Virtual Classroom

Sycamore Community Schools is committed to having a Healthy Back to School 2020. In order to prepare our students for our new safety and healthy protocols, we are releasing the video below to familiarize you with our new routines, procedures, and behavioral expectations.

Just like during a typical school year, our teachers will spend time teaching these expectations through our Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) framework, which seeks to promote positive school culture through the direct instruction of expected behaviors and positive acknowledgment when we see those behaviors.

This short video featuring Mr. Aviator and Sycamore High School students was created for students in grades K-8. We encourage you to share this with your child to help prepare them for their return to school.

We understand that our virtual students, learning partners, and families are going to want to know the topics of learning for that week. All virtual teachers will be utilizing a Weekly Guide. This guide - specific to the grade level or course - will be posted by the start of the first class on the first school day for every week. This is a great glimpse for students, families, and learning partners to have into the learning for the week. If you don’t see the Weekly Guide posted, please connect with the teacher.

Virtual high school students will follow the Sycamore High School bell schedule, virtual junior high high school students will follow the Sycamore Junior High school bell schedule, and Greene students will follow the Green Intermediate schedule. These will be shared by the high school, junior high, and Greene, respectively.

Virtual students in grades 1-4 will have school from 9am-3:30pm.

Virtual students in AM Kindergarten will have school from 9am-11:55am. Virtual students in PM Kindergarten will have school from 12:35pm-3:30pm, with the exception of virtual PM Kindergarten in Mrs. Westman’s class will have school from 12:50pm-3:45pm. (This is due to her having a face to face AM kindergarten)

A schedule of learning has been set by grade level for virtual students grades K-4 to be shared with virtual learners, their families, and their learning partner. This means that all students in each virtual grade will follow the same daily schedule, regardless of which teacher they have.

One element of each schedule that you may notice is "No New Instruction". Our No New Instruction blocks have been designed to allow students and teachers dedicated time for intervention, reinforcement and enrichment opportunities. This block is often used for small group or one on one instruction. Special education and ESOL services may also be provided during this time. Because no new content is taught during this block, children do not miss the initial introduction of critical new content. This block of time also reduces interruptions during the other academic blocks taught in elementary school. No New Instruction blocks occur in both the virtual and face to face classrooms.

See the below schedules for each grade level. You can download a PDF copy to print at the bottom of this newsletter.

If you have not yet received information about your schedule or teacher for your student(s), please do not worry! All buildings are focused on the puzzle that is master scheduling and are working tirelessly to get all placements and decisions made. We appreciate your continued patience! All class schedules are determined by each student's home building.

We are so very excited to partner with our home Learning Partners for our virtual elementary student’s success! We understand and anticipate that it is likely and probable that many of our Learning Partners will be serving in this role for multiple students at once, for example, a parent who is serving in this role for their 1st-grade virtual student as well as their 3rd-grade virtual student. Teachers will absolutely be understanding of this and help work with you about this. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to your student’s teachers directly so that they can be aware and help with questions or concerns. But please know, we are anticipating this to be the reality for many of our families and will be accommodating and flexible. We are so thankful for your partnership!

We have heard your feedback that our elementary virtual learners and their learning partners would love to meet their teacher one on one, practice logging on, and get ready for their virtual classroom in an individualized manner. We are so thankful to our K-4 virtual teachers for their creativity and thoughts about how to meet the needs these young learners.

In an effort to welcome and ease in our youngest virtual students and their learning partner, virtual teachers will be reaching out to virtual families of virtual students in grade 1-4 to set up an appointment for a brief one on one meet and greet (student + learning partner with teacher) on Tuesday, September 8. This will allow these students to practice logging on, allow them to meet their teacher, and get excited for their virtual classroom experience! For virtual students in grades 1-4, they will begin their regular schedule of class on Wednesday, September 9th.

For virtual kindergarten students and their learning partners, virtual kindergarten teachers will be reaching out to virtual families of virtual kindergarten students to set up an appointment for a brief one on one meet and greet (student + learning partner with teacher) on Tuesday, September 8 or Wednesday, September 9. For virtual students in kindergarten, they will begin their regular schedule of class on Thursday, September 10th.

For their virtual class, students will get information from their teacher or home school about where to go on day one.

However, a likely method will be via Blackboard which may be found here: http://www2.sycamoreschools.org/home/

Students are expected to log on to their class at the appropriate time. They may join from anywhere that they can access needed wifi.

English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)

Welcome أهلا بك Bienvenidos 欢迎 स्वागत हे Hoşgeldiniz ברוך הבא Witamy

ようこそ 어서 오십시오 добро пожаловать Xush kelibsizs

Whether this is your first year in Sycamore Community Schools or you have been a part of our school and local community for many years, the transition into or back to school can be challenging for both students and families. ESOL Teachers will continue to provide regular instruction of English language development during small group sessions. Classroom teachers will continue to provide the necessary accommodations or modifications required based on the individual student’s English Learner Plan ensuring that ELs have equal access to the curriculum.

