| Dear Parents/Guardians and Staff members:
I want to share how proud I am of our students, teachers, staff members and parents/guardians as we wrap up this first day of "social distance learning" in the Bay Village Schools.
- As we take these initial steps over the next three weeks, we are working to keep students connected to their teachers, engaged in their learning, and emerging with stronger skills in many areas due to review and practice.
- We are preparing now to transition to teaching and learning new skills and knowledge if the schools are closed beyond this initial three-week period, We will continue to work in three-week increments of planning so that we can provide clear expectations for students as the Ohio Department of Education offers guidance for grading and assessments. Our priority is to provide a stable process that benefits students and teachers each step of the way. Families with IEPs will also be getting an update soon.
We have heard of a few technology glitches, as would be expected. Platforms that deliver content may require adjustments to settings. Students are used to having more technical support at school. The organization of information available online may continue to need refinement.
We will work through the snags as we celebrate the significant success stories! I am a firm believer that when you honor the professionalism of teachers, you get the absolute best in return. For example, here are just a few of the wonderful experiences I have heard about already:
- Second-grade teacher Mrs. Anne Hart sent her class a video of her reading part of the chapter book they were reading in class, and students are emailing her as her "pen pals." One student sent a photo of his directed drawing - a leprechaun!
- A student of first-grade teacher Mrs. Barbara Ayers shared that he decided to become an "expert" on hippos after watching the live feed of Fiona the Hippo at the Cincinnati Zoo.
- The third-grade classes of Mrs. Alison Volkmann and Mrs. Heather Baldwin shared photos of their green attire and of the leprechaun traps they set. They learned they can have interactive fun together virtually!
- Bay Middle School counselor Mrs. Jan Machcinski collected many comments from students about what makes them grateful even in the face of our current challenges.
- Students in Mrs. Renee Dempsey's French class are participating in their annual Manie Musicale competition, listening to French songs, watching videos and voting along with schools from every U.S. state and several foreign countries for their favorites.
- Mr. Luke Kieffer, Bay High's Technology Education and Video Production instructor, explaining how Bay High's daily video, Ground Control, will continue to bring teachers, students and others into your home and maintain a sense of community. Watch at: https://vimeo.com/397971828
- Our Tech Team of Brian Reynolds, Rich Toth and Michael Streets prepared 200 Chromebooks to pass out to students today with the help of several "runners" to distribute on the drive-in basis.
You will soon be hearing more details about the above stories and more -- we will try to keep up with them all!
In the meantime, parents/guardians, please know that you are a key factor in our children's enjoyment of this process and their success. Thank you for your dedication to supporting our schools and teachers. Please take a few minutes to listen to my personal podcast to YOU.
 [Social Distance Learning Podcast]
Sincerely,
Jodie Hausmann, Superintendent
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