A letter to everyone as we embark on distance learning:

Hello AFSA Families,

As we embark on this new and different type of learning, I am excited and yet share your anxiety and questions. It’s a different time (in the best Minnesota way :-), and I am looking forward to learning new things/technology and staying in touch with your student(s). This will be an adventure, so let’s get started...

I will use Google Classroom for my classes and Advisory. Students should have received an email in their AFSA email with information on how they can add themselves to each class. If your student did not receive the email or mistakenly deleted it, reach out to me for the class code. Parents can also access Google Classroom to help monitor student assignments by sending a message to me to be added to the class. I will send an invitation to the parents’ preferred email address or addresses upon receiving this request.

During the week, I will have daily office hours from 10 a.m. to noon; I will be available by phone at 651-317-9697 or through text messaging during those daily office hours. Students are also welcome to email me or call me or text me or request a video conference through Zoom or Google Meets. This is a time for you and for them to ask questions on assignments and class materials or just to check in and say hello. I will also be available by email. If my office hours do not work for us to connect, we can work to find a different method for touching base.

We will return to learning on April 6 after Spring Break, and I am sending hard-copy materials home for every student that we will be covering in the coming weeks. I will be setting due dates shortly, but nothing is due right away. They do not need to get everything done immediately! Please reinforce that so your student does not feel overwhelmed when they receive all the learning materials in one day. 

Hard-copy materials will also be delivered from AFSA for students who cannot access online work and for students with limited access to technology. This may include books, worksheets, or other hands-on materials. The day/time of your delivery will be scheduled by our transportation department.

Even though students are not physically at school, they must demonstrate attendance. In order to be marked “Present” each day, students will check in with me in the Advisory Google Classroom. I will post a daily question that students must answer fully and appropriately to be counted as “Present” for that day. If the question is not answered fully and appropriately, the student will be marked “Absent,” and staff will follow up with parents. For families without internet access, I will call daily to check in during my office hours. 

My classes will include online presentations, worksheets, answering in emails, and for those with limited access to the internet or if preferred, hard copies. Students may also take a picture of a project, for example, and email it to me. Depending on the technology capabilities of all students, I may also conduct live lecture sessions and/or talks online. We also have a weekly schedule for live Interactions. Students will receive an invitation to participate in live sessions through Zoom or Google Meets. These invitations can be accessed through their email and links will be posted in Google Classroom. Each of these opportunities will be recorded and shared in Google Classroom.

As we work together to adjust to this new method of learning, I encourage you to sit beside your student(s) and help them adjust to this new way of learning. As they get their feet under them and become more confident, I believe you will be able to lessen your involvement. My biggest hope is that by the end of our “forced distancing,” every student becomes a more independent learner and has confidently taken charge of his/her own education. That’s my goal!

Thank you, and again, if you have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Ms. Patt Ligman

pligman@afsahighschool.com

651-317-9697