about distance learning.  Our teachers are excited to reconnect with their students.  During this week, teachers are meeting in grade level or specialist teams to plan what distance learning will look like for our Bailey’s students and teachers have been reaching out to students.  School staff is also participating in numerous virtual trainings led by Bailey’s staff and FCPS to support distance learning. 

As we begin virtually with students after spring break on April 14 you can expect:  

• Classroom teachers will be in contact with the class daily and each student individually at least once a week, Monday to Thursday. 
• Most teachers at Bailey’s are using the Remind App to connect with their classes.  If your child’s classroom teacher is using this app, you will receive an invite via and/or email. When you receive an invite, you can join a class by replying “YES” (replying SI will not work).  You can respond to your child’s classroom teacher with text and photo. Unfortunately videos are not compatible in your reply to teachers. If you wish to respond with a voice memo, please install the Remind app or email the video to your child’s teacher. For more information/troubleshooting regarding the Remind app, please visit their help site.
• School staff are available to support you and will share a one hour block of time (most staff will be available 10:00 – 11:00 am unless your teacher indicates a different time) that is reserved for parent and staff communication.  This time is referred to as “office hours” in the FCPS Distance Learning Plan.  Fridays are reserved for team and school planning as directed in the FCPS Distance Learning Plan.  If you have a question for the teacher outside of those hours, you are always welcome to email the teacher at any time.
• Each child will receive a weekly FCPS learning packet (packets for this week are still being delivered via the postal service).  This packet will have learning activities to do with your child during the week.  It is also available on FCPS 24/7.
• The daily class contact will be in the form of an email, video link, or text message.  We are doing our best to meet the needs of all students as some of our students do not have access to a device, wifi, phone, or phone data plan.  FCPS is not distributing laptops to PreK-Grade 2 students.  One of our main goals over the past two weeks has been to connect with each child/family.  If you have not heard from your teacher yet, please email them or me (@email). 
• Specials teachers (PE, Music, Art, Movement, FLES, Science) will provide content to students during the week.
• We encourage you to take advantage of the learning that will be delivered through FCPS cable channel 21 or via a live web stream.  New elementary learning videos have been developed and will continue to be rolled out on Channel 21 that accompany the learning activities with the weekly instructional packet.   

This is a complete shift in the way we work as educators, especially supporting students in grades Preschool – Grade 2. Our overall goals in our Bailey’s Distance Learning Plan are to reach as many students as possible, be respectful of screen time boundaries and device/wifi/data access, provide meaningful learning activities, not clog your email inbox, and remember the importance of play, being outside, fostering the love of reading, recognizing math in the world around us, and language development.  The FCPS website also has additional Distance Learning information. 

In the weeks ahead we want to hear your feedback and we will send periodic surveys to check in.  Please feel free to email me (@email) at any time to share praise, concerns, suggestions, or comments.  We thank you for partnering with us and being part of our Bailey’s community. 

Julie Easa

Principal