Dear Families, 
 
I hope you are doing well. Many of you have questions about the DCPS reopen and we are still learning information daily. Please refer to the links below to read more details. 

Below you will find information about

1. Kids Ride Free (SmartTrip) Cards 
2. Term 1 Grading 
3. Teacher Highlight 
4. Reopen- Term 2
5. Housekeeping 
6. Spirit Week 

Kids Ride Free (SmartTrip) Cards 
Kids Ride Free Cards take a while to set up, we are changing our approach as a result. If you need a card, please use these steps: 

1. Send an email to chantay.powell@k12.dc.gov & crystal.white@k12.dc.gov and share your students name 
2. Wait 24 hours for the card to be prepared 
3. Pick up the card, once they confirm they are complete 

 
We are also asking making a shift in the main office. One of our Warriors, Ms. Thompson lost someone very close to her and will be out for a number of weeks. In the interim, you can forward all attendance questions/information to LTESattendance@k12.dc.gov. Ms. White, Ms. Scholefield, and Ms. Powell will also be in the main office daily from 9am-3pm. Please call to confirm your visit prior to. 
 
Term 1 Grading 
This week, you received an attendance robo call from me. It was a friendly reminder that attendance matters. Remember, EVERYDAY COUNTS, even on Wednesdays. Students MUST log into CANVAS everyday of the week to be counted for attendance. Logging onto TEAMS does not count attendance. Students must log off then log back in or refresh Canvas daily.  We are noticing a huge trend of students not returning back to the computer after their first class. In order to receive grades, students must attend all classes. 

Teacher Highlight
Here is a video of Coach Smith getting her Pre-K 3 students up and moving at the start of class: 


CLICK here to watch! Coach Smith with Pre-K3
 
Reopen-Term 2
We are excited that we can provide a space for learning to continue. We  continue to learn the DCPS structures and gather facts. We are going to welcome all families to a “Parent Huddle” in the coming weeks to gain feedback, hear ideas, etc. Staff are going to continue to engage in meetings to learn (a) how this impacts them and (b) how they can prepare for any shifts. As of now, here is what we can reiterate and share: 
1. There are 3 opportunities to engage in term 2:

1. 100% virtual
2. In-person learning classroom 
3. CARE classroom 

2. A  teacher will lead the in-person classroom per each grade level. We do not have staffing assignments, those are still being completed by DCPS
3. Teachers do not lead CARE classrooms. Aides, support staff, and DCPS staff can lead those rooms 
4. Families who will be offered seats will begin to be notified next week from central office 
5. DCPS operation policies mandate mask, temperature checks, and social distancing
6. Materials pick-up for continued virtual learning will be restricted to a designated time of day 
7. The student selection process is DCPS created, we are following the process of student selection 
 
**You can learn more about the reopen strong plan here: DCPS Reopen Strong**
**Please visit the Q & A developed by DCPS here: DCPS Q & A**
 
As we prepare for the upcoming plan, teachers will have the opportunity to take more materials home given class spaces will be used for storage, in person learning and CARE classrooms. Because of that, the schedule below has dates that your student may engage in asynchronous learning to allow the teacher to come into the building. We ask for grace as teachers begin transitioning.
 
Oct 19th- ECE  
Oct 20th- K and 1  
Oct 21st- 2 and 3  
Oct 22nd- 4 and 5  
Oct 23rd- Specials 
 
Information is evolving and we want to present facts to you. Again, be prepared to attend a “Family Huddle”- date, TBD. It is an opportunity to share ideas, ask questions and provide feedback about the DCPS approach. The LSAT (once elected) and PTO will also walk our facilities before the reopen to ensure a safe opening. 
 
Housekeeping
Lack of Reopen Details: Right now we are living in many hypotheticals and potential plans. The plan shared, in error, from Watkins/Peabody was a mistake and premature. We have drafted operations plans in alignment with the protocols and procedures DCPS has outlined. Just as the DCPS email stated “DCPS Central Office will review those plans and then schools will be able to share details with their school community once plans are finalized”. We will follow that process and share once it is finalized. 

Staff Update:  A lot of my time has been invested in learning and hearing from our committed teachers and staff. We want to ensure our staff are well so they can show up 100% for our students and you.

Transparency: This is hard. This is uncomfortable. There are a lot of unknowns. I am working around the clock to get answers for myself, staff and the community. I do not have all the answers right now and hosting a Q&A with families would not be a great use of your time. I will continue attending meetings and learning in preparation to have answers for you. 

Spirit Week 
We all deserve a break. Please check out the  flyer on the home page and let’s have some fun! 


Thank you for your patience as we get through this, together! 

