April 24, 2020
Dear BEA Elementary Parents and Guardians,
Our hope is this letter finds you all doing well and safe. The COVID-19 situation has been difficult for everyone, including students, who may have a difficult time to understand and make sense of all that is transpiring. We also recognize that elementary students will need parental support for elementary students to complete school work at home. Because of this, we will continue to use our BEA Elementary Choice Boards but need to make a few changes comply with newly released state guidelines. This letter will describe those changes with you.
In following the PA Department of Education guidelines, mandated Planned Instruction is now required for all Pennsylvania schools. This means that completing Choice Board content is no longer optional – it is mandatory. All Choice Board content, skills, and activities can be completed without a computer or access to internet. Choice Boards will now contain new lesson content (noted as a “Challenge” exercise) and you may also find additional papers included in each week’s mailing when needed to complete an assignment.
Each week teachers will hold a Zoom meeting or phone call to check in to see how the work is going and what has been completed. Beginning Monday, April 27 , students should complete weekly activities using paper
and pencil or take a photo of students in action and save for teachers to review. Tasks will not be given a letter or number grade, but will be reviewed by teachers to provide student feedback, support, and to plan for the following week’s Choice Board content. We would appreciate your support to make sure your child(ren) complete the Choice Boards and keep assignment papers so they can be shared with teachers. We hope that neither you or your child(ren) feel overwhelmed or stressed by these changes. We are certain learning can take place this way and have seen great examples of this already.
With the student mandatory requirement to complete Choice Boards, you may be wondering about attendance. We are keeping things simple. Attendance will be based upon whether your child(ren) will participate or not. If we see students engaged in work from the Choice Boards and making a BEA attempt to do their best, then we will know they have participated.
Teachers will continue to reach out each week for updates, to check in, and, most of all, to just hear and see each child because we miss them so much. We are hopeful you are spending time together and making your family the first priority. Thanks for always being so supportive of Bald Eagle Area.
Stay Healthy! Stay Strong!
Dr. Joseph H. Clapper, Interim Superintendent Bald Eagle Area Administrative Team