RISD School Times — August 13, 2020

RISD Digital Media

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Richardson ISD Newsdesk

11 min readAug 17, 2020

Things to Know for #RISDFirstDay2020

Superintendent’s Update — Things to Know for First Day of 2020–21

Click here to watch the weekly superintendent’s update. Dr. Stone talks to Deputy Superintendent Tabitha Branum about what parents and students should expect on Aug. 19. Highlights include:

What parents can expect when school begins on August 19 with virtual instruction for all students.
Class schedules are being finalized and expected to be available early next week.
Schools continue to connect with parents about start of school details and any technology needs. Parents who still require a student device or need home internet for virtual instruction should contact their school.
Students should power up and connect their iPads & Chromebooks to the Internet before August 19 so devices can update to be ready for virtual instruction.
All RISD teachers will be using Google Classroom as the primary hub to share information with students and parents.
RISD is in the final phases of developing a Parent Corner website on risd.org that will provide information and tutorial videos to help parents support their students during virtual learning. The Parent Corner website is expected to be live on August 17.
RISD will be hosting a series of virtual sessions for parents on different topics through the RISD Parent University. Sessions will occur through August and September, and touch on topics ranging from understanding virtual learning platforms, helping students learn at home, and how to access student grades, attendance and progress through Focus, among other topics.
An explanation of what a virtual school day will look like for students.
Curbside meal service will be offered for virtual students starting Aug 18.

Dr. Stone has provided weekly updates throughout the pandemic. Previous messages can be found here.

RISD Board Meeting — Risk Assessment Metric in Development

At the regular monthly meeting of the Richardson ISD board on August 10, Dr. Stone updated trustees on RISD’s pandemic response and back to school planning.

Part of the presentation included a first look at RISD’s in-development COVID-19 case metrics and decision tree to help guide district decisions as in-person learning approaches on September 8. As part of RISD’s ongoing collaboration with Dallas County Health & Human Services, district staff has been provided access to ongoing 14-day averages of COVID-19 positive case data and applied it specifically to the zip codes that comprise RISD’s boundaries. The goal is for the data and geocoding to provide a 14-day rolling average of positive tests across the district to give RISD stakeholders a detailed look at how the virus is impacting different portions of the RISD community, within the context of the much larger Dallas County overall.

RISD continues to work with Dallas County Health to fine tune the metrics and how RISD should best use the data to inform decisions. The eventual goal is for RISD to be able to update staff and parents weekly with an RISD boundary map that offers a color coded view of each area of the district and the number of positive cases over the last 14 days. Under any use of the metrics, RISD will continue to consult with the county’s school advisory board of health experts before making major decisions.

As part of the update, Dr. Stone also shared parent commitment survey data regarding their instructional choice of virtual or face to face, with about 55% of parents opting for in-person instruction when it is expected to resume on September 8, and 45% choosing to remain virtual. A similar survey of teachers showed about 47% prefer teaching virtually, while 53% prefer teaching face-to-face during the upcoming school year.

In other action, RISD trustees passed a resolution honoring longtime Hamilton Park resident Mr. Curtis Smith, who died in late July. CJ Smith changed the course of history in RISD. He was appointed by a federal judge to be first chairman of the RISD Bi-Racial Committee, and Mr. Smith remained on that committee for more than 40 years until 2013 when RISD was declared a unitary school district by a federal court, ending a decades-long desegregation order.

The RISD board expresses its deep appreciation and gratitude for the contributions of Mr. Smith made to improve the lives of our residents in the greater RISD community.

Trustees also approved a voluntary furlough option for certified teachers, counselors, librarians, and nurses for the 2020–21 school year in response to some individual staff concerns regarding in-person instruction during the pandemic. The employee may not use accrued state or local paid leave to offset an unpaid furlough. The option is for the 2020–21 school year only, and any employee who requests a furlough may not return to active employment during the school year but will have a spot in RISD for the 2021–22 school year.

Assistant Superintendent for Operations Sandra Hayes provided an update on the final projects being completed with funds from the district’s 2016 bond package. Hayes noted construction projects during the pandemic have been challenging but also successful with minimal disruption to the scheduled timelines. She discussed library upgrades at campuses in the Berkner learning community and said the major Lake Highlands High School expansion remains on track to be completed by December.

Learn more about the August 10 Board meeting, including video.

Meal Information For 2020–21 School Year

Applications for free or reduced meals are now open for the 2020–2021 school year on www.Schoollunchapp.com.

Meal benefit applications must be completed each school year, and all parents are encouraged to apply as eligibility requirements change yearly and many families have incurred significant life changes this year that may qualify them for free or reduced-price meals.
Regardless of eligibility, all completed applications contribute greatly to RISD’s mission to ensure every student receives nutritious meals.
RISD Child Nutrition staff members will provide curbside breakfast and lunch service beginning Tuesday Aug. 18.
Curbside meals will be offered each Tuesday and Thursday at all school campuses.
Curbside meals are available for all students, and pricing will be charged according to eligibility.
Please verify that sufficient funds are in the child’s account to cover the balance.
RISD encourages parents to deposit funds into the student’s account through www.PayPAMS.com.
Parents may pick up curbside meals without students present, but they must provide documentation of their student’s enrollment in RISD, such as a school-issued student ID, report card, birth certificate or a district verification message emailed to all RISD parents April 1.
For more information or assistance, please contact the Child Nutrition Office at 469–593–0108.