Principal Daniel

​

Dear Families, 
We are moving into week 4 and we are full of energy. Below you will find information about
1. Back-To-School Night
2. Teams
3. Health & Immunizations forms
4. 5th grade Mock Trial Club

Back-To-School Night
This year:
·   Pre-K3 and Pre-K4 will be on September 29th
·   Kindergarten through Grade 5 will be on September 30th
·   Each night the event will begin at 6:00pm
·   ECE parents will engage in a “how to” tutorial about the TEAMS platform
Below are drafted schedules however your teacher will send specific language about BTSN with their schedule format. The night will consist of an opening from myself and the leadership team, time with your HR teachers, and an opportunity to meet the specials (Art, Music, PE, Spanish, Science, Librarian) teachers.
TEAMS
As previously mentioned, all grades must use the TEAMS platform per DCPS. This transition is not easy, and we are working to teach the platform to students and families.  All schools are using the same dashboard and teachers have other online tools that only align with TEAMS. TEAMS also has privacy settings that ZOOM does not. If you are having issues accessing the platform and are using an older device, we first recommend you to upgrade your device by getting one from DCPS/Ludlow-Taylor. Please submit a request at https://dcpsreopenstrong.com/. Then, come into Ludlow-Taylor to pick up a device Mon-Fri 9am-3pm.
 Immunizations Update
Remember to send your child's immunization records to Ms. Thompson at brittney.cloyd@k12.dc.gov and afraser@childrensnational.org.  Make appointments with your health care providers and provide the proper documentation before the start of in-person school (tentatively beginning on November 6, 2020). See here for a list of required immunizations. Even though classes are virtual, we will be reaching out to all students who are missing immunizations certification over the coming weeks.​

·       Universal Health Certificate
·       Immunization Clinic Locations

5th Grade Mock Trial
Be on the lookout for information about 5th Grade Mock Trial!  The mock trial program will give students the chance to practice written and oral advocacy and learn about the trial process. The program culminates in a full mock trial in front of a real judge (and if we are not virtual, in a real courtroom).  This program meets once a week on Zoom (starting in mid-Oct) and is taught by 5th grade parent volunteer and law prof, Kate Weisburd.  More info soon and also please let Kate know if you might have time to help teach. For more information, please contact kate.weisburd@gmail.com. Otherwise, the 5th grade team will be sending information out.

Ludlow Taylor Families,
The time has finally arrived. Thank you for continued patience and grace as we invested time to get feedback and input from teachers to create a virtual schedule for all grade levels. It is a lot to digest so let me share with you now, that this upcoming Wednesday 7/19 and Thursday 7/20 from 5-5:30pm, we will host a Parent Chat and Chew to further elaborate on the schedules and allow time for questions to deeper our understanding of them. You will find the ZOOM information at the bottom of this email.

Virtual Schedules: Schedules were done with 100% input from teachers. They met with the Academic Leadership Team to draft dream schedules that were then merged together. We value the time they put aside during their summer break to help us design what they thought was the best approach alongside the DCPS guidelines. They used their experience from the Spring to further challenge themselves to new lengths. We are super proud of the outcomes.

• ECE-2nd Grade Virtual Schedule
• 3rd-5th Grade and Creative Learning Virtual Schedule

Additional Schedule Context:
1. Virtual Schedules include Early Childhood Education (Pre-K 3 and Pre-K 4) students through grade 5 students, including creative learning classes (self-contained)
2. Specials- which include art, music, PE, Spanish, and science are included in student’s weekly schedules. Some days are live, others are not.
3. Creative Learning Classes students are included with their peers during specials time
4. Parts of the schedule defined as “small group” will not be definitive until beginning of the year data is collected. Your homeroom teacher will share the finalized classroom schedule with you which will include which days your child has individual check in’s and/or small group time
5. We have colored coded the schedules to represent what is live and what is not
7. Asynchronous learning = pre- recorded lessons and Synchronous learning = live teaching
8. Wednesdays are designed for teacher professional development and planning, specials teachers will lead classes on those days
Rosters: Because everything is virtual, we have changed our approach to how we distribute rosters. This year, students will receive a letter via USPS that identifies who their teacher is. Letters should begin arriving to homes on Wednesday of this week and continue over the coming days. This eliminates us posting first and last names on public online platforms. We do respectfully request that you allow teachers to enjoy their last few days before they walk back in (virtually) to their new normal. Then teachers will be ready to share their approach for family engagement as we prepare for the first day of school. YAY!!!
Student Curriculum Materials: We are in the process of organizing and still receiving materials from DCPS. Families will be able to pick up curriculum materials (Eureka Math student notebooks, FUNDATIONS materials, and other tools) between August 26th- August 28th from 10am-4pm and again August 29th from 10am-12pm in the gym. We changed our approach to student supply list too. Instead of donating to the school as previously stated, we decided to wait for you to hear directly from your grade level/homeroom teacher. They will provide a more intimate list of supplies needed to support online learning. Again, teachers need time to get acclimated with the new normal before distributing this list.
Technology Distribution: Later today, families who identified on the survey as needing technology will recieve an email from Mr. White about device information. It will include the process for logging in devices and the types of computers. The dates and times for distrubution will be the same as the student curriculum materials-  August 26th- August 28th from 10am-4pm and again August 29th from 10am-12pm in the gym


