Friday News April 10, 2020
Hillcrest Elementary School
Friday News
April 10, 2020
Dear Hillcrest Families,
Although we have all been apart this week, I know that many of you have been connecting with school through phone calls, emails and Google Classroom. While these tools will never replace the rich and meaningful experiences of the school setting, I am grateful that we are able to connect students, staff and families during this very challenging time. This week, our Hillcrest staff members have been opening up the “doors” to their Google Classrooms and I have been able to “see” lots of students joining in to find engaging learning resources. Please keep in mind that the use of Google Classroom is not intended to add significant screen time into your child’s day. Instead, it’s primarily a way to access resources and then use those resources away from the screen. Our staff members have posted many learning ideas that can be pursued without technology. Of course, the screen does come in handy for specific activities such as Google Meet, iReady, or Starfall. A few teachers have held their first Google Meets this week and our students have been delighted to see their teachers and friends on screen!
If you are having trouble accessing your child’s Google Classroom or other learning materials, please reach out to your child’s teacher via email or to me at sarah.burstein@gmrsd.org or at 413-863-7400. For non-classroom related questions, you may also call the main office at 413-863-9526. Mrs. Prokowich is not working on site, but she is working from home and is checking the main office voicemail regularly.
Yesterday, I sent an email to all Hillcrest families with a very sweet video created by our Hillcrest staff members. If you did not receive the email with the Hillcrest Hello video, please let me know so that I can send it your way. We all want to keep in touch during our time away from school, so please reach out and let us know how things are going. We may not be in our classrooms here at Hillcrest, but we are keeping that Hillcrest community spirit alive as we all stay at home. For many Hillcrest families, it’s a special weekend and I want to wish those of you who celebrate Easter a very happy holiday!
Wishing you all good health --
Sarah Burstein, Principal