Hey, Ram families!

I continue to think of you all and hope you are hanging in there okay.  Thank you for the contacts, support and help this week.  

I think it makes sense to chunk items for you by topic.  Certainly, information is evolving by the day, so I may need to communicate with you mid-week next week.

I hope that as we know more about how the structure looks during the day and week as prescribed by the county, we will be able to share to allow you to create learning routines in your own homes.

We continue to try to connect with families about internet and computer access.  We also are asking that all families with Parent Portal access go into the portal to verify all contact information. 

If I find that I need to send updates to you more than one time per week, please hang in there with me. Everything around remote learning is moving and changing quickly.  Please make the time to read whatever I send carefully. Please also make sure you read anything from teachers and respond as we are typically on a tight timeline for turnaround.

Hang in there and I will be in touch soon!

Mrs. Lassiter

Remote Learning for the Upcoming Week:  We will still observe the first phase of learning which has been supplemental learning through the next week.  However, teachers may also begin to prepare students for the learning that will begin on April 13th. They may share the platforms they will use to conduct classes.  They may share the topics to expect and even materials for the students to preview. Keep in mind, they will not be grading work from learning of new material this week.

Food Distribution at RHS:  We are in full swing with food distribution from 11 AM-1 PM Monday through Friday.  I have to find out about the plan for Spring Break, but I want you to know that we will be open in the upcoming week until April 3rd for certain.  Please help us promote this. We obviously will continue even with shelter-in-place statewide.

National Honor Society Applications:  I know that Mr. Buffkin has reached out to the students who are eligible to tell them about submission.  I want to be sure that parents help make this happen. I believe the deadline is March 31st. Applications without signatures will be accepted.  We will just have to figure this out. Please make sure you email them to cbuffkin@wcpss.net. 

Spring Break:  I just want to be sure you are aware that we are still observing spring break the week of April 4th.

Makeup Work:  While we are not requiring that students complete any new work, we surely hope that students are taking the time to complete any missing work from the time we were in school.  It would be very helpful for teachers to be able to plug in the missing work and update grades at least starting on April 13th and earlier would be great.

Parent Communication:  As you can imagine, communication will be more necessary than ever in the upcoming weeks.  I want to make sure we have accurate addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses in PowerSchool. Talking Points is one of the most efficient means to communicate with you, but accurate cell numbers are required to make it work. If you have not logged into Parent Portal to check that information yet, please do it while you are thinking about it or make a note to check in the near future.  You are welcome to email me if you see something that is wrong. dlassiter@wcpss.net.

Student Communication:  I am sending a copy of these School Messengers to students to make sure they are aware of what I am sending, as well.  Please remind them that email is likely one tool we will need to utilize while learning remotely. Students need to make sure they can log into Secondly, it is very important that all students regularly access their WCPSS student email account. 

Internet and Device Availability:  We asked teachers to reach out to the parents of their second-period students to determine availability in your home.  We are trying to find out if there is reliable internet service as well as a device that can reasonably support remote learning (iPad, laptop, etc.)  We also want to know if multiple folks are sharing the device as this impacts how we deliver instruction and the feasibility of completing the work. If we do not have accurate information in PowerSchool, we may not have been able to get that information from you.  Please email me at dlassiter@wcpss.net  if you have not been in contact with your child’s second-period teacher and provided this information.

Course Registration for 2020-21:  This is repeated from the last post.  We have attempted to reach families of students from whom we have not gotten registration information (rising 10th, 11th and 12th graders).  We are desperately in need of hearing from those students. In some cases, we have not gotten responses to our pleas through email and Twitter so please connect with Mr. Miller, Dean of Students.  It is vital to our preparations that we hear from students or we will have to select classes based on their needs to graduate on time. Please make every effort to contact Mr. Miller at temiller@wcpss.net if your Ram has not submitted registration information.  If we do not hear from families, we MUST make course decisions for those students.  Please understand that we would much prefer that students make their own choices.

AP Classes and Exams:  Please make sure you are following the developments on the College Board’s AP website.  There will be virtual training for students and that information is available on the site as well.  I highly recommend that students take advantage of this opportunity. Here is the gist about the exams.

• Exams will be shorter: Exams will be only 45 minutes long (vs. 3 hours normally).
• No multiple choice! The exam will be entirely composed of free response questions (FRQs). We won’t know more about exact FRQ formats until we hear from the College Board® again on April 3.
• Limited content: Exams will NOT include any content typically covered after early March.
• Online: Exams can be taken online either at home or at school. If your students need mobile tools or the internet, the College Board® asks to connect with them directly here.
• 2 exam dates: One in May, one later (TBD). Students can decide if they want to test while the material is fresh OR wait to give themselves extra study time.
• College credit intact: Colleges say they are on board with this exam approach, and there’s precedent for them accepting shorter exams in emergencies.

AP Agreements:  Regarding those students who have registered for AP courses for next year, Mr. Miller needs AP agreements and AP testing contracts to be scanned (or a picture was taken) and emailed to him at temiller@wcpss.net.  If we do not get agreements, we have to drop students from the AP classes to allow us to begin planning the schedule for next year.

Students with IEPs:  If you have a Ram with an IEP that is up for renewal in the near future, please be on the lookout and listen out for a contact from the case manager.  We have a protocol now for handling these meetings virtually and will be trying to host them in short order to get our meeting schedule back on track. 

For Juniors Only - Next Step Program through CFNC:  As a junior, it is time to start thinking about a two-year or four-year college after graduation.  Are you wondering about the steps you can take now to plan and pay for college? Don’t wait until your senior year to get started!  Let College Foundation of North Carolina (CFNC) help you get three important steps done this spring. You’ll have access to a new online virtual assistant, receive a helpful text or email messages, and can ask your questions to our team of NC graduate students. Get details and enroll at https://nccountdowntocollege.org/nextstepenroll.  It’s only available until June 1, so get started today. This is a free program created to give you a head start on your plans for your Senior Year! Rolesville High School is one of the few schools that are participating in this pilot program.  This would be a great opportunity for you to check out while you are out of school.