Monday Morning Message
– Virginia Stewart – TLC Executive Director
Good morning,
I have received some emails with messages I would like to share. Some are from our high school students stating that they are stressed with the amount of work they are being given online. Some are from parents and students of seniors who feel we have been unkind and insensitive to the seniors about graduation.
I take feedback seriously and share it with other leaders in our schools. The TLC Board has also asked to give input. It may be best to share our thinking that went into proposing an alternative.
No one expected the pandemic to go on. We were given several dates for the end of the stay at home… April 20, May 1, etc. The Governor and the state department added that schools would be closed for the rest of the school year. No matter what the date, most authorities add that life will not be as it was. We cannot gather safely until we have herd immunity.
The Governer even spoke about “Businesses and retailers having to redesign their stores. Schools are considering new protocols for the fall, such as staggering class times to limit the number of students in a classroom at a time, reducing group meals and changing PE, assembly and recess policies. And there will be “deep sanitization, massive deep cleaning.”
“Oh, and don’t get your hopes up about attending a Fourth of July parade or going to a summer concert.”
- Newsom: “The prospect of mass gatherings is negligible at best until we get to herd immunity and we get to a vaccine. So large-scale events that bring in hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of strangers … is not in the cards” for “June, July, August.”
Given the guidelines we are facing, we needed to plan a graduation that respects the work of our seniors and the milestone they are completing. We shared our best thoughts on how to do that. Plan. 57% were pleased, the rest were upset. We understand how difficult change is, but if we just wait and hope that we can have graduation at a later date, we would have no plan at all. If all things are back to normal soon, we can certainly go on with our traditional plans. Those plans are still available. The traditional graduation has been planned for a year in advance and is still in place, but we needed to prepare for an alternative.
As for the workload of our students, we have an obligation to provide work and new learning for our students. Schools are expected to continue to educate. The workload is spaced out over a week. This takes planning and calendaring for our students. It is not all due on Monday when the work is assigned. Students cannot wait for the last minute to do the work. Teachers are available to help if students email them. Most teachers are holding meetings to answer questions and to have more personal student contact.
We are working very diligently to do what is right in the long run for our students.
Discovery and Primary students are working well and are sending good feedback to their teachers. Learning how to teach online is a steep learning curve and takes time and adds stress to the teachers and they miss their students more than words can say. We appreciate all the families who are doing the work and giving us feedback. We sincerely hope the pandemic and isolation is over soon. We all want to go back to the way things were.
Disneyland and Prom reimbursement request forms:
We are saddened that both venues are closed indefinitely, we know our Senior Falcons deserve more. With no end in sight, we are going to mail back any payments you made for Prom and or Disneyland. If you paid via check or cash we will mail your refund at the end of the week based on the information you enter in the form below. Paypal and Square payments will be canceled and returned electronically.
For Prom Refund: https://forms.gle/GKH3EV4WhpyQXzDeA
For Disneyland Refund: https://forms.gle/7eWEmn32MfTdcK8m9
The following information below can be found at: tracylearningcenter.com
We hope this makes it easier for your students to go to the website, tracylearningcenter.com and click on their class to find all the links and activites.
Primary Charter Weekly Assignments
Each week teachers will be posting work and activities by class for our students to complete. This work is to help students stay sharp and continue their academics.
**Primary will be posted after Spring Break ends Friday, April 17th**
P1
P2
P3
P4
P5
P6
P7
P8
Discovery Weekly Assignments
5/6 and 7/8 will be updating our online learning every week. Please check in on Monday to see what is due as well as make a note of any virtual class meetings that may happen throughout the week.
DCS 5-6 DCS 7-8
Millennium Weekly Assignments
MHS Online is in session. We have contacted every student and will be posting assignments for all classes here every Monday. Please check-in and make a plan based on any virtual class lectures you may have. This work will be graded in AERIES for the 4th quarter. Go Falcons!
MHS Weekly Assignments
MHS Online Meeting Weekly Schedule
Millennium Senior Information
Millennium Seniors
Our Millennium counselors and staff have been working for weeks to find a way to make sure our amazing seniors get the 4th quarter they deserve. After 12 years of learning, Senior year is a special time for students we all know how hard our class of 2020 has worked to get to this moment in their lives. We are all so proud of you. Unfortunately, the global pandemic has brought a lot of twists and unknowns to all aspects of everyone’s lives.
We all hope this situation passes soon and we monitor all communication coming from the State of California, the county health department and the office of education. But we are also concerned that, like most other aspects of life, we will not be able to proceed as we normally would with our senior activities.
Because we cannot hold large gatherings, our staff have been working together and want to try and make some lemonade out of the lemons we have been given. As we go through the senior events below we tried to find a way to make some of these memories still happen. While we are not allowed to hold a graduation ceremony or go to Prom or Disneyland, we want to still give you a day to remember.
Graduation: We understand that graduation is one of the most important parts of the high school experience and we are committed to making the best possible event that we can, given the circumstances. The Millennium High Graduation is still scheduled for Friday, May 22, 2020. At this time, we are not rescheduling/postponing the date for a traditional in-person ceremony. It is highly unlikely that we will be able to have a public gathering. In compliance with federal, state, and county orders, public gatherings are prohibited which will likely continue into the next several months. However, we will be recognizing this special moment with a “Drive Through” ceremony while still practicing social distancing. An invitation will be emailed and/or mailed out with specific details of a drive-through graduation by early May. We are planning something very unique and we believe that it will be a fun and festive experience for all! Some ideas include decorating cars, signs, music, photo opportunities, a real stage to receive your diploma, raffles, food, etc., once again, all while practicing social distancing. We will also have a dynamic virtual ceremony that will be shared as a keepsake of this special occasion available to all graduates and their families. All cap and gown orders have been placed and will be distributed before May 22nd. More information to follow in the near future.
GRAD Night: As Disneyland is now closed, Disneyland Grad Night is canceled and will not be rescheduled. We will fully reimburse all students that purchased tickets. If you paid for this event, you will be mailed a reimbursement check. Reimbursements will take 4 – 6 weeks for delivery. Please double check your mailing address as listed in Aeries. If you do not receive your refund by May 20th, please contact bramirez@tracylc.net.
Senior Breakfast: Unfortunately, our Senior Breakfast is canceled.
Prom: Our prom that was scheduled for March 14 was canceled. We will reimburse all students that had purchased tickets. You will receive a reimbursement check. If you paid for this event, you will be mailed a reimbursement check. Reimbursements will take 4 – 6 weeks for delivery. If you do not receive your refund by May 20th, please contact bramirez@tracylc.net
Awards Ceremony: Our Awards Ceremony is scheduled for May 13, 2020. As of right now, this event will still take place virtually. We will have details about the ceremony later.
College Admission: Continue to send college acceptance letters/emails to mhscounseling@tracylc.net for UC and CSU, May 1st is still the “Intent to Register” deadline to accept admission offers. Final Transcripts: Final transcript requests will still be processed. Email mhscounseling@tracylc.net for requests between June 1st – June 15th.