Dear Parents and Guardians,

It is Friday, March 27.
I heard someone say “by now we might all realize this remote learning is becoming a marathon.” EVCS completed the first lap and from our end you are all looking great. Keep it up, you got this. This has been a doozy for many to say the least. Way to go parents, students, heroic teachers, & admin for pulling it together – it is remarkable and everyone deserves a big reward.

Before we all collapse into the weekend…

There are a few updates and new resources to note below…

New York State Tests for ELA and MATH
Exams are Suspended for grades 3-8 due to COVID-19

School Food
FREE meals for all kids under 18!
View the list here to find the nearest pick up location. Hrs: 7:30 a.m. – 1:30.p.m.
Kids may pick up from any participating school location on the list. Check for the closest open school near you. All kids can pick up 3 bags each day. If you need help finding additional food resources in the community, please reach out to James.

Tips that might help in setting your child up for success:
Try to create a dedicated workspace for each of you sharing the home. Everyone needs a space they can call their own work area. Keep it organized and comfy, everyone will work better if they feel comfortable and tools are in order. Provide privacy if possible. It may never be “ideal” at home so do the best you can. Support and motivate, think about setting up a gallery area to feature any work they produce. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out and we will do our best to support you.

The kids’ “start time” is 9:30 a.m.

Go easy on yourselves and do what you can. Adjusting to this new norm is different for every family – remember how hard it could be to get out of the house, it might be even tougher some days staying in the house and redirecting the focus. Try to create a regular schedule – kids thrive more often than not with a routine in place. If you need support coming up with a schedule, reach out. Posting the schedule where everyone can see it will go a long way. You can refer to it when you need to get back on track.

NYC School Survey
Our response rate is very low at 19% for EVCS.
We know there is a lot going on but it only takes a few minutes.
Only one survey per family is needed. PLEASE do let your voices be heard and fill out the survey today! Thank you in advance!
Take the Parent Survey (available in Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, English, French, Haitian Creole, Korean, Russian, and Spanish – click here to select your language. )

Attendance
Remote attendance may look and feel a bit different than when we all met at school. With remote learning we encourage all students to participate and engage with the materials, lessons and information presented in google classroom and by the teacher(s). We also understand the juggle that is happening at home and that it looks different for everyone. Our hope and expectation is that you do your best and let us know where the struggles are. We are here to support you 100%.

The Virtual Yard
Thinking about a class hang out? Ask your teacher to help set something up. The upper grade levels encourage regular hang out time using Google Hangouts. Practicing with protocols like “keeping your microphone on mute” and allowing each one to speak and hear one another. Kids miss each other, and this is one way perhaps everyone can share and connect.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

If you are a first responder, health care provider, or transit worker
whose child is a NYC resident and you have no other child care option, complete this FORM to begin the enrollment process for the city childcare & enrichment centers

Devices and Wifi Connections.
If you or some you know is still in need of a device to connect your child to Google Classroom, fill out this form for a device, on loan, from the Department of Education: https://coronavirus.schools.nyc/RemoteLearningDevices
Your student ID is required, reach out to teachers or me if you need it.
EVCS is located under The East Village Community School.
If your device is not working please reach out to Liz first to decide if we need to request another device – liz@evcs.me.