Over the next two weeks, teachers will be conducting Middle of the Year (MOY) assessments with students using a variety of tools including i-Ready and DIBELS. These mid-year assessments provide teachers with a variety of information including what students have learned so far this school year. This is especially important as many students entered the school year behind where they might have been had all students not been learning remotely last Spring. This loss of learning, aptly named the “COVID slide” is being monitored and addressed by teachers through the collection of information on students’ individual progress, developing prescriptive individualized learning plans and differentiating classroom instruction.
Thank you for partnering with teachers during this important time!
i-READY DIAGNOSTIC
Your child’s teachers need to know what our students already know and what they still need to learn so we can plan how to teach them best. The i-Ready Diagnostic can help us get this information for each child, but only if students give it their best effort without anyone else helping with the understanding or answering questions. This Diagnostic is usually given at school, but this time, we need students to take it at home. Your child will benefit from your support and encouragement to ensure the information received accurately reflects what they know and still need to learn.
In preparation for assessment day,
check out these “Fridge Tips” about what to do and what to say to support your child(ren) during the i-Ready Diagnostic.
GVA-DC OPTIONS FOR LEARNING SURVEY
If you have not already done so, please click on this link and complete the short survey “GVA-DC Options for Learning: Semester 2”
https://forms.gle/sdrD2NGUKwoSXGzH7. Families have the option of continuing in their current learning environment (in-person or virtual) or changing their learning model. Keep in mind that this choice is for the remainder of the school year. This information is critical to the staffing and planning of our programs. Thank you for completing the survey by Friday, December 11, 2020.
HEARING AND VISION SCREENING
In-person visual/hearing screenings will be conducted for the following groups of students following winter break:
- All kindergarten students (survey not required);
- Students being evaluated for or are on an Individualized Education Program.
- Students who have no record of a hearing and/or vision screening at school.
- Students who have repeatedly failed a hearing and/or vision screening in the past.
- Students whose last year results were critical;
- Students who failed their previous hearing and/or vision screening and no referral has been completed/returned.
- Students who are referred due a hearing and/or vision concern by a staff member or parent/guardian.
- Students whose screening survey indicates a concern.
We would like to receive a screening survey for EVERY student, even those included in the above groups, prior to December 21st. If you wish to opt-out your child from in-person screening or have them screened even though he/she doesn't have any visual/hearing concerns, please mark it in the survey.
FREE MEAL PICK-UP
Starting Tuesday, December 1, DCSD’s Nutrition Services Department will begin meal bag pickup sites with free meals available to all children ages 18 and under. Meal pick ups will take place every Tuesday and Friday from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Beginning Tuesday, December 8, Second Chance meal pickup times will take place at Castle View High School, Ponderosa High School, and Mountain Ridge Middle school from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- There will be no remote meal bag pickups the week of 11/23-11/27 (Thanksgiving Week) or during Winter Break (12/21/20-1/1/21)
- On the last week of school in December, pickups will be 12/15 and 12/17 due to a staff furlough day on 12/18
