Dear Parents & Families:
Although this has been an unprecedented and trying time, I hope you have been able to enjoy time around family and the beautiful summer weather! As you’ve seen, information from the state and local agencies changes on a weekly basis due to COVID-19. Rowland Unified School District will be starting the year virtually. Sometime during the year, when it is safe to do so, we may be able to return in person using the hybrid model. At that time, you may also choose to keep your child in a virtual learning setting. I will keep you updated as much as possible through our school website at www.rorimerschool.org, Twitter @RorimerRoyals and Instagram @rorimerschool. This letter will hopefully provide you with information needed to get you off to a smooth start for the 2020-2021 school year.
OFFICE HOURS AND DATA CONFIRMATION
Please make sure to complete the data confirmation for your child by the first day of school, August 10th. This is especially important this year for communication, safety reasons and to find out your students assigned teacher. Information and directions were sent home by the district. You will be accessing this information through AERIES. The Rorimer office will be open to phone calls and emails Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m. if you need assistance.
DEVICE AND MATERIAL DISTRIBUTION
August 3-7: Technology device pick-up and drop-off
August 10-14: Textbooks, materials and pick-up and drop-off
August 17-21: Textbooks, materials and pick-up and drop-off
August 23-28: Textbooks, materials and pick-up and drop-off
*Third Grade students ONLY: This year's 3rd grade students will need a chromebook. Your chromebook pick up day is scheduled for Wednesday, August 5th from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. If you checked out an ipad last school year, you must return it prior to checking out a chromebook.
*TK and Kindergarten student ONLY: Device pick up is scheduled for Thursday, August 6th from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. All TK students from last year, must return their ipad prior to checking out a new one. Kinder ipads were personalized for each student and have all apps needed for virtual learning.
Most of our students have devices. If your child still needs a device, please call us at (626)965-3333 and we will be glad to help you. I will be providing you with more information on textbook/materials pick-up and drop-off as we get closer to the beginning of the school year.
SCHOOL BEGINS VIRTUALLY FOR ALL STUDENTS ON MONDAY, AUGUST 10, 2020
Class assignments will be posted on AERIES Homelink by the first day of school. For the safety of our community, we will not be posting class assignments on the office window as we usually do. This is another reason why it is so important to complete your data confirmation. Incoming TK/Kindergarten parents will have a TK/Kindergarten Orientation Zoom meeting on Friday, August 7th at 1:00 p.m. We will provide you with your Zoom link and all documents pertaining to TK/Kindergarten on your device pick up day.
DAILY SCHEDULES
During virtual learning, teachers will be providing daily schedules. Students will be learning virtually with their teachers on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Wednesday is a planning, meeting and learning day for teachers. Teachers will do a short check-in with students on this day. Your child’s teacher will reach out to you and your student prior to the beginning of the school year to provide you with more information.
Daily Schedule
TK/Kindergarten classes: 8:00 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.
1st-6th grade classes: 8:00 a.m. to 2:35 p.m.
STUDENT EXPECTATION/PARTICIPATION
Students MUST attend class and engage in daily learning. Please have them ready by the time class begins. Students are expected to be in their uniform (red top) Monday through Thursday and in a college shirt on Fridays. Your child's teacher will be contacting you and your student for more information on the digital platform that students will use. Teachers at Rorimer are currently using Zoom, Seesaw (Primary) and/or Google Classroom (Upper grade).
ATTENDANCE/ABSENCE REPORTING
Attendance counts and will be taken daily, Monday through Friday, during virtual learning. You must report absences by contacting your child's teacher or calling our office at (626) 965-3333. Please include the date of the absence, the student’s name and the reason for the absence in the email. If your child is having technical difficulties and is unable to attend class, please communicate that to the teacher or call our school so that we can help you.
SCHOOL BREAKFAST AND LUNCH PROGRAM
During virtual learning, Nutritional Services will be holding meal distribution on Wednesdays and Fridays from 2:30-4:30 p.m. Distribution locations will be located at Rowland High School, Nogales High School,
Hurley Elementary School, Northam Elementary School, and Rowland Elementary School. Meals are available only to Rowland Unified students and must be pre-ordered a week in advance. Again this year, Rorimer students qualify for free lunch through the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) Program. You will not have to complete a lunch application, however, you must complete the Education Benefit Form. This form will be mailed to you and will be posted on our district website www.rowlandschools.org under the Nutritional Service tab (Departments tab). If you have any questions please contact the Nutritional Services Department at (626) 854-8312.
PARENT SQUARE
The district will be sending parents information on Parent Square. This is a new form of communication that all schools will be using to communicate with parents. Parents will now be able to receive messages and information through one digital platform. More information to come.
Our 2020-2021 school year will definitely look different from what we are accustomed to. Our teachers have been working during their summer break on creating those virtual lessons, strategies on checking for understanding and interventions. I would like to assure you that we are prepared to welcome our royals to a virtual classroom. I am not sure how long this will last, but as long as it does, it is important that we all work together to ensure that our students are the first and foremost priority. Communication is key during these unprecedented times. Please call us if you have any questions, concerns or need support in any way. We are here to serve.
Dr. Celia Munguia
Principal, Rorimer School
