Gator Bytes April 29 2020...April 29 2020 Learning, Leadership and Laughter…The JRG Journey Gator...
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April 29 2020 Learning, Leadership and Laughter…The JRG Journey Gator Bytes J.R. Gerritts Middle School • 545 S. John St. • Kimberly, WI • 920-788-7905 Looking For Your Feedback Week 6 of Online Learning Gator Families, Now that we’ve made it to Week 6 of online learning, we thought it would be a good idea to gather your feedback on how things are going for you and your student(s). If you would, please take a moment to complete this brief survey to help us to continue to improve as online learning continues. Since the first time I heard it, I’ ve always appreciated the quote above (and, when you are the principal, you get to pick some of the quotes for the walls). It rings true in so many situations and seems especially true in this COVID 19 era. We continue to be grateful for the support of our families, and the high rates of participation of our students. As online learning continues, it will no doubt be harder for our students to stay connected and engaged in learning. To be honest, we see the same thing every year when the weather gets warmer and the end of the year appears over the horizon. One of the biggest differences this year is that we don’t have your awesome kids in front of us every day to gauge how they are doing and provide them with support, and therefore more of that struggle could be happening at home. I’m sure I sound a bit like a broken record at this point, but please don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s teachers with questions, concerns, or needed support. We recognize that while online learning comes very naturally for some, and is a great struggle for others, it’s not the same for any student, and our students miss each other and their teachers. Finally, next week is teacher appreciation week. If you could, take a moment to ask your child to share a word of encouragement or appreciation with a teacher. While they are at it, ask them to do the same for you! Stay strong and be kind, Mr. Brinkmann, Principal Fall Sports Meeting for Incoming Freshman The Kimberly High School Fall Sports Meeting that was scheduled for May 31 at the High School has been modified for this year. There will now be pre-recorded meetings sent directly to athletes and parents via email. If you (athlete), or your son or daughter is interested in participating in a fall sport as a freshman, please email Marsha Van Hout at [email protected] with which sport(s) you are interested in. Your information will then be passed on to the head coaches of each sport and you will be put on their email list. They will include you when they send out links to their Fall Sport Meeting. Please indicate your fall interests as soon as possible. FALL SPORT OFFERINGS: · Cross Country (girls and boys) · Football · Girls Golf · Boys Soccer · Girls Swim & Dive · Girls Tennis · Boys Volleyball · Girls Volleyball
Transcript of Gator Bytes April 29 2020...April 29 2020 Learning, Leadership and Laughter…The JRG Journey Gator...
April 29
2020
Learning, Leadership and Laughter…The JRG Journey
Gator Bytes
J.R. Gerritts Middle School • 545 S. John St. • Kimberly, WI • 920-788-7905
Looking For Your Feedback Week 6 of Online Learning
Gator Families, Now that we’ve made it to Week 6 of online learning, we thought it would be a good idea to gather your feedback on how things are going for you and your student(s). If you would, please take a moment to complete this brief survey to help us to continue to improve as online learning continues. Since the first time I heard it, I’ve always appreciated the quote above (and, when you are the principal, you get to pick some of the quotes for the walls). It rings true in so many situations and seems especially true in this COVID 19 era. We continue to be grateful for the support of our families, and the high rates of participation of our students. As online learning continues, it will no doubt be harder for our students to stay connected and engaged in learning. To be honest, we see the same thing every year when the weather gets warmer and the end of the year appears over the horizon. One of the biggest differences this year is that we don’t have your awesome kids in front of us every day to gauge how they are doing and provide them with support, and therefore more of that struggle could be happening at home. I’m sure I sound a bit like a broken record at this point, but please don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s teachers with questions, concerns, or needed support. We recognize that while online learning comes very naturally for some, and is a great struggle for others, it’s not the same for any student, and our students miss each other and their teachers. Finally, next week is teacher appreciation week. If you could, take a moment to ask your child to share a word of encouragement or appreciation with a teacher. While they are at it, ask them to do the same for you! Stay strong and be kind, Mr. Brinkmann, Principal
Fall Sports Meeting for Incoming Freshman The Kimberly High School Fall Sports Meeting that was scheduled for May 31 at the High School has been modified for this year. There will now be pre-recorded meetings sent directly to athletes and parents via email. If you (athlete), or your son or daughter is interested in participating in a fall sport as a freshman, please email Marsha Van Hout at [email protected] with which sport(s) you are interested in. Your information will then be passed on to the head coaches of each sport and you will be put on their email list. They will include you when they send out links to their Fall Sport Meeting. Please indicate your fall interests as soon as possible. FALL SPORT OFFERINGS:
· Cross Country (girls and boys) · Football · Girls Golf · Boys Soccer
· Girls Swim & Dive · Girls Tennis · Boys Volleyball · Girls Volleyball
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Spirit Days Thank you to all students that participated in last week’s Student Council sponsored Spirit Days from Home! Please enjoy a few photos that were sent in throughout the week.
