Welcome back to school, families! No matter how your child is going to school this year, your Community School is here to help.
The Bethlehem Area School District has a list of resources and information on the district website. You can check the Community School website for even more resources and updates. This newsletter will be sent out monthly and you can find the permanent link to it here on the Community School website.
Let's talk about what is expected this year. Parents, it is not like last year! Your child is expected to attend online school on their out-of-school days. Let me be honest: this is not easy for any of us. I have three children in the BASD, and I'm struggling as much as the next person. In fact, my children's teachers had to reach out to tell me that my kids weren't turning in their work. I had to learn how to navigate Schoology just like every parent. It wasn't easy!
Because of my own struggles and experience, I created the video below to give you my tips and tricks on how to manage your child's online work without losing your mind. There are lots of ways to help your child stay on top of their work, and I'm going to be sharing my tips throughout the year. Remember: you are learning along with your child!
Housing Rights with North Penn Legal Services
Family Check-In
Families, please complete this survey to help your community school coordinator respond to your needs and thoughts. You can take the survey here. The survey covers topics such as pressing basic needs, your feelings about the school, and volunteer opportunities. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey!
Learn at Home Tips
Are you struggling to get your middle schooler to stick to a routine? Do you see them on their Chromebook all the time but aren't sure if they are completing their work? I was in the same boat! Even though I work in a school, I still struggled with making sure my kids were completing their work. It's especially hard on my middle schoolers two at-home learning days when I'm at work and a babysitter (usually a slightly clueless family member) was at home with them. I created a checklist to help all of us stay sane. You can create your own copy of the schedule for Google here or you can access the PDFs of each by clicking on the version you would like: T/TH Hybrid, W/F Hybrid, e-Classroom, or Elementary. Let me know how it works for your family!
School Every Day
My most important tip? Make sure your child completes their attendance check-in on Schoology every single day. It is a very quick Google form, and once your child gets into the habit of doing it, it will become second nature. Failure to do this simple task could cost you – real dollars, too, because fines of $750 per day absent are a possibility if your child is habitually truant. Make sure your child completes their attendance check-in every day!
Meet Northeast's Attendance Ambassador!
Hi my name is Emily Phifer, I am currently a graduate student at Moravian College obtaining my Masters of Arts in Teaching.
I attended Kutztown University for my bachelors degree in Marketing and Management and I hold minors in Studio Art and Entrepreneurship. In the past I’ve worked with K-12 students in the Allentown School District, worked with America Reads art Lincoln Elementary, and completed observation hours in a second grade class at Hanover Elementary. Currently I work for Moravian’s marketing department as a social media assistant, as we as a private tutor for a third grade student.
A fun fact about me is that I was a dancer throughout college and spent a year with the Reading Royals as a semi-pro cheerleader!
My career goals include working with 4th and 5th grade students as well as hopefully returning to school to earn my doctoral degree studying the intersection of criminal justice, juvenile rights and education. My larger career goal is to oversee educational programming for juvenile detention centers that focus on rehabilitation, learning, personal growth, and career development.
I’m looking forward to working with Northeast in the Attendance Ambassador role as we seek to tackle some of the persistent issues that our community of families and students face and hope to be able to facilitate lasting solutions and increase attendance numbers. I can’t wait to meet everyone and I hope to see a successful school year had by all!
Upcoming Events
Virtual Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration
Share your voice and experience with us! You, your child and your community members can add videos to our Flipgrid or email them to any of the coordinators listed below. Submissions are due by Sunday, October 11!
Stay Safe
Credits:
📸:: K. Bush & E. Phifer