Welcome Back 2020-2021

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Monday, Aug 03, 2020

Welcome to the 2020-2021 school year. 

As you are aware, our local public health conditions have caused us to delay bringing our students back on campus until conditions improve; however, we hope that our students and families are as excited as we are to start the new school year.  

On August 17th, as our new year begins, our theme is “We are Better Together” with our new hashtag #owlsunite which you will see utilized as we post on social media platforms. Collectively, as educators and families, we are an industrious team, and together we will maintain our drive and determination to provide a rigorous, innovative, and exceptional education to meet our students’ needs. 

During our transition to online learning the last few months of the 2019-20 school year, we learned a tremendous amount. Our teachers are working diligently on designing lessons and activities to keep students engaged, and to meet their needs while considering the challenges of a fully virtual environment. 

To further enhance our students’ virtual learning experience, we are providing all students with their own preloaded technology devices.  Technology distribution will begin August 12th through August 14th, using a staggered schedule for pick up on our campus. During that time, each grade level will have the opportunity to meet their teacher and pick up their device, class schedule, and all instructional materials needed for their classes. Our technology department will provide support to all families and students, and will provide access to tutorials and a virtual Help Desk form.  For further information, please review this A.D. Henderson K - 8 Meet the Teacher flyer and the 9th Grade Back to School Information . 

Students in grades 10-12 will continue to follow FAU’s schedule. We strongly encourage students and families to carefully review all communications from FAU and our high school team.  The FAU Registrar office has published a helpful guide with definitions for all instructional method terminology used when selecting classes. Students should check their CANVAS page daily for course updates. If students have any questions, please contact rickc@fau.edu.

While student attendance is always important, in a virtual environment it is even more critical. Please take a few moments to review the Student Virtual Attendance instructions on virtual check-in and reporting virtual absences. You must follow this process to ensure your child’s attendance is recorded accurately. We are enforcing the attendance and tardy policy to ensure students participate in all of their classes. Our staff will continue to monitor attendance and support students as needed. 

Although our students in grades K-9 are attending classes virtually, they will follow a structured daily schedule and sign into Zoom with the link provided by their teacher(s). 

All A.D. Henderson & FAU High School faculty will begin the day with a morning meeting, whole group live session. The morning sessions will prepare your child for the day and share any school-wide updates, birthday celebrations, and general housekeeping activities. Students will engage in primarily live instruction with a variety of other instructional methods based on student grade level. Please be on the lookout for information in our upcoming weekly parent message for a virtual parent meeting that will be hosted prior to the first day of school. The virtual parent meeting will be grade-specific and will consist of information and expectations to help your child be more successful. During the meeting, you will have the opportunity to ask questions, and will be provided more grade-specific information. 

Below is an overview of the structure your child will be following when we begin school on August 17th.  If you have any specific questions, please contact your level administrator K-8: Ms. Hoff ( choff1@fau.edu ) and 9-12: Mrs. Rick ( rickc@fau.edu).

 

Lastly, our PTO has been working throughout the summer with our teachers to ensure that the student supplies list reflects the students’ needs, whether in-person or virtual. Don’t worry, our PTO is still planning events that we will be able to enjoy once we return to school face-to-face. Please continue to support our PTO by becoming a member and working with other incredible parents to continue to make our school exceptional. Please visit the PTO Website for more information. 

Again, we desire to open campus and have all our students return to in-person instruction as soon as possible. With that in mind, we will continue to work with public health officials in Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach counties, and continue to monitor the CDC and state guidelines. When feasible, we will begin bringing students back for in-person instruction in a phased cohort approach until all families requesting on-campus, in-person instruction are able to return. For the latest updates, please visit our school website's announcement page and homepage , and to review posts about our 20-21 reopening plan , FAQ’s , amended school calendar , and a message from our school Superintendent .

As always, I am honored to be in such an amazing school with such devoted families and talented educators. I am looking forward to another exciting school year as we unite because“We are Better Together” #owlsunite.

Sherry Bees