Letter from FH Superintendent Sean McNeil and BOE President, Carol Lang
April 9, 2020
Dear Fair Haven,
We’re headed into spring break next week, but not before an update from the schools! You may be aware, the district is in the midst of a strategic planning process plan for the next 5 years and have met with teachers, parents, administrators and community members prior to the shutdown. We’ve received excellent feedback about what Fair Haven values in our schools, and would love to hear from you, too. You can click through to our community input survey here and we ask that you do so no later than next Friday, 4/17.
We know that this might feel like an unusual request during this most difficult time. Some of the topics feel very distant as we are working, teaching our children, or learning from home. We hope perhaps the few minutes spent answering this survey might provide a small respite as we look to the future and contemplate ways to provide Fair Haven's children with the best education possible. 2025 may feel very far away at this moment, but it is just around the corner and the work begins now. Whether or not you have students in the district, we’d love to hear from you.
As promised in the last note, here is an update on what we’re doing for our remote learners in 4th - 8th grades. At Knollwood, our students are leveraging the Google Classroom platform that they typically use to help manage their homework and assignments. Our students log-in each morning and organize their own work throughout the day with teachers available to answer questions and provide instruction.
4th & 5th Grade:
Our 4th & 5th Grade teachers have been utilizing multiple virtual tools to provide initial instruction of new skills and content. These tools include Screencastify, Google Meet, Zoom, etc. The teachers have also been working on teaching behaviors that are conducive to this virtual learning environment. In order to help provide more structure to their students’ day, our 4th & 5th grade staff has been posting times on their Google Classrooms for the portions of the day that they will be focusing on offering online meetings to support the various subjects.
6th through 8th Grade:
All 6th-8th grade teachers have also been using multiple digital tools as mentioned above to engage our students in new instruction. Our staff has designed a daily schedule that mimics a modified version of the students’ typical schedule to try to provide a sense of structure and normalcy to their learning. Here’s what it looks like for our middle schoolers:
Literacy & Math: Each day teachers provide a new instructional lesson and assignment.
Science, World Language and Social Studies: Students continue to receive new instruction and assignments in each area two times per week.
Special Areas: Special Areas include Art, Music, Health, PE, and Innovation Lab. Special area teachers post their assignments each Monday and students have until Friday to complete the assignments.
If you’d like to see more of what is happening in our schools, now and when we’re back in the buildings, check out our Instagram or Facebook @fairhavenknights, or follow our Twitter hashtag #FHLeads. You’ll see snapshots of students working hard and connecting with their teachers and classmates on Twitter, and get updates and announcements via our other social media platforms. One last plug to look at our strategic plan community input survey and share your voice. All community members input is valued and needed.
Be well,
Sean McNeil, Superintendent & Carol Lang BOE President