Back To School 2020

August 19, 2020

Dear Greenfield High School Families,

Welcome back! While just about everything about our return to school this fall will be unique and a bit different than it has been in the past, please know that the care and passion our teachers and staff have for your student(s) is as strong as ever.

I also wanted to take a quick moment to introduce myself. My name is Todd Willems, and I am honored to be granted the opportunity to serve as Principal of Greenfield High School. I have served in many different teaching and leadership positions and have worked with students ranging from pre-K through 12th grade; however, my favorite role is that of high school principal and I am very excited to be able to return to this work. I hope that in the days and weeks to come we may be able to find an opportunity for more personal introductions.

REGISTRATION & FEES

The 2020/2021 Census Update/Online Registration is open for parents to begin the update process. All families/students need to complete the following steps whether participating in the phased-in re-entry model or the first semester fully digital model.

Student Census/Information Updates:
It is important for every family to review their child’s emergency contact, health information, and demographics in the Infinite Campus Parent Portal. To verify current information, please log in and click on “More” under Options to review information in those designated areas. If you do NOT have changes you do NOT need to go through the entire process of census update/online registration. HOWEVER, if you do have changes you MUST complete the online Census Update/Registration. To update your information, click on “More” and then click on Annual Census Update. If you need assistance with the Parent Portal please contact Ms. Donna Niebler at 414.855.2401 or at dniebler@greenfield.k12.wi.us

Student Fees:
The district would like to reduce cash handling as much as possible; therefore, student registration fees must be paid via credit/debit card by logging into Infinite Campus Parent Portal under Fees. Please note, these payments are processed with no additional fee towards families. If paying via check is necessary, you may mail your registration fee to the address below (please be sure to include your student’s name, grade, and contact information using the form below and return with check). If alternate payment methods are required please contact the GHS Main Office at 414.281.6200.

RETURN TO SCHOOL

Last week the Greenfield School Board affirmed our back-to-school plan which will see our high school students begin the year in a full virtual setting with a phased return to in-person instruction. The Board also moved the first day of instruction to Tuesday, September 8th.

As part of the August 10th Board Meeting a one-page document was shared outlining key differences between our emergency remote learning program from the spring compared to our virtual learning plan for this fall. This document serves as a draft outline of our larger virtual learning plan. This is a link to the one-pager, and it is our goal to publish our full virtual learning plan on Monday August 24th. The most essential change is that our learning will be shifting to fully synchronous and attendance will be taken for each class period, each day. All students will be expected to be logged in and engaged in class activities throughout the regular academic day. If your student is unable to participate in any part of the academic day, a phone call to the attendance office is required – in the same way it would be in an in-person learning environment. 

STUDENT SCHEDULES

As we begin the year in the virtual learning environment, we will use a schedule that will incorporate 4 class periods each day on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Class periods will be 80-minutes in length with each instructional day beginning at 7:30 and ending at 2:30. Our day will incorporate breaks in between classes, a daily advisory period, and an extended lunch time. Wednesdays will provide time for student support and some modified small groups/individual in-person student learning opportunities in select courses. More specific details, as well as further information regarding our Wednesday learning opportunities will be a part of the plan released on Monday August 24th.

Course schedules for the 2020/21 school year will be available for viewing in Infinite Campus beginning Tuesday, August 25th at 4:00p.m. Please contact our Student Services team with any follow up questions related to student scheduling. Families of new 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students will be contacted to set up an appointment to build a course schedule.

BOOKS/MATERIALS PICK UP

All GHS students will be issued a Chromebook to be used for our initial virtual learning as part of the phase-in plan. The GHS team is working to coordinate dates and times for families to come to pick up a Chromebook and additional school-issued books, supplies and materials. These plans will be communicated in the coming days. 

COMMUNICATION PLAN

One of our goals is to provide regular, clear, and comprehensive information to our students, families, and community. All formal communication from school administrators and the district will be sent via email. Please be sure to update any email addresses and all other contact information in Infinite Campus.

We know that the most effective way to connect and communicate with our students is through their cell phones. As part of our broader student engagement and attendance plan we will be gathering student cell phone numbers to be used by our team to promote student attendance. While we will continue to contact parents/guardians first when a student isn’t attending class, we want to also connect directly with our students to find ways to help encourage them to get back in attendance during our time in virtual learning. These numbers will be used by advisory teachers and our attendance and engagement staff solely for the purpose of encouraging re-engagement.

To help improve teacher-parent/guardian communication in all buildings, the School District of Greenfield will be using a program called Livingtree as our primary teacher-parent communication tool. Livingtree will allow you to monitor communication from all of your child(ren)’s teachers in a single location. In addition to being able to serve as a two-way communication tool, teachers will post their weekly learning plans for you to see and use to support your student at home and we will post our daily announcements here in addition to on Infinite Campus. More information regarding Livingtree, including registration instructions, will be forthcoming.

We will also be publishing a short, weekly family e-newsletter highlighting news and other information from the school. Beginning on Wednesday September 16th, this update will be sent via email on Wednesday afternoons. We will utilize social media to promote and celebrate the great stories and accomplishments of our school and students.

Thank you for taking the time to review this information. We believe that the best way to teach and support your child(ren) is in the school building, without restrictions. It is our goal to return to this way of teaching and learning as soon as it may be safe for all to do so. We look forward to the beginning of this new school year, and to continuing to partner with you in providing the best possible learning environment for our students.

Best Regards,

Mr. Todd Willems Principal – Greenfield High School