• Messages from Mr. Kennedy

    April 15, 2020

    Good Afternoon, HES! I am attaching a letter from Dr. Bradshaw to this post concerning the end of the school year. Please let me know if you have any questions after reviewing the letter.

    Dr. Bradshaw End-of-Year letter

     

    April 15, 2020

    Good Morning, HES!
    I hope everyone had a restful Spring Break. Distance Learning is back in full swing. However, Distance Learning will continue through May 8, 2020. At that time, we will begin to close out the school year. A process will be developed at a later date for students to pick up any personal items from the school and to turn in assignment and books. We have received several questions about refunds for field trips and field day t-shirts. Refunds will be processed at that time, as well.

    If you have any questions, please reach out.

     

    March 31, 2020

    Good Morning, HES. Be on the look out for some exciting news about ArtsNow. We have partnered with ArtsNow for almost 2 years now. If you are not familiar with this organization, please take a minute to check out their website at .

    ArtsNow will be supporting us throughout our distance learning time by providing fresh and different content. This Thursday, they will host their first Zoom session with students. Please reach out to your teacher for information on how your student can participate.

     

    March 27, 2020

    Good Morning, HES! As you most likely know already, schools in Georgia will remain closed at least through April 24 per the order of our Governor, Brian Kemp. The extended closure will require us to make a few changes to how we approach distance learning. We have heard your concerns and are working on ways to improve this experience for everyone involved, including students, parents, and teachers.

    We will be rolling out an updated distance learning plan after we return from Spring Break on Tuesday, April 14. Be on the look out for more information throughout next week. In the meantime, enjoy your weekend and get some rest.

     

    March 26, 2020 

    Good Morning, HES! Day 7 of Distance Learning has arrived. Students, parents, and teachers have been doing some amazing things through this new mode of teaching and learning.

    I encourage you to share some of the wonderful things you've been doing or that you have seen being done in the comment section of the ClassDojo post. Please keep it positive.

    And as always, if you have a concern or need support, please reach our to me or any other staff member for assistance.

     

    March 24, 2020

    Good Morning, HES! It's Day 5. Your administration team is here to support your distance learning experience. Please reach out to us if you are experiencing difficulties. We have been able to assist quite a few parents and students, but we can't help if we don't know you are having difficulties.

    Please reach out if you need us. 

     

    March 23, 2020

    Good Morning, HES! It is Monday morning and Day 4 of distance learning. That's right...it's only been 4 days. You did an amazing job last week trying to figure this distance learning thing out.

    As always, please reach out to your teachers or administration if you have any questions or concerns.

     

    March 20, 2020

    Good Morning, HES. We are almost to the weekend. I hope it's been a rewarding first three days of distance learning. I know it's been hard, but I hope it's been rewarding, as well.

    Yesterday, Ms. Carthen shared a distance learning tip with our teachers. I think it is appropriate to share with everyone. I will copy the tip here.

    Distance Learning Tip of the Day
    Encourage students and parents to complete assignments in a timely manner by providing a simple schedule or pacing guide. This will provide some structure for the day, and relieve some of the stress students/parents may have right now. The schedule should be flexible to accommodate parents that may have more than one child or limited access to an electronic device. Encourage breaks during the day so students/parents do not get overwhelmed.

    Example Schedule
    Bell Ringer: 10 - 15 minutes
    Science: 25 - 30 minutes
    Math: 30 - 40 minutes
    Break: 15 minutes
    Reading/ELA: 40 - 45 minutes
    Specials: 20 - 30 minutes
    Social Studies: 25 - 30 minutes

    Please use this information if you think it will support your distance learning experience.

    As always, please reach out to your teacher or administration if you are experiencing difficulties.

     

    March 19, 2020

    Good Morning, HES. Based on many of the posts I saw on social media yesterday, it seems a good number of our students were suspended or sent to time out on the first day of distance learning. That's ok. They will be back today to try again.

    Parents...thank you!

    You have been amazing. We know this is hard work. It's hard for us too. We know you are learning as you go. We are too. We know you have questions. So do we. We are all in the same boat right now. We are learning how to teach and learn at a distance on the fly. We will get through this together.

    Make sure you reach out to your student's teacher if you have questions or need assistance. We are here to support you. As always, feel free to contact Mrs. Berry or me with any concerns you may have.

     

    March 18, 2020

    Good Morning, HES. As you prepare for your first day of distance learning, please remember that the entire HES staff is here to support each of you in this process. We are just an email, Dojo, or phone call away.

     

    March 17, 2020

    Greetings HES! I just wanted to take a moment to let you know that teachers are hard at work planning engaging and enriching distance learning (DL) experiences for our students during the school closure.

    Distance learning experiences will begin on Wednesday, March 18, 2020. It is the expectation that all students will continue to learn and demonstrate mastery of their content standards. Teachers will communicate their specific expectations and assignments using ClassDojo. All assignments will be graded and entered into Infinite Campus.

    In order to facilitate distance learning experiences, the Richmond County School System created a web page at . You will find many additional resources on this page to further enhance the experience provided by your student's teacher.

    As a final note, teaching and learning will continue during this school closure. Your student's teacher and administration will be available during our normal operating hours of 7:45 a.m. until 3:45 p.m. each day. You may contact us via ClassDojo or email. If you need to speak to someone, simply send a message through ClassDojo or email with the best phone number at which to reach you.