Early Welcome Back + Updates

Eagle Families,

I hope that you and your family have been able to enjoy some fun and relaxation this summer. We sure do miss you all! 

This message is coming as an early welcome to the 2020-21 school year!  While we hoped to be gearing up to welcome each Eagle on the playground, we are just as excited to meet them at our virtual door with remote classes beginning the week of August 24th.  With so much that will be new, I want to provide you with some updates and information that will be helpful for your planning and understanding of how we will approach the beginning of the school year. 

Annual Family Update: First and foremost, the primary contact for ALL students must confirm each student’s registration at Asbury Elementary! If you have not already done so, be sure to complete the Annual Family Update in the Parent Portal at https://portal.dpsk12.org/. The Annual Family Update will be available on the Parent Portal starting July 27th. There will not be in-person registration this year. If you need any assistance please call the office at 720-424-9750. 

School Calendar Change: Recently,  Superintendent Cordova communicated that our first day of school date has now changed. The start date of the school year has been delayed by one week with the first day of Remote Learning now beginning on Monday, August 24th.  However, in order to build relationships, Asbury teachers will spend the week of August 17th reaching out to students and families. Please look for communication from your child's teacher beginning August 17th. Also, please note that the district is planning for the hopeful transition to hybrid learning, with 50% of our students on campus at any moment, on Monday, September 8th.   

Fluidity in Schedules: The leadership team is working hard to create a fluid set of schedules that will allow us to shift between remote, hybrid, and fully in-person learning experiences throughout the year.  We have been working diligently to develop a solid plan of action that will allow the change to occur without disrupting relationships between teachers and students, or assignments and learning activities. We will provide you with more information related to these schedules in the next couple of weeks.

Remote Learning: THANK YOU for your patience with us as we learned a great deal about remote learning in the spring. We have made several adjustments and this fall we hope to provide a better experience (but not perfect) for all learners.  Here are just a few adjustments we have made:

• We will have one primary on-line platform through which all communication and assignments will be provided.  This platform is Seesaw.  Teachers may still use other on-line resources, but Seesaw will be the main platform that you access all of your child's information for the week. 
• Everyday will begin with a live morning meeting.
• We will increase the amount of “synchronous” (interactive), time that students spend with teachers on the computer when we are in the “fully-remote” context.

DPS Virtual School Option: If you are electing to participate in the 100% Virtual School Option, as offered by DPS, you are committing to participating in that program for the full first semester of the school year.  Students in the Virtual School Option will not have full access to the Asbury PBL curriculum and may not have access to Asbury teachers. Go to dpsk12.org to access the DPS Virtual School option.

Health and Safety Requirements for in-person learning:  In partnership with CDHE, DPS has identified Health and Safety requirements, including the wearing of masks, hand-washing, and other specific notes, that will be in place when we are in the hybrid and full-time in-person learning contexts.  Information is available at dpsk12.org.

Accessing Technology:  We are committed to ensuring that every student has the device and the internet access they need to successfully engage in remote learning.  While many of our parents responded to the district technology survey several weeks ago, we will also soon be asking you to confirm whether or not you have the technology your student will need.  Chromebooks (2nd-5th) , iPads (K&1st) and internet access will be provided at request.

Lockers & Material Pick Up: We are planning a student material pick up sessions for all families who were unable to come in the spring. Please look for more information coming on dates and times soon. Student lockers will not be available for in person learning this year, please plan accordingly by purchasing a good backpack for your child. If you are in need of a backpack, please call the office once school begins for support at 720-424-9750. 

I will continue to share updates and information as I receive it. Tell all your Eagles hello and we look forward to seeing you all soon! 

All the best,

Alicia FaJohn

Principal