Remote Learning Update

8/5/2020

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CPS Remote Learning Announcement

Good afternoon Bateman Families and Friends,

This morning, you should have received formal communication from the district stating that we will begin the school year with at home learning. The decision to implement a remote learning model will ensure the safety of our students, families and educators alike. It also allows us the opportunity to reflect upon and strengthen our remote learning structures.

We know this decision brings a wide array of reactions - for some of you this news may be disappointing and for others, you may be feeling a sense of relief. For that, I want to assure you our team is eager to make Remote Learning a positive experience for ALL of our students and families. In March, our educators rose to the occasion when implementing emergency Remote Learning. At the end of the school year, our educators and parents took surveys to share their feedback about remote instruction - both what went well and what we can continue to improve upon this fall. We are confident that with the expertise of our teachers, your feedback and the professional development provided both internally and by the district, the Bateman staff will be prepared for robust Remote Learning instruction beginning September 8th.

Our goals that drive our planning will be the following:

Create a sense strong of community within all classrooms
Support the social and emotional needs of all students
Differentiate instruction to meet the needs of all levels of learners in order to ensure academic progress for all
Daily interaction with content and grade-level standards
Embed assessments and informative feedback to help prioritize student needs and content
Continue constant and transparent communication with our families

In the upcoming weeks, we will be collaborating with our teachers and staff to create a comprehensive and supportive Remote Learning Plan that reflects the Bateman community. The district is planning to release the Remote Learning Guidance with expectations this Friday and we have several working sessions scheduled with our teachers next week to incorporate parent and teacher feedback from the spring to strengthen and streamline our practices. This includes planning for social and emotional integration, dual language, and meeting the needs of all levels of learners. Please join us for our August Virtual LSC Meeting on Wednesday, August 19th at 8:30am where we intend to present our initial Remote Learning Plan for the Fall.

In the meantime, we know that today’s news has most likely sparked some questions and concerns amongst our parent community. We will be hosting a Virtual Bateman Q&A Session on Wednesday, August 12th at 6:30 pm during which questions and concerns from our community will be addressed. If you have a burning question, please submit your question or concern here. Having the questions ahead of time will assist us in preparing responses and addressing concerns from multiple families. Please submit your question by 12pm on Tuesday, August 11th. While we may not have the answers to all questions, we will be able to provide you transparency regarding where the school is in the planning process. All questions that cannot be addressed at this time will only help us as feedback in the planning process with our teachers. More details regarding how to join both meetings will be shared in the upcoming days.

Additionally, if you are unable to attend the Virtual Bateman Q&A Session and would like to share ideas and suggestions or have lingering questions for the upcoming school year, please click here. We would love to hear from all Bateman community members.

In a typical year, August and September are exciting months, especially for our new families, preschool and kindergarten families. We are thrilled you are joining the Bateman Family! As we kick off the year and welcome new families, we are creatively planning ways to integrate "meet the teacher"/orientations for all grades the week of August 31st.

For now, please mark your calendars for:

Pre-Kindergarten Virtual Orientation September 2nd at 10 am
Kindergarten Virtual Orientation September 1st at 10 am

We hope this provides you with a sense of reassurance for the upcoming school year. It is a critical time to come together as a community, lean on one another, and remain positive for our kids. There are several Facebook groups for parents to join for support, including the Bateman Community Forum Page and several grade level specific pages, including the newest addition of the Newton Bateman Class of 2029.

As always, please continue to reach out with any questions or concerns. Be strong, be proud, and #BeBateman.

Warm regards,

Georgia & Kate

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