New Students:

We are excited to welcome all of our new multilingual learners to Sycamore and want to be certain they have support learning English if needed. To determine this, the State of Ohio requires that any student with a language other than English listed on their registration form take the Ohio English Language Proficiency Screener (OELPS). OELPS is an in-person test on the computer that cannot be given virtually. We have put together a safe, individual, test environment for your student at their school. The test is 30-60 minutes long. It will tell us the student’s level of reading, writing, listening, and speaking in English. If you have any questions, please contact the correct teacher below for your student's building.

Blue Ash- Mrs. Sansone sansonel@sycamoreschools.org

Maple Dale- Mrs. Gaines gainese@sycamoreschools.org

Montgomery- Mrs. Dostal dostalk@sycamoreschools.org

Symmes- Mrs. Blair blairt@sycamoreschools.org

E.H. Greene/Junior High- Mrs. Wolfford wolffordm@sycamoreschools.org

High School- Mrs. Schneider schneiderj@sycamoreschools.org

For more information about the Sycamore ESOL Program, visit our website at https://www.sycamoreschools.org/domain/507

If you have a need for technology support as a Virtual Classroom student, you can call our helpdesk 513-686-1793 from 9am-2:30pm or submit a ticket by sending an email to helpdesk@sycamoreschools.org with a description of your need.

School supply pick up is being handled by your home school. Please connect with them or follow their shared directions about the next steps for getting supplies.

Chromebook pick up for virtual students continues this evening from 4pm - 7pm. The event will take place at Maple Dale Elementary School in the back parking lot - bus parking lot. This is a drive-thru pick up. You are to arrive at Maple Dale from the Hagewa Drive entrance off Kenwood Rd. Come up Hagewa Drive to the back of the Maple Dale Elementary building to the bus parking lot. You will enter a drive-thru line, receive your equipment, and exit to ZigZag Drive.

RETURNING STUDENTS:

• Returning students in grades 1-4, 5, 9 will receive a device.

• Returning students in grades 6,7,8,10,11,12 will only receive a device if their current device is broken. Please bring the broken device to the event.

• If you have a device from our April 2020 handout, we are expecting you to return the device.

NEW STUDENTS TO THE DISTRICT:

• If you are a kindergartner or new student to the district, you will receive a device.

What if you cannot make this Chromebook pick up for virtual students?

Email helpdesk@sycamoreschools.org with your request to pick up a device and we will make an appointment with you in the next 5-10 business days.

Can I pick up devices for another family?

Yes. You can pick up a device(s) for another family. Please have their student's last name and student ID.

What if I have a broken device?

Please bring the device to the pick-up or to your appointment where you come to get your device, we will supply you with a replacement device.

What: For families with students enrolled in virtual learning, healthy breakfast and lunch meals will be available for pick up weekly. You will receive 5 breakfast and 5 lunch meals (or you can choose just 5 breakfasts of just 5 lunches)

When: Every Wednesday between 11-12pm

Where: Sycamore High School, 7400 Cornell Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45242 - Athletic Entrance Door

How do you order?: All families will need to fill out the Virtual Meal Curbside Pickup Form by every Monday at Midnight. It will be set with the dates for every Wednesday from now until the end of 1st semester. You can fill them all out at once if you know in advance which weeks you will utilize the service, or you can choose to fill it out weekly as well.

Cost:

-Students that Qualify for Free Meals: $0.00 for all 10 meals

-Students that Qualify for Reduced Meals: $1.50 for 5 breakfast meals, $ 2.00 for 5 lunch meals, or $3.50 for 5 breakfast and 5 lunches

-Full Pay Students: $7.75 for 5 breakfast meals, $14.00 for 5 lunch meals, or $21.75 for 5 breakfast and 5 lunches

• Money would need to be on the student’s account, or received at time of pick up for paying students. Credit cards can be used if paying through parent portal. Cash/Check can be taken upon pick up of meals.

• Families will pull up curbside to the athletic entrance doors, where the buses would normally be parked in the mornings. You will stay in your vehicle and a Child Nutrition staff member will check you in and provide you with your pre-ordered meals.

• All meals will need to be consumed by the following Tuesday from a food safety perspective. Meals will be a variety of cold, shelf stable/ready to eat, and frozen options. All frozen options will include heating instructions.

Email: teszlewiczm@sycamoreschools.org
Website: www.sycamoreschools.org
Location: 11120 Kenwood Road, Cincinnati, OH, USA
Phone: 513-686-1708
Facebook: facebook.com/sycamoreschools/
Twitter: @SycamoreSchools