To translate into another language, open Google Translate, copy and paste this message there and select your language of choice. Para español, abra Google Translate, seleccione español, haga una copia de este correo electrónico y péguelo en Google Translate. Gracias
Hello Birney families and friends,
So many of you visited the portal and checked out who your child(ren)’s teacher(s) will be. If you still need access, request it from me so I can verify your email address, simply replying to this email (if you don’t hear from me within 24 hours email me again)!
Teachers are busy this week setting up their Google classrooms, planning their first few weeks of learning activities, and taking the required online learning trainings they have committed to – 10 over the next 2 weeks! There is so much new learning for all of us, we are giddy! After 30 years in this wonderful business, who would have thought everything would be so new? Hopefully they will send you a brief email welcoming you to their classroom – there will be a LOT of information in the next couple of weeks, but I expect they will start up slowly so as not to overwhelm.
There are so many rituals to the start of the school year. Opening that notebook to a clean white page, sharpening the pencils, running your fingers over the brand-new box of crayons, marveling at all the beautiful pictures you will be able to create! Another one of our Birney rituals has been the “Big Reveal” on the Friday late afternoon before school starts. We turned it into quite a shindig over the years, taking advantage of that pent up curiosity to see who is in the new classes to have our annual parent organization meeting and offer you a chance to have your kids play on the playground while parents learned all about the plans for the school year. Many would take a picture of the class lists posted in the office window and text friends in the same new class excited to be together.
NOT HAPPENING this year BUT…I can’t resist posting the class lists in the window this Friday afternoon. If you come up to school to take that picture, please observe the safety rules – wear a mask, stay 6 feet apart, wash your hands, be kind (that’s not one of the safety rules, but it’s a good one to throw in). The lists will be up over the weekend and the first week of school and, although we can’t start the year out together in person, we look forward to seeing all our students ‘in online class’, over Zoom, next week daily from 9:45-10:45. Once online with the teacher, you will find out how to access all the asynchronous activities planned for that first week, both for the students and the parents.
We are hosting a virtual Kindergarten Orientation tonight, Wednesday, August 26 at 5:00 p.m. After a short general introductory meeting with me, Ms. Amanda, you will be sent into breakout rooms to meet with your child’s teacher for a presentation. Please use the following link: TK/K ORIENTATION, Aug 26, 2020, 5:00 p.m. https://sandiegounified.zoom.us/j/3971558502. See you tonight!
And the general parent meeting will be PTA’s Parent Orientation on Friday, August 28 at 6:00 p.m. Please use the following link: Topic: PTA PARENT ORIENTATION MEETING, Aug 28, 2020 06:00 PM To Join Zoom Meeting: https://sandiegounified.zoom.us/j/3971558502.
Those supplies? You can’t believe the lengths the teachers have gone to make sure the students experience that wonderful beginning-of-the-year feeling. At our Drive-Through Kindergarten Distribution Day on Friday 8/28 from 12:00-2:25, the kinders will receive a 27-quart tub containing a computer device, power cord, crayons, scissors, journals, books and lots of other stuff. Teachers will go through the tub online with the students to let them know how to keep their precious supplies. This will occur in the Birney driveway on the south side of the school closest to the district HQ. Please pull into the far driveway on Campus as indicated by the signage, or into the driveway from Park. There will be a stop sign where you will be told which table to pull up to receive your device and your K supplies. The schedule will be:
- KINDERGARTEN (and new families grades 1-5 needing device): Last name A-M Friday, August 28, 12:00-1:00
- KINDERGARTEN (and new families needing device): Last Name N-Z Friday, August 28, 1:15-2:25
OK, I hear you if you have a child in another grade – why is it all about the kindergarteners? Well, we have to get them set up with devices, while all our other students already have a way to log on to meet their teacher, and they haven’t done online learning with us before, so our focus right now is to get them connected and ready for school. We are planning supply distribution for everyone next week, probably to coincide with the 12:00-2:00 food distribution now that our own Birney kitchen will be providing lunches and breakfasts for families to take advantage of for FREE! As soon as I have the firmed-up details, I will let you know in a Buzz.
Does your non-kindergarten student still need a device? If so, please reply to this email so I can add your student to the list to receive devices for new non-K students on Friday during the K distribution. I will be checking out the devices for students in grades 1-5 beginning Friday 8/28, so stop by if you need to get connected in time for Monday’s class meeting.
Ms. Amanda