Please review the schedule with these points in mind.

• The new schedule provides an additional 5 minutes of direct instruction.  I have asked the teachers to use this extra time to open lesson with activities to build relationships and get students ready for new learning each day.  Please require your child to open their Google Meets on time to participate in the warm-up activity as an important part of the daily lesson.
• A “Small Group” period of 20 minutes has been added to the end of each class meeting.  This time is intended for reteaching, answering questions, beginning homework, clarifying directions, and providing assistance.  No new content will be taught during this 20-minute period.  Teachers may invite specific students.  However, all students should plan to attend.  Please require your child to use this time when needed for extra support.
• Community Wellness will continue Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.  Our teachers develop interactive lesson on the Arundel Attributes, Communication, Courage, Openness, Ownership, Integrity, and Reflection.  These lessons connect our students and teachers and review important success skills that are especially important to student success during this unusual time of virtual learning.  Attendance is taken.  Throughout the month of January, this time will be used for important course selection information.  Please require your child to participate in these sessions throughout the week.
• We have restructured Wednesday to be a robust morning of over 100 clubs, tutoring, learning lab opportunities and program meetings.  That schedule will be posted by the end of the week.  Please require your child to start Wednesdays at 8:30 with Community Wellness and stay engaged for clubs and other opportunities for connections and support.
• Teachers continue to work to make engaging lessons that meet the needs of every student.  They are using their creativity, perseverance and countless hours to plan and implement lessons using a variety of tools to reach students. It is very difficult to gauge the success of a lesson or the attentiveness of students in a virtual environment because the verbal and non-verbal information we get as we observe students interacting with the content is obstructed.  If students log onto the lesson without turning on their cameras, this information is completely lost.  Without discussion and conversation, there is no feedback.  Great instruction is based on a vibrant feedback loop.  Our teachers are giving information but often have no way to know if that information is received, understood, and stored.  Needs are not observed, and Instruction cannot be adjusted.  Please require your child to turn on their camera, respond by unmuting their mic, and participate in all activities in each lesson.  We must “hear” from students to close that feedback loop and be responsive in our practices.

We have worked together as a school community for the last 10 months to make this difficult situation work for our children.  Our parents have supported.  Our teachers and counselors responded.  Our administrators have reached.  Our students have stepped up.  We are still the proud Arundel High Community we were a year ago before the public health crisis took so much away.  We must start this new year by renewing our Wildcat PRIDE and uniting in our expectations.   

If you have questions or concerns, please join me at an open meeting tomorrow morning, Monday, January 4^th at 8:00 AM.  Please go to Google and paste in this URL in the browser to access the meeting.  meet.google.com/jrh-axkt-jud

Thank you.  We are ARUNDEL.  Hope to see you soon.

Gina

Gina Davenport

Principal

Arundel High School