July 27, 2020 Remote Learning Letter to Families

Announcements

We have some exciting news to celebrate! As we shared last week, AFIA had several finalist for the Missouri Charter Public School Association Excellence in Education Awards.  At last night’s award ceremony, our own Mrs. Vonnie Clark, PK/K Teacher, was recognized as the Elementary Teacher of the Year! (This is the second year in a row that an AFIA teacher won this award as Mrs. Keyonia Cobbins, Fifth Grade Teacher, was the 2019 winner.) Additionally, our Student Success Team (comprised of Mrs. Asha Moore, Mrs. Arica Miller, Mrs. Alex Cole, and Ms. DaLesa and Mr. Demetrius from the Swope Behavioral Health Team) won the Innovative Team of the Year!  All of our finalist are so deserving of the recognition. We are so proud of AFIA’s dedicated, innovative team.

Family Outreach

Teachers will be contacting families next week to introduce themselves and gather information from you about the upcoming school year. In order to finalize class placements, we will be asking about your plans for the first semester. We know that some families will opt to remain remote, even when we’re able to return to school. We understand that you may or may not be able to give a final answer, but your insight will help us finalize class lists as we hope that students whose families opt for 100% remote can be placed with the same teacher.

Tech Update

We plan to provide a school-issued chromebook or iPad (K-1) to each AFIA student who needs one. We’ll share more information soon about technology distribution, but please know that we intend to work with your family to alleviate any barriers to participation in remote learning.

School Supply Lists

As you begin preparing a home learning space, AFIA teachers suggest that your child have access to the following school supplies. We do not want access to materials to prevent any student from participating in remote learning, so please communicate with your child’s teacher if you are in need of school supplies.

Primary School Supply List (Grades PK-2):

  • pencils                                                                                                                                                                                   
  • markers               
  • crayons
  • colored pencils
  • glue stick
  • scissors
  • ruler
  • 3 composition notebooks
  • 1-2 folders
  • construction paper

Upper Elementary (Grades 3-6):

  • pencils                                                                                                                                                                                   
  • markers               
  • crayons
  • colored pencils
  • glue stick
  • scissors
  • ruler
  • 2 composition notebooks
  • 1 spiral notebook (wide-ruled)
  • 1-2 folders
  • construction paper

Listening Sessions 

Thank you to the parents and caregivers who shared their time and insight at our recent listening sessions. We value your feedback and on-going partnership.

Meet the Teacher Meetings

Typically we have a Meet the Teacher Night before school starts, but this year we will hold Meet the Teacher Meetings. These individual family meetings will give you and your child an opportunity to get to know a little about their teacher and collaboratively plan for remote learning success. Teachers will begin contacting families on Monday, August 10, to introduce themselves and schedule your Meet the Teacher Meeting.

New Family Orientation 

Please mark your calendar to participate virtually in our New Family Orientation. This is an opportunity for us to welcome new families and share information to support your child’s transition to AFIA. New Family Orientation is scheduled for Tuesday, August 11, from 11AM-12PM, or Thursday, August 13, from 6-7PM. Please complete the following form to indicate which session you plan to attend. We ask that you complete this form even if you are unable to attend so we can follow-up with you: https://forms.gle/rCjUsr2jYBxN2s7Q9.

First Day of School 

Our first day of school is Monday, August 24. We will share details soon about the school day, but one important change is that our remote learning school day will have a designated start and end time. School hours will be 9AM-4PM during remote learning. (Please note that our school hours will change when we return to in-person learning. When we return to the school building, our instructional day will be 8:15AM-3:15PM, with breakfast served at 8AM.) Students will log in for live instruction 3-4 times per day and will also receive small group instruction and opportunities for independent practice. Your child’s teacher will share more information about the daily schedule as we do not intend for students to spend significant amounts of time behind a computer.

Upcoming Events

August 10-14: Teachers will begin contacting students

Tuesday, August 11: New Family Orientation (11AM-12PM)

August 12-21: Meet the Teacher Meetings (scheduled individually with each family)

Thursday, August 13: New Family Orientation (6-7PM)

Monday, August 24: First Day of School (Remote Learning Start) 9AM-4PM