We hope that many of you were able to find some time to relax and recharge. We do understand that many of you are facing tough circumstances. Some of our families are facing furloughs or job separation plus having to support your extended family. Those and many other stressors compounded by eLearning for your kids. We all understand and want this to be a time when we all practice GRACE.
We want to thank you for getting your house ready to support learning by coming to pick up packets and devices last week. You have also carved out time for virtual meetings with your child and teacher. Our new "temporary" normal is an adjustment for everyone. Our teachers have enjoyed connecting with their students and they are rejuvenated by the excitement they see in the kid's faces.
I heard something really interesting today. We have trusted the teachers all year long with our child’s learning, why should that change now? It should not! Our wonderful teachers are engaged and want to do their very best for your child. In the same message, it asked that we put things in perspective. We may be missing face to face school but what if… this time gets us to appreciate family time more, our kids learn to cook and take care of their basic needs. Plus, they learn to budget and survive on fewer things in life. What if they develop more patience and empathy for others? This slower time may change the future for someone in a positive way.
As you work on your eLearning routine here are a few suggestions:
- Set a routine – get up in the morning and get ready like you were going to get out of the house (no uniforms necessary)
- Finish what you can
- Pace yourself – remember to eat the ELEPHANT one bite at a time.
- Take a break – set breaks and take them. If you are getting frustrated, walk away and try again later
- Enjoy this time together
Your teacher – Questions: Actually, start with your child. They have had experience with most of the technology that they are using. Remember that your teacher is your second contact with questions and needs during this time of eLearning.
APP and Website – If you have not downloaded the school APP, please do. The APP is EWA in the palm of your hand. Live Feed and News links are two great resources. Take a look at all the messages from our teachers! Also, from the staff list, you can email the teacher directly.
Board - Our board has been very engaged behind the scenes. Over track out, they developed a Digital Learning Plan that has allowed us to move forward with our deployment and implementation plan. We have been in constant contact. They are developing a FAQ that we will be sharing later this week and we will have a message from our board chair John Broadfoot. Board Meeting - The board has postpended the April board meeting in hopes to find the best way to connect and share. Please be on the lookout for more information coming your way from the board.
Holiday Break – Remember that Friday and Monday are school holidays and we will continue to celebrate those days. NO eLearning!
School Loaned Device – If you have a Chromebook loaned to your family by the school. The TECH Team did some updates this weekend. The TEAM asks that you log out of the Chromebook, turn it off, turn back on and log back in. You should then notice new items in your toolbar. (This is only for school devices)
Backpack Buddies - We have had a few requests from families that wanted to support our Backpack Buddies program by making a monetary donation. To make this easier, we have created a special donation link on My School Bucks to make that easier for you. Please go to the main page of the website and click on FEATURED ITEMS- there you will see the Backpack Buddies logo. Thank you in advance for your help in supporting this program and helping us to fill in the gaps for some of our EWA families.
NOT Wake Co Schools – Please remember that East Wake Academy is not part of Wake County Public Schools. EWA is a separate PSU (Public School Unit). Our board and staff make the decisions for EWA based on what we feel is best for our students. We do have State, Federal, State School Board and DPI laws, policies/procedures that we do have to follow (and we do!) All decisions for EWA will come from EWA through proper channels.
School Office Hours – Our school buildings are closed for students and the public, but school is still operating. The main office will be manned Tuesday – Thursday from 9:00 – noon. The best way to contact the school or admin is by email. We arealso working in the building and remotely all week!