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8th Grade 3-D Art Class Reimagines Hand Sanitizer Students in Ms. Dagesse’s 3-D Art class have redesigned hand sanitizer containers and brands during their time at home. Please enjoy their ideas and creativity!
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Attendance During Online Learning Please continue to call the school and leave a message if your student is unable to “attend” class. We have 2 lines that messages can be left on—an attendance and a general. Either is fine, as they will both be checked throughout the day. If your student has not logged in and completed the attendance assignment for the day, the teacher will contact you to inquire why.
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Forward Exam Canceled, No Spring MAP Assessment
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction has canceled the Forward Exam and DLM assessments for the 2019-20 school year due to the school closures related to COVID-19. Students will also not be assessed with the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) assessments this spring for the same reasons.
Keep Contact Information Up To Date As online learning is now our daily norm, keeping your contact information up to date is more important than ever. Please take a moment to log into your Parent Portal account and ensure all of your contact information—home phone, cell phones and email addresses are all correct and current. Once logged in, from the dropdown menu on the left of the screen, choose “More”. At that point, click on “Family Information”. There you will be able to verify and update phone and email contact information for each individual. Mailing address changes can only be made by the administration office.
Food Service Will Not Be Available on Monday, May 25
The District Food Service Program will not be available on Monday, May 25 due to Memorial Day. Additional food will be provided during pickup on Friday, May 22 to cover the holiday weekend.
Student Services and Counselor Availability During School Closure A majority of services that are provided by the JRG counselors and Student Services will be available through video chat and Google Classroom. Various resources and materials will be uploaded to Google Classroom over the coming days. Please have your student check their email for information about Student Services and Counselor availability. Please see page 8 for a complete list of available resources and contacts.
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Chromebook and Technology Assistance and Chromebook Repair Process Thank you for your patience and support as we transition to the world of online learning. We are “here” in the virtual, online sense of that word, to continue to support your child’s learning and social-emotional needs. Please reach out to us with questions or concerns. If your child is unsure of how to use an app or Chromebook feature, they should contact their teacher. If you are experiencing an issue with a district-owned device, please contact your child’s teacher and they will inform the proper department for assistance. Our IT department will contact families with next steps after a teacher has informed them of the issue. Devices can be exchanged: Mondays and Wednesdays - 10AM - 2PM and Fridays 7AM - 11AM. Please use the circle drive JRG Main Entrance off of John Street for drive through service. If you have specific questions about the repair process, please contact JRG at 788-7905 or [email protected].
Parent Notifications from Google Classroom To facilitate distance learning from home, google classroom offers summary notifications for parents and guardians. These summaries include:
Missing work - Work that’s late at the time the summary was sent
Upcoming work - Work that’s due that day and the following day, as well as work due in the upcoming week.
Class activity—Announcements, assignments, and questions recently posted by teachers You are able to set the frequency of these notifications and remove yourself at any time. Once you are assigned to one of your student’s classrooms, you will have access to all of their classes. If you are not already signed up to receive google notifications from classroom and would like to, please contact your child’s TLC teacher and they will get you set up. Please include the email at which you would like to be contacted.
If you have further questions, please reach out to Rob DeLain at [email protected].
Track Apparel Order & Distribution Due to the indefinite closure of our schools, we will be unable to have a track season this year. Our coaches are just as disappointed as you are, but we look forward to our sports restarting when school reopens. Many of you have ordered track apparel, and we thank you for the support. Due to our school closure and the recommendations for social distancing, we are not able to distribute the clothing at this time. We will contact you with our plan for the distribution of the apparel after school has reopened. Stay Healthy! Mr. Jochimsen
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The Kimberly Area School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, (including limited English proficiency), ancestry, creed, pregnancy, marital status, parental status, sexual orientation, homelessness status, sex, including transgender status, change of sex or gender identity, disability,
age (except as authorized by law), military status or physical, mental, emotional, or learning disability in any of its student programs or activities.
J.R. Gerritts Middle School * 545 S. John Street * Kimberly, WI 54136 (P) 920-788-7905 (F) 920-788-7914 (E) [email protected]
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