Optional Academic Resources and Other Support from DSST

Dear Families,

I hope each of you had a restful weekend and were able to enjoy some sunshine despite the unprecedented and extraordinary times we are in.  We know that this “extended spring break” will present a variety of challenges and opportunities for families, and our goal is to be a resource and support for you and your students. In this communication, you will find: 

• Optional Academic Resources for your students to use during this break
• Additional Family and Community Resources, and
• Some communication clarifications.  

Optional Academic Resources

As promised last week, we have compiled Optional Academic Resources for elementary, middle, and high school students that are rigorous, standards-aligned, and vetted by our Home Office Curriculum and Instruction team. These are intended to help students stay engaged in their studies during this Extended Spring Break, however they are by no means mandatory.  

We know that many students may be concerned about continuing their PSAT/SAT prep and AP course work during this time. On Wednesday of this week, we’ll be sharing a dedicated PSAT/SAT support page that will include guidance and support on how to maximize Khan Academy, and much more. For our High School students enrolled in AP classes (or even those that aren’t), we’re working with some of our strongest teachers across the network to provide AP-prep modules over the next 2 weeks to keep students on track with rigorous content. These modules will also be available starting on Wednesday, and we plan to release 3 per week. Stay tuned! 

What does this practically mean for you as a parent and how can you use these resources? A few tips:

• Sit down with your student and create a schedule with them to use these optional academic resources.  Create a daily routine.
• Evaluate resources in each subject area and set goals.
• If your student is in an AP course, encourage them to access all AP-Prep Modules prior to March 27.

Family & Community Resources

On Friday, we shared a collection of food, internet, and mental health resources for you to access over the next few weeks.  We have made a few notable additions: 

• Map of where children can access meals
• Free internet and fees waived from AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast
• Spectrum offering students free internet during COVID-19 outbreak

Communication

Advisor Communications: We are so grateful that we were able to connect with so many of you for parent-teacher conferences last week. If you have not yet been able to complete your parent- teacher conference, your student’s advisor will be reaching out this week to reschedule. Advisors will also be reaching out over the course of the next two weeks to ensure we stay connected and help provide you with as many resources as possible. 

Tracking COVID-19: Because of the rapidly changing nature of this situation, coupled with student privacy and misinformation concerns, DSST is not able to track or communicate specific information about cases of the Coronavirus in our community.  Please understand that we do not have the ability or the legal right to confirm or communicate information about cases. You and your children will undoubtedly hear through the grapevine and from social media of possible cases impacting our families. Please recognize that some of that information may not be correct or complete. In addition, during this time we encourage everyone to use your best judgement in terms of social distancing and other health precautions. Please refer to CDC for further guidelines on this.

Future Communication: We look forward to staying in touch with all of you throughout this extended spring break time frame. Please look out for weekly updates from me over the next three weeks - and more frequently should there be any new developments. You will receive these updates via email and Flyer (if applicable). Be sure to also follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and check our COVID-19 Resource Page for the latest updates. 

Thank you again for your flexibility and patience during this difficult time of uncertainty.  Be safe, stay healthy, and know that we are doing our best to provide you with timely updates and robust resources so that students and families can stay safe and engaged over the next few weeks. 

Bill