Hello Marlboro Community,

Day 4 Update:

Today, we experienced district-wide pockets of performance issues with Zoom. We believe that some of our new staff Chromebooks (specifically the latest operating system update) contributed to our problems with audio and video. This update issue will be resolved before Monday when students return. Our plan is to monitor the entire system on Monday to ensure we correctly solved our issues.

Below are our MTPS Fundamentals. They are a constant reminder that we are always a work in progress.

MTPS FUNDAMENTALS

IMPORTANT MESSAGE

As I was visiting buildings on Tuesday, I took this picture. I believe it completely summarizes our year. It is said that a picture is worth 1,000 words. This picture is worth 1,000,000 words.

This is going to be a year full of trial and error, reflection, and just simply doing the very best we can on all fronts. I am a parent and a superintendent. I understand the importance of what we do and the responsibility we have. We must all together realize that this year will not be perfect. Perfect in this moment cannot be the standard. No year is ever perfect. We must all realize that this year is going to be different. That said, we will always do our best to follow our District Fundamentals. In "Bringing Our Best Everyday", we will still have Zoom issues at times, sound issues, and a host of other problems that can arise.

There are three words I would ask that we all keep in mind. Patience - Grace - Kindness. We will be working out our bumps in the road for a little while, and everything will get better each and every day for us all.

We have learned a lot in just one partial week with students. And, we will continue to learn each and every day. I want to ask for patience, grace, and kindness as we are truly doing our best to serve our students and community.

Tech. Problems In The Moment

Please email MTPStech@mtps.org with any problems you have in the moment.

We realize that problems are going to occur, and we realize you will need some help.

Our teachers can't stop teaching to address technical issues.

Please email the helpline, and we will help you as soon as we can.

If you need immediate assistance, you can reach out to the building leadership with other questions or concerns.

We Will Be OK . . .

So, it's OK if your child's computer glitches and you can't enter the Zoom for Period 3. No big deal. Just let us know. We will work tirelessly to solve any problem. I know this is different and challenging. We will get through this.

Google Classroom for Parents

Mrs. Gross, our Supervisor of Instructional Technology presented to over 200 parents and guardians last night. See below for the presentation and video.

A Few Zoom Reminders . . .

Please do not record or take photos of any Zoom sessions with students.

Children must be present on Zoom following all of the Zoom guidelines we have shared.

Even though there will be bumps in the road, students must be present for Zoom sessions.

Cameras should be on so teachers can see students.

The same behavior guidelines are in effect whether students are at home or in the classroom.

Please also reach out to the proper person for any issues you are having. Contact your teacher with any concerns. You can then reach out to case managers or principals. We will seek to help you in each level of contact. It is important to use the proper chain of command so that we can help you at the proper level.

Day 1 Pictures

Day 1 began our journey into what is totally new to our district. After literally hundreds of hours of planning, we finally took the field.

I am so proud of our district, teachers, staff, and students. We were not built for this. No one would have ever imagined that this is what the year 2020-2021 would look like. But, here we were nevertheless.

Welcome Back!

I was asked to send a picture of what a socially distanced classroom looks like.

Here it is!

Our First Wednesday

Our first Remote Wednesday began with Zoom completing an update the night before. It then threw a curve ball for some scheduled meetings. This issue has been resolved.

Closing and Recent Questions

Our goal is to navigate our strange and different times while also navigating the bumps in the road that will occur. Our goal is to do the very best we can while preparing for next steps.

I have received a few inquiries about our next steps. Our plan is to monitor our schools for the first several weeks and then formulate our next step. As a district, we are already engaging in these administrative discussions. It is essential to get through the first several weeks safely especially following the Labor Day Holiday. That is our goal, and we will communicate next steps when practicable.

I also have received some questions about why some classes can't come four days a week because the number of fully remote students is so high in specific classes. The answer is simply equity. Attendance for four days is not something we can accommodate in most of our classrooms. So, we can't pick and choose where we apply this concept. It will create an "in-group" and an "out-group."

The concept of snack in elementary schools will be revisited in the next few weeks. We will communicate next steps.

Again, thank you for your patience, grace, kindness, and positive messages you have sent to our district. We are truly navigating a situation the world was never ready to experience.

Eric

Superintendent of MTPS