Diving Into The Blueprint: Advanced Learning

Dr. Stone is taking a deeper dive into The Blueprint with some RISD executive directors to help parents better understand what the 2020–21 school year will look like.

In this week’s Diving Into The Blueprint, Dr. Stone talks with Monica Simonds, executive director of advanced learning programs and services, to discuss what RISD is doing for our gifted and talented students during this unprecedented time.

Parent University
Please join us as we journey from everyday parent involvement to meaningful family engagement. RISD is kicking off the school year with the following virtual sessions, all available at multiple times for parent convenience.

Aug. 20–1 to 2 p.m. and 6 to 7 p.m. Understanding Virtual Learning Platforms
Aug. 25–1 to 2 p.m. and 6 to 7 p.m. Creating Home Learning Environments
Sept.1–1 to 2 p.m. and 6 to 7 p.m. FOCUS: Accessing Grades, Progress Reports and Attendance
Sept. 3–1 to 2 p.m. and 6 to 7 p.m. Sustaining and Strengthening Home to School Connections

Please register using this form to receive the virtual meeting link. Registration ends one hour prior to the session start time. Past sessions will be posted to the RISD website.

Spanish interpretation will be available for all sessions.

Stay tuned for more information on other fall sessions coming soon!

2020–21 Enrollment Open

Families enrolling for the 2020–21 school year can do so online.

To enroll, or to learn more about enrollment requirements, please visit www.risd.org/enroll.

RISD Enrolling Full-Day Pre-K For All

Richardson ISD now offers full-day prekindergarten for qualifying 3-year-olds and 4-year-olds.

High-quality Pre-K is proven to provide an academic advantage for all children, as well as giving our youngest learners a social and emotional head start.

RISD offers Pre-K at no cost for families who meet state-mandated criteria, including income, language, military and other factors. RISD will provide transportation, if needed, and breakfast and lunch is provided for qualified Pre-K students.

For more information and eligibility details visit www.risd.org/prekforall

A/B Calendar Now Available

Under T he Blueprint, one change for the 2020–21 school year includes all students in grades 7–12 following an A or B block schedule each day, with days alternating throughout the instructional year. Class periods have been extended to 90 minutes, and students will have half their classes on A days and the other half of their classes on B days, alternating each day.

T he RISD Student Academic Calendar has been updated to note each instructional day as an A or B day. Schools will inform parents when specific schedules for each student are available early next week.

Easter Honored by Girl Scouts

Longtime Northrich Principal LaShon Easter received the Community Partner award from the Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas.

Easter was honored for her commitment to the program after working with Troop 882 to install a Little Free Library outside the school for the scouts’ Bronze Award project and providing Troop 6654 a space to showcase its recycled art as part of the Take Action Project.

She is a Girl Scout mom and has invited the troops to participate in Veterans Day tributes and other flag ceremonies at the school.

Easter currently provides administrative support to RISD elementary schools in a central role.

Congratulations, LaShon! #RISDGreatness #RISDWeveGotThis

District Calendar

Reminders

Free Immunizations for RISD Families

Caring Foundation of Texas is bringing its Care Van Program to Forest Meadow Junior High School on Thursday Aug. 13 from 5 to 7 p.m. to provide free immunizations.

“The COVID-19 pandemic understandably has led to parents delaying wellness visits and vaccinations for their children and some may not be financially able to get their children immunized,” said Sheena Payne, executive director of the Caring Foundation. “That’s why we are working with school districts to help families through our Care Van program. The goal being to eliminate the access issue as well as the financial burden of families getting their children immunized. Doing this not only improves the health of families, but also the community.”

Space is limited and reservations are required. For more information please visit the Care Van website.

Sept. 4 Rescheduled as Student Holiday

Friday Sept. 4 has been changed from a virtual instruction day to a student holiday so RISD staff can further prepare for the return of students to campus on Tuesday Sept. 8.

Teachers and staff should check with principals and supervisors about training and schedules for Sept. 4.

Guidelines For Visitors

All visitors should have an appointment to enter RISD administration buildings and schools. Visitors should complete the RISD Health Screener Form before proceeding with their appointment. Visitors must wear a mask in order to enter offices and facilities.

Census Deadline Changed Again To Sept. 30

Local Census offices reopened Jun 1. All Census staff will be wearing masks and following the local guidelines for safety. The goal is to get a complete count of everyone in the United States by Sept. 30, which is the new deadline.

Invitations to respond to the 2020 Census were delivered in March. About 69 million households across the nation were sent reminder postcards in the mail.

Did you know? You can respond online in one of 13 languages and find assistance in many more.

Respond Now

RISD is providing information to educate, encourage and engage our school community about the 2020 Census, and we encourage your participation. RISD will keep this website up through the extension.

Let’s Talk!

Richardson ISD recently launched Let’s Talk!, a new customer service and communication platform on RISD.org that will allow community members to submit a question, comment, concern, suggestion or compliment, and they will receive a timely response.

The primary goal right now is to relay vital information related to the COVID-19 impacts and to answer stakeholder questions in a timely manner.

Download the Let’s Talk! app for iOS and Android devices, and enter the RISD Let’s Talk! ID — RI2329

Click here for FAQs.

P-EBT Transfer Extended to Aug. 21

Because of school closures from COVID-19, Texas received approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide more than $1 billion in pandemic food benefits to families with children that have temporarily lost access to free or reduced-price school meals. The application for P-EBT ends Aug. 21.