Superintendent’s Message Update

March 23, 2020

I hope this update finds our TV families safe and well. We have entered into a completely different situation in terms of educating young people that has changed the way schools educate students overnight. The fact that we already had CLA's in place left Tri-Valley in more of a position to take a "wait and see" approach on exactly what this Coronavirus might eventually force upon our community. In these unprecedented times, the last thing we want to do is put forward inaccurate information. Now that this picture is a little clearer and we now know a little more about what the immediate future entails, our teachers have been given a little more direction about how to proceed with instruction.

CLA’s were never intended to be a long -term alternative for educating our students. They were designed as a short term immediate option in the event of a crisis or calamity. I believe you will notice a much more ramped-up approach moving forward this week.

We realize that many of our families do not have broadband Internet access at their homes, but it is vitally important that students keep up with their classwork during this time as they will need to move forward in their studies in order to be prepared for next school year. Our teachers will be as flexible as possible, but parents and students will need to fully engage in making school work a priority during this time. Our teachers have access to a multitude of online tools including Zoom and Google Classroom to make the best of this difficult situation. Our buildings have remained open for staff to access their materials and other district resources.

There are still a lot of unanswered questions about the remainder of the school year, but I believe there is a strong possibility that we will not return until fall. Our families should prepare for this possibility and begin utilizing the many resources available to our students online. In addition to what I previously mentioned above, I have listed several resources below for parents from a list that was compiled by one of our building administrators.

Language Arts:

1. Renaissance Learning:  Students may now take AR quizzes at home!  They will need to use the link on our school web site and log in as usual.  AR quizzes will be open, STAR tests will not be available.  The password that was previously required for STAR tests has been changed to block this.  You will be notified of the new password when we return to classes.
2. https://www.storylineonline.net/
3. https://www.storynory.com/
4. Parents will need to set up a free account: https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/
5. Tumblebooks through the Muskingum County Library web site
6. Into the Book- practicing reading strategies- parents will sign in to get a key: https://reading.ecb.org/
7. Squiggle Park or Dreamscape: https://www.squigglepark.com/https://www.squigglepark.com/
8. Big Universe
9. Study Island
10. RAZ Kids
11. Reading Eggs:

Science Resources:

1. Generation Genius (www.GenerationGenius.com), is an online science resource for elementary teachers and students accessible from anywhere that covers 94% of the science standards in Ohio. Our website contains fun & educational videos made in partnership with the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) with each lesson supported by reading material, vocabulary, quizzes, DIY activities, lesson plans, teacher guides, discussion questions and more.  We have made full-access completely free for one month during this challenging time.
2. Mystery Science: https://mysteryscience.com/school-closure-planning
3. National Geographic: https://ngexplorer.cengage.com/ngyoungexplorer/index.html
4. Study Island

Social Studies/History:

1. National Geographic: https://ngexplorer.cengage.com/ngyoungexplorer/index.html
2. History for Kids: https://www.historyforkids.net/
3. Study Island
4. This link has a lot of great history resources: https://www.weareteachers.com/social-studies-websites/

Math Resources:

1. Check Math for IOS.  This app helps students check their work.  http://www.checkmath.eu/
2. Reflex Math
3. ALEKS
4. Kahn Academy
5. Study Island
6. MathSeeds:
7. ZEARN- choose the link that says affect by school closures to create accounts for your students: https://www.zearn.org/

General Online Resources:

1. Moby Max Parent Guide: https://data.mobymax.com/mc/share/Using_MobyMax_From_Home.pdfhttps://data.mobymax.com/mc/share/Using_MobyMax_From_Home.pdf
2. Scholastic Learn at Home: https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome.html?caching
3. ABC Mouse- Teachers must sign up for students to have access: https://www.ageoflearning.com/schools