WHPS Remote Learning High School
One Community * One Year
Message from the Principal
Dear High School Families,
Welcome to the West Hartford Public Schools Remote Learning Experience (RLE) High School! While we know this year will be unlike any other year, our teachers, office team and I look forward to meeting all of you in the coming weeks as your children begin the new school year in our remote learning environment.
For the last six years I have had the pleasure of working in West Hartford as a teacher, the Science Department Supervisor for Conard High School and Sedgwick Middle School, and the Principal of the Summer High School. In these various roles I have had the opportunity to work with many of the amazing educators who will be part of our RLE this year. Our team is ready to meet this challenge and we are excited to welcome your children into our school.
As a father of three children I know and appreciate how stressful it can be as we navigate these uncertain times. However, one thing I am certain of is that the staff and programming of the RLE is committed to meet these challenges head-on and provide our students with engaging learning experiences that will help them grow both academically and socially.
With school beginning on Tuesday, September 8th, we are committed to creating a positive transition for the over 320 high school students who have elected to enroll in our program. We are in the process of scheduling our students for their courses and working to develop programs to support the various needs that accompany this type of programming. We appreciate your trust and patience in this process and we look forward to working with you to continually enhance our program to meet the needs of our students and families.
You will find detailed information on the Remote Learning Experience (RLE) on our district website at http://whps.org (click link at left or button below to access). My team and I will maintain communication sending you monthly newsletters with school and district updates. I will also be holding regular Principal Coffee Hours. As we progress through the year I look forward to getting to know our families and look forward to working with you to create an environment that we will all be proud of.
I would ask that you please take some time to familiarize yourself with some of the expectations that are specific to the RLE high school.
Your partner in education,
Tim Kessler, Ed.D.
Principal of the Remote Learning Middle School
Grade 9 Orientation
The transition from middle school to high school is important and can be a stressful time for students and families. To help these students become more familiar with high school expectations, we are excited to offer an opportunity to learn more about our program through one of our grade 9 orientations. These sessions will occur at the following times:
Friday, September 4th from 10:00am - 11:00am
Friday, September 4th from 1:00pm - 2:00pm
To access these meetings, you can click on the links above. We will also send a follow-up message with more information about these orientation opportunities. Please note that you do not need to attend all two sessions, rather, we ask that you choose one that best suits your availability.
Daily Schedule
The RLE high school will follow a rotating A/B/C/D block schedule with classes lasting approximately one hour during the 7:30am - 11:25pm time slot. Each day students will engage in four classes. Most classes will follow an A/C and B/D rotation with science labs and PE classes falling on opposite days within the schedule. After our lunch break, teachers will work with smaller groups of students from 12:00 - 2:15 to provide more individualized and specialized instruction to students from the classes that met earlier that day. Students are expected to attend both sessions unless otherwise directed by their teacher. On Wednesdays students will engage in a Community lessons and activities, which are designed to advance the students’ social emotional development while promoting anti-racism education goals. For more details please reference our Remote Learning Experience (RLE) School Handbook posted to the whps.org/remote website.
When will I know my child’s schedule will be provided?
Given the complex nature of the scheduling we are anticipating that student schedules will be provided by Thursday, September 3.
By the morning of Friday, September 4th teachers will have invited their students into their Google Classroom and will have sent an introduction email to the student’s WHPS Google email address. In this email, teachers will clarify what days (A/B/C/D) and time the class will meet. Teachers will also include a link for the class Google Meet. Students will also be able to access the Google Meet links in the banner of the Google Classroom.
What supplies does my child need?
Quiet home learning space without distraction and access to an electronic device (personal or school-issued). If a school-issued device is required, please email our RLE Lead Secretary at angela_tokarz@whps.org or call us at (860) 561-6609.
While nearly all of our activities will be web based, it would be helpful for students to have some basic school supplies available (a few pens/pencils, an eraser, writing paper of any type, ruler, colored pencils, etc.). If your child would benefit from school supplies provided by the district, please let your child’s teacher or my office team know at (860) 561-6609 and we will work to arrange for a pick-up of these supplies.
Student Support Services - Counselors, 504/IEP Case management, etc.
While the RLE high school will have a school counselor on staff, some aspects of these support services will be handled by your child’s sending school and some will be handled by the RLE staff. For example, academic planning meetings with school counselors will remain with assigned school counselors at the sending high schools. However, while case management of 504s will tend to remain with the child’s sending school, students transitioning into grade 9 will be managed by RLE staff. Please reference the RLE Family Handbook for more information.
How do I contact the remote school office?
Our RLE school office opens on August 31 with a dedicated phone line for elementary and secondary schools (860) 561-6609. Please call that number to report absences or to contact our office team or me with any questions or concerns.
Beginning the week of August 31, Mrs. Angela Tokarz will be the RLE middle and high school secretary. She can be reached via the number above and at angela_tokarz@whps.org.
Technology Needs
If you have a need for a chromebook device, please reach out to Angela Tokarz at (960) 561-6609 or through email at angela_tokarz@whps.org.
Who are the teachers in the remote school?
Once our staffing lists and placements have been finalized we will update the RLE website. Please begin looking for emails from your child’s teacher on Thursday, September 3.
While there is no doubt that this year will bring us new challenges, it also presents us with an opportunity to grow and learn. We look forward to partnering with you in this process and are excited by all the opportunities that will come this year.
Important Dates
September
9/4 - Grade 9 Orientation - 10:00am and 1:00pm
9/8 - First Day of School (online)
9/17- Principal Coffee (online) 10 a.m. & 7 p.m.
9/23 - SATs for Grade 12 students (taken in person at sending high school)
9/29-Yom Kippur (no school)
First Day of School for West Hartford Remote Learning High School
Students will begin their day with their classroom teacher by logging in to the Google Meet at their assigned time (morning or afternoon).
More information to follow regarding teacher and small group assignments by email on August 28.
Tuesday, Sep 8, 2020, 08:30 AM
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http://whps.org/remotelearning
Mrs.Angela Tokarz , Remote Middle School Secretary
Location: 50 South Main St, Room 412
Phone: 860-561-6609