Students:
We again take up our labors after having enjoyed spring break. We continue learning by way of our online methods. This is scheduled to continue through the end of April.
A big thank you to parents and students who completed the survey. Your responses are helpful. Continue reading
Continuous learning (CL), originally scheduled to be finished by April 13, will continue through April 30. Parents and students should see the email correspondence of April 3 for more details. An important feature of the email is a link to a parent survey and a link to a student survey concerning CL. The survey is available until April 8.
Students:
We begin our second week of continuous learning today. Teachers have been working hard, students have been working hard, parents have been working hard—-it all contributes to making the best of our current trying times. Keep up the hard work!
Related to the above, Ann Lebo (head of the Iowa Dept. of Education) has tried to clarify some terminology. She says remote learning, distance learning, online education, virtual learning, and so on will all be referred to as ‘continuous learning’. Continuous learning will encompass of any methodology used to extend learning beyond brick and mortar buildings. Continue reading
Students:
This morning we begin the first of ten planned days of remote learning. Students should check their school email account daily. Also, lessons and assignments for each day are on Moodle by 9:00 AM. It is important that we all maintain the point of view that school is still going on for these two weeks, albeit remotely. Below are found a few frequently asked questions:
FAQ’s:
• When is 8th Grade day? It has not been re-scheduled yet.
• Will we still get Spring Break? Yes, spring beak will go on as scheduled April 6-10. Continue reading
Good evening, Trinity families.
There was a special Board meeting tonight. Board Pres. Brian Van Engen began by reading Psalm 91, which reminds us that our Heavenly Father is ever watching over us.
The Board then made the difficult decision that Trinity classes will not meet the rest of this week. Teachers will be meeting tomorrow morning, working out a solution for the tests and assignments that were scheduled for tomorrow and the rest of this week. Teachers will spend the balance of the week working at school preparing their courses for teaching via electronic communication. This online instruction is scheduled to begin on Monday, March 23. Watch for more complete details in an email which we plan to send out at about noon on Tuesday.
Thank you for your support and understanding in these uncertain times.
Sincerely,
Mr. Regnerus
And then the following, along with the attached letter, was sent early this afternoon:
Good afternoon,
Attached is a letter the staff is sending as an overview of the coming weeks. The letter represents the school-wide format.
It is requested that you come on Wednesday if you need to pick up school materials. Trinity facilities are closed for all other activities, including sports practices and open-gyms.
Thanks for your support and understanding.
Sincerely,
Mr. Regnerus
Dear families of Trinity Christian High School,
Deo volente, or God willing. Sometimes we abbreviate it to D.V. More commonly in the English we say “the Lord willing.” All proclaim the instruction of Scripture we read in James 4:15, “For we ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.” That truth is before us as clearly as it ever has been as we depart from what we had planned and face uncharted waters for our high school. May we be humbled, and yet confident, knowing that God gives the angels charge over us (Ps. 91:11a).
Last night the Board deliberated and ruled, closing the school for regular classroom instruction for an extended time. The goal is that learning will continue remotely. This morning the teachers had a unified and profitable session of devotions and sharing. A plan was formulated of how to carry out the remote learning. What follows below is the structure of how we envision this proceeding.
First of all, the remainder of this week the staff will be implementing a time of transition. Teachers are in the building working. Some might be finishing up material we expected to cover this week. Tests planned for today, Tuesday, will still be taken this week. There will be other assignments. However, the bulk of the teachers’ work this week will be in preparation for the next two weeks when remote learning will start in earnest. Parents and students who need to pick up books or other items are asked to do so Wednesday morning or afternoon during regular school hours. Please ensure that students check their email every day, starting today.
Then, the weeks of March 23 and March 30, Trinity will have ten days of strictly remote instruction. Teachers will communicate every morning by 9:00 am the day’s lessons and assignments. These will be communicated by way of Moodle and/or Office 365. These are familiar tools to our students, but students will need to diligently check them. Each teacher might have their own style, but these will not be novel to the students as the students are already familiar with each teacher. Due dates will remain in place. The teachers will be available for questions and clarifications electronically. We cannot allow students to come to the school building, so teachers are committed to a standard of promptness in responding to students. As teachers are still laboring in their calling, the fastest responses will be during the hours school would regularly be in session.
The following week, of April 6, will be the planned week of spring break. That will stay in place, and there are no plans for instruction that week.
Then finally, the next week Monday, April 13, will be the longed-for return to the halls and classrooms of Trinity Christian High School!
Standing in loco parentis, we ask each home’s help in navigating the coming weeks. We rely on the home’s help in students checking Moodle and email. May the home and school do what we can to be vigilant in maintaining integrity and truthfulness in student work. We pray that there may be a mutual respect of each other’s efforts as we make the best of a compromised educational environment. Yet, may the larger lesson of a sovereign God ruling on His eternal throne never be compromised.
So we plan. And so we carry on. And all Deo volente.
Sincerely,
The staff of Trinity Christian High School