Key Dates:
August 26th- August 29th- Pick up materials from Ludlow-Taylor
August 31st- First Day of School for Kindergarten through Grade 5
September 3rd- First Day of School for PreK 3 and PreK 4
Remember we are here to answer any questions and provide as much comfort as possible. We are available to you and for you. We may not get it right the first time or even the second time, but we will not give up. Together we are stronger. Continue to extend grace and patience to our fearless educators who are gearing up their living rooms and offices to prepare for online learning. #LudlowTaylorStrong


With Love, 

Principal Daniel 


 ZOOM information:
Topic: Principal Daniel's Zoom Meeting about Virtual Schedules
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88559603055?pwd=S2RhcVd4dDZxSkFEZmJJcHowUjhaUT09
Meeting ID: 885 5960 3055
Passcode: 7JJHEC

​

Hello L-T Families, 
​
I hope you each are continuing to shine your light on one another as we navigate through these times. I am sending you so much love as you persevere and balance you and your families well being. I have been enjoying seeing your faces on the Love, Laughter, & Lemonade zoom calls. It has given me some good laughs and moments that are still with me now. I look forward to seeing 1st-5th grade families and students next week too. I know today may have been a roller coaster of emotions as we heard from our Mayor and Chancellor. I wanted to follow up that announcement and share as much as possible as we think deeper about the direction we are now going in. Over the next couple of weeks we will be working in overdrive. Leadership will combine forces with DCPS as we continue to gather more and more information (which is exactly what everyone needs right now). Teachers will be working REALLY close with me as we begin to draft schedules, norm on ideas, and prepare for a #StrongStart. With that being said, I want to clearly provide some additional information... 

1. Rosters are being done now and we need a maximum of 2 weeks to finalize- we want to get them out sooner but our deadline is 2 weeks out. Rosters are dependent upon FULL enrollment so if you have been getting calls from us this week, we encourage you to submit and complete what is missing. Otherwise, you have the potential to loose your spot. Please click enrolldcps.dc.gov if you need to enroll.

2. After school will be all virtual (details to follow). Meetings and final determinations are being made as we think about how we can create differentiated after school experiences.

3. A virtual master schedule is being developed. This schedule will be the overall school calendar with normed times that provide more consistency, structure, and predictability than phase 1 provided. I encourage everyone to watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vT0HlgnZ9DI&feature=youtu.be to get a bit more context about the schedule. Generally, students across the same grade level will have the same experiences, on the same dashboard, using the same content. : ) 

4. Blackboard will be used as the priority method for updates and announcements until school starts so please watch out for email, text, and robo call updates as we get them. If your email or phone number needs to be updated please contact Ms. Thompson or Ms. White via email- brittney.cloyd@k12.dc.gov OR crystal.white@k12.dc.gov

5. Our https://www.ludlowtaylor.org/ website is going "under construction" as we begin to update content for SY 20-21. The "contact form" will still be accessible and we encourage you to still use it during the construction phase. 

6. DCPS needs to hear from you. If you have not already, please complete the tech access survey so L-T gets all the resources it needs. Please click bit.ly/dcpstechsurvey to complete the survey. 

A note from our Chancellor: To help answer questions you may have or to learn more about today’s announcement, please visit our new #ReopenStrong online hub at DCPSReopenStrong.com. On the website you can read the Family FAQ, explore learning at home schedules by grade, and review our health and safety commitments."

This is a lot of information to digest. Our plan is to schedule a L-T Family Circle (maybe even outside) for me to share updates and answer as many questions as possible (once information is finalized in mid August). Please be patient with us, I am committed to sharing everything as it becomes available. Our teams will be working around the clock to ensure our co-teachers (YOU!) are set up for success. What I love about Ludlow-Taylor is I KNOW we can do it because we are #LudlowStrong and #STRONGTOGETHER. 

We are here if you need anything in the meantime. 
​
Have a great day & enjoy your weekend! 
Principal Daniel ​

Click the video below for the latest from Principal Daniel.  We are postponing Popsicles with the Principal, originally scheduled for Friday, July 24 for virtual events coming up next week!