Snow Elementary School

Welcome Back to School

Welcome Back!

Greetings Snow Community,

I would like to welcome you to the 2020-2021 school year.  Although this is an extraordinary start, I am optimistic that together we will make this a great and successful school year!  I will work to get Snow off to a positive start before I transition to the Human Resources Department in October when the new principal will take over.

In this letter, I will attempt to answer some questions that I have received thus far.  I will continue to communicate information as I receive it on the school blog.  It is imperative that all Snow families subscribe to the school blog for fast and accurate information as things may change throughout the school year. I urge all families to stay connected! https://snow.dearbornschools.org/.  

Registration

If your child is still not registered, please be sure to get registered immediately.  Here is the district link to registering.     https://dearbornschools.org/services/enroll/  Please contact the Snow school office if you have any questions at 313-827-6250.

For students who opted-in for the Virtual Learning Program (VLP), please remember that this is separate from Snow but will be facilitated by highly qualified Dearborn Teachers.     

School Year Calendar

Below is the link to the 2020-2021 school year calendar.  The first week of the school has been amended to all half days to provide teachers with additional planning and collaborative time.  https://dearbornschools.org/services/district-calendars/

Attendance

Start and end times have been amended for remote learning.  The new times for remote learning are 8:55am-3:50pm and from 8:55am-12:00 pm on half days.  Students are expected to be online where they will be live with their classroom teacher at 8:55 am daily. Please communicate with your child’s teacher regarding potential absences.

Student Placement & Orientation

To ensure social distancing, we will not be posting student rosters on school doors as in the past.  Instead, you will receive a welcome email from your child’s teacher on Friday, August 28th.  It is essential that your email is accurate in ParentConnect to receive important communications.  If you need to update your email, Login to ParentConnect and change it under the ‘My Account’ option.  If you cannot login to ParentConnect, please contact Snow school and we will update this for you.

The Snow team has worked extremely hard to create well-balanced student rosters while taking into consideration the needs of all students as a whole and individually.  If you would like to share specific information about your child’s needs, please contact their teacher.  Our dedicated teachers are accommodating and understand that this is a difficult time for all of our families.  Please stay tuned for more information (including date/time) regarding orientations as it will look different this year.  

Remote Start Learning

As you may know, we are starting this year with 100% online learning until at least the week of October 1st. At this time, the Covid situation will be reassessed by the district.  Traditional grading will be implemented.

  • Chromebook distribution and supply distribution will happen the first week of school.  Details will be posted on the school blog.
  • Platforms: Schoology and Zoom, more information will be shared when available
  • Online Hours: full days 8:55 am-3:50 pm

half days 8:55 am-12:00 pm

  • Schedule: a consistent & structured schedule will be shared during the first week of school. The schedule will include live instruction/breaks/learning labs & independent work times embedded in the school day.
  • Learning Labs: will be virtual and/or optional in-person support, both 1-1 & small groups beginning 9/21/20, stay tuned for more information regarding logistics and protocols 

Important Reminders & Dates

  • Subscribe to the Snow blog! https://snow.dearbornschools.org/
  • We highly recommend that each student have a device to utilize for online learning.  Please assess whether or not you are in need of borrowing a school device. We will announce a distribution date soon.
  • Week 1 (8/31-9/3): all half days from 8:55am-12:00pm, it will be a soft start with the first week.
  • Please establish routines with your child that include consistent bedtime and morning practices and inform them that they will need to be online daily at 8:55am for live instruction with their teacher.  I also encourage you to identify/create quiet spaces/work stations for your child(ren) to support online learning.

Remember, this is a global pandemic and an unprecedented time.  We will work to support all students. Together, with patience, communication and collaboration, we will get through this!

Thank you,  

Amal Alcodray

Principal