APRIL 2020

VIRTUAL LEARNING

Our students have now participated in 2 weeks of virtual learning. We understand the challenges families face at home managing family, work and the unknown as we adjust to this new normal.  Virtual Learning will present new challenges, but we hope that the structures we are providing our students are serving as a familiar comfort, a welcome distraction, and a small relief to parents trying to do it all.  If you haven't already done so, we ask that you please familiarize yourselves with our CRSD Virtual Learning Website. It is linked here and can also be found on the District and CHS homepages. This site is intended to be a "one-stop shop" for parents to access information about Chariho's Virtual Learning Plan.

Last Friday afternoon, we sent an email to all parents and guardians requesting that you complete a survey to provide input on week 1 of virtual instruction. We have had a chance to review the results and they are promising. There have been over 250 responses to the high school survey. Here is a summary of those responses:

• 88% of parents rated the first week of instruction as successful to highly successful
• 94% of parents reported that their children were engaged in meaningful learning tasks
• 94% shared that their technology worked successfully during week one
• 125 parents wrote in positives and highlights. Some of the highlights include the accessibility of our teachers and the prompt feedback they are providing students. Parents report that they value the consistent and clear communication about virtual learning. Parents also shared that they are encouraged by how engaged their children are in virtual learning and how they have "stepped up" as self-directed learners. We plan to share these highlights with our faculty as they love hearing from you and your children. Here are some specific examples below:
• It was nice to see how my kids interact in a classroom setting. Typically we as parents don't get to see that. Since we are all home either working or in classes, I am enjoying the family bonding. Thank you to all the teachers, faculty and principals and everyone involved to make distance learning possible. I know that a lot of work was put into this and we as parents are grateful to be part of such a great school district and community.
• For the first week, with no preparation....you all ROCKED IT! It will only improve each week as we all learn and adjust....very well done!
• We appreciate the staff of CHS, administrators, teachers, the whole crew- and everyone’s collective efforts to implement distance learning!! Yesterday’s response to my question of How was today and this week? was ‘“It was really good” said with a smile. I think in “15 year old boy speak” this translates to a successful week one! Thank you!

Based on feedback from parents, students and faculty, we have created a revised Virtual Schedule that will begin on Monday, April 6th.  The new schedule can be found here and also within the CHS page of the CRSD Parent Website.  You will see that we have reduced the length of our blocks from 90-minutes to 60-minutes and aligned our lunches with the middle school and elementary schools.  We have also moved the start of our day from 7:30 to 8:00 and built in longer movement breaks.  We thank you for your feedback and will continue to make adjustments as needed as we navigate these next few weeks of virtual instruction.  

Also, the State has adjusted some dates in April for Professional Development and for Holidays, please see the revised Green/White Calendar here that captures this information.  In summary, there will be no Virtual Instruction/School for students on April 3rd, 9th, 10th, and 17th.

Finally, we have created Distance Learning Guidelines for Live Videos for Students.  Please view these guidelines here.

We thank you for your support and the positive emails you have been sending our way. It brightens our day to hear examples of how our students and faculty have jumped in and are acclimating to this "new normal".

We miss seeing your children in our hallways, our classrooms and on the playing fields and stage. We hope a time comes soon when we can welcome them back into our buildings.

Stay Healthy,

Craig MacKenzie, Principal
Andrea Spas, Assistant Principal
Gerry Auth, CHARIHOtech Director 

From the Rhode Island Department of Education about State Testing

The Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (RIDE) submitted a request to the United States Department of Education (USED) to waive the requirements for state assessments and accountability as outlined in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and to cancel all state assessments for the 2019-20 school year. 

The following Rhode Island state assessments are canceled for the 2019-20 school year:

• RI SAT School Day with Essay
• PSAT10
• Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM) alternate assessments
• Rhode Island Comprehensive Assessment System (RICAS)
• Next Generation Science Assessment (NGSA)

As part of the waiver, RIDE is required gather public comments. An FAQ with additional details on how the waiver impacts assessment, accountability, and school improvement efforts is posted at www.ride.ri.gov/tc. In addition, a short survey asks if you agree with this waiver request and also provides space to share additional comments you feel are important for RIDE to take into consideration. We encourage you to forward this email to educators in your district and to families so they may also provide their comments.

• Link to survey and FAQ (comments due by Friday, April 10, 2020 at 4:00pm)

AP Testing: Still Taking Place this year!

Below is some guidance from CollegeBoard regarding AP exams.  This is a brief summary.  Once we receive more information, we will send out more information to teachers and parents.  We also plan to include this in our monthly blog.

• AP will NOT be cancelling the AP exams.  91% of students who were surveyed indicated that they want to be able to take the exam to earn college credit and placement.
• For the 19-20 exam administration only, students can take a 45-minute online exam at home.
• Beginning on March 25th, students and schools will have access to free, live AP review lessons, delivered by AP teachers from across the country.  The lessons will focus on reviewing the skills and concepts from the first 75% of the course.  Here is a link to these resources: https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/coronavirus-updates#free-ap-classes

Please also see the following link for more information on AP testing from College Board: https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/about-ap/news-changes/coronavirus-update

Seniors & The Graduation Portfolio 

Seniors will still be expected to complete their portfolio product submissions as well as present their portfolio.  We are developing a contingency plan in the event that we need seniors to conduct their presentations virtually.  We are currently in the process of piloting this with some of our seniors.  We will share more specifics on this virtual portfolio presentation process once finalized.  Please encourage your students to connect with their portfolio coordinators, Leanne Hackett or Jonathan Kelly, or to check their emails for portfolio-related updates/outreach.

Attention Seniors: Scholarship Info!

Scholarship opportunities have begun to come in!!!  Use the School Counselor link or the Student Resources link on the High School page to access all scholarships.  The link can also be found here.  Remember, you can't win if you don't apply!!!!  If you have any questions, see your school counselor.


From the Library Media Center

The free online and digital resources curated by the Library Media Center provide students with 24/7 access to authoritative grade-level databases, eBooks, languages and more all in support of their learning needs.

Please note that these resources, usernames, and passwords are for Chariho faculty, students, and families and should not be posted to any public forums or social media.