August 20, 2020
Dear Parents and Students:
Welcome to the 2020-2021 school year at Rachel Carson Elementary!
As you know, this year school will begin in a remote setting. I want to assure you that our staff has been working diligently to plan an outstanding school experience for your child. This year’s remote schooling will look different than what you experienced last year as our teachers will be providing students with live instruction, meeting with small groups in a virtual setting, and assigning grades.
I understand the challenges, anxieties, questions, and concerns that students and families may face as we begin school remotely. Thankfully, Carson has amazing educators and talented support staff. Our students are dedicated, hard-working, and resilient. We also have an incredibly supportive parent community. As a collective team we will provide an engaging, challenging, supportive school environment for our students.
I wanted to take a moment to provide families with various updates about our school, information about traditional August/September events, and other important reminders. Please carefully read the entirety of this letter so you are caught up on the following items:
*Staffing Update
*Teacher Letter (Student Class Assignment)
*Remote Teaching Updates
*Family Connection Meetings
*Computer/Textbook Distribution
*School Supply Update
*Upcoming Events
I look forward to the day we will be together again, in person. What a celebration that will be! In the meantime, I am excited to collaborate with staff and parents to provide for an outstanding remote learning experience for our students.
Staffing Update:
Each year we have changes to our staff, which I would like to inform you of. Please join me in welcoming the following new staff members to the Carson family:
Liz Forba, Full-Time Associate Principal
Wesley Irwin, Special Education
Jyoti Mohan, 5th Grade
Stephanie Lillybridge, Occupational Therapy
Shannon Hanson, Speech Therapist
Teacher Letter (Student Class Assignment): August 26
One of the things I’m sure most students and families are anxious about is who their classroom teacher will be this year. Families will receive an email from the school on Wednesday, August 26th informing them of their child’s teacher assignment. The email will include a letter from your child’s teacher, along with other more classroom based information for the upcoming year.
Remote Teaching Update:
This year’s version of remote teaching will look different than it did last Spring. As mentioned earlier, students will receive live instruction from their teachers during the school day. Students will be expected to be logged on each morning promptly at 8:50 for a live classroom meeting. They will also have opportunities for small group connection with their teachers as well. As was the case last year, asynchronous activities will also be provided. In order to better support parents and families, we will be sharing our block schedule next week. We have designed our schedule to be predictable and dependable so that parents and students can plan for live instruction. Live instruction will be provided on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Wednesdays will be reserved for live teacher intervention with students, as needed. Asynchronous activities will also be provided on Wednesdays.
Family Connection Meetings/WA Kids: September 1, 2, 3, and 4
Teachers will be holding “Family Connection Meetings” the first week of school for all grade levels. These meetings will be in place of our traditional August “Meet and Greet”. They are not intended to be parent-teacher conferences, but instead an opportunity for teachers to meet and learn more about your child and build a partnership with parents. The meetings will last 20 minutes and be scheduled by your classroom teacher via Teams during September 1st – 4th (teachers will send invitations next week). Teachers will assign asynchronous activities for students to work on during the week outside of their assigned Family Connection Meeting time. Our Family Connection Meetings will provide a springboard to a successful year for your child and begin a collaborative relationship between you and your child’s teacher. Kindergarten teachers will be sending information to their families about WA kids connection meetings. These meetings will look very similar to what 1st-5th grade classrooms will be engaging in. We look forward to meeting you and your child!
Computer/Textbook Distribution: August 26 and 27
All students in grades K-5 will have computers checked out to them this year. Students in grades K-5 will also have reading textbooks checked out as well (Wonders). Lastly, students will receive workbooks in the areas of math and reading.
We understand that some families may have a computer at home and therefore decline the computer provided by LWSD. We encourage all families to check out a computer as there have been programs installed on LWSD devices that will support remote learning.
Computers, textbooks, and workbooks will be passed out on August 26th and 27th according to the schedule provided below. These items will be placed in a paper bag for families to collect at this time. We are still waiting on the workbooks to arrive. If they are not ready, we will hold a second distribution day in September.
Teachers will not be available to meet during this time as they will be participating in district training. We ask that parents come during their assigned time, wear a mask, and adhere to social distancing norms. Please drive into the Carson main parking lot, stay to the right, and stop at each checkpoint within our parking lot. Be prepared to sign a document stating that you received a LWSD device.
Collection/Distribution Schedule:
Wednesday, August 26th:
*9:00-10:00: Last names beginning in A-C
*10:00-11:00: Last names beginning in D-H
*11:00-12:00: Last names beginning in I-L
Thursday, August 27th:
*9:00-10:00: Last names beginning in M-P
*10:00-11:00: Last names beginning in Q-S
*11:00-12:00: Last names beginning in T-Z
School Supplies: If you have purchased school supplies through the Carson PTSA for this school year, these supplies will be distributed to families during the computer/textbook pickup. If we update our supply list due to remote learning, we will inform families once that is determined.
Upcoming Events/Dates:
Please update your calendars to reflect the following school events:
*Teacher Letters Emailed Home (class placement): August 26
*Computer/Textbook Distribution: August 26 and 27
*Family Connection Meetings (Virtual): September 1, 2, 3, and 4
*Kindergarten Parent Connection Meetings (Virtual): September 1, 2, and 3 (no school for kindy students on these dates)
*First Official Day of School, Grades 1-5, September 1
*First Official Day of School, Kindergarten: September 4
Carson is looking forward to being able to provide your students with an extraordinary education. We will all need to be partners together in learning and it will take a lot of patience, flexibility, and responsiveness for all stakeholders involved within this process. We are all in this together, and if we stick together with the same goals in mind, we will achieve great things as a collective school.
It’s a great day to be a Falcon!
Scott Power
Principal
Rachel Carson Elementary
