March 20, 2020 

Dear Spanaway Lake students,

We miss you! Very much.  Here are some updates:

• Tri 2 - Staff have been working since Tuesday to finalize trimester 2 grades.  We are doing our best to be flexible and responsive to your needs, while also trying to provide closure for trimester 2.  You will receive grades and credits for trimester 2. Reach out to staff if you have questions; our emails are on the school website. 
• Tri 3 - Trimester 3 begins on Monday, March 23rd.  Teachers have been busy this week setting up remote learning for 3rd trimester.  On Monday morning teachers should have their courses set up and posted. Check your email daily.  See Skyward for your class list. We are going to start the classes with engagement and communication in mind.  Communicate to your teacher any glitches with technology OR the need for paper copies of school work. For students who need packets we will work with you for packet delivery or pick up during the time we serve lunches at the school. 
• Technology - If you don’t have internet access, call the SLHS mainline number at 253-800-5600 and leave a message indicating student’s name, good contact phone number, and that you do not have internet access.  Also, a few tips for iPads:  a first step for anything "glitchy" including the iPad not charging correctly is to hard reset, by holding down the power button and home button simultaneously until the screen goes black and a white apple appears. Click Here to request more specific iPad help OR submit a student Tech Help Request by clicking here: Tech Help Request Form.
• Advisory - It’s important to take care of yourselves and your families during this time.  Let us know how we can help, even if that’s just having a place to check in and say, “hi” a couple of times a week.  We will use advisory to share self care tips, build school community, and for school related Coronavirus updates. 
• Seniors - Seniors are understandably worried about their graduation status. Graduation is still scheduled for Tuesday, June 16th.  Students will be able to earn credit for trimester 3 courses by engaging in course work so we can track progress. Teachers will work with students to provide support so students can be successful. We are still waiting for guidance from OSPI on requirements for the graduating class of 2020. If their guidance requires us to change our expectations, we will inform you. I expect to know more next week on this topic. 

If you are struggling to access online resources, please contact your advisory teacher or school counselor. There are alternative plans to support students, especially for Seniors. 

Create routines.  A daily schedule for yourself and your family can help during the week.  We recommend during the 8:00 hour getting ready for school, including e-mailing your advisor or counselor with any questions.  At 9:00 be ready to work for 3 hours, from 9-noon. Take small breaks during this time, and participate as best you can with zoom meetings or other ways teachers are engaging you.  We know that each student’s circumstances will be unique. At noon, it will be time to eat some lunch and possibly connect remotely with friends. I know these times can be difficult and it is important to still connect with friends.  Some teachers will have time to work with you in the afternoon in small groups or individually. By the 2:00 hour, you should be finishing up your school day. If you have further questions this could be a time to reach out to your teachers.  We know this is new to all of us so we can make adjustments as needed. Your teachers will be available to you. We are all here to answer questions and provide support.  

Some students have asked about Advanced Placement classes and the AP test. There are changes to the way students will complete the AP tests and your AP teachers will let you know what is going on with your AP tests this coming week.  Our counseling staff and AP teachers will provide continued updates from the College Board as they learn more. 

All library book due dates that come up during this closure will be bumped until we return on April 27. Similarly, books that would be tagged "lost" when reaching a month late should not change status until we return. 

You can expect, at minimum, I will send out information weekly to keep you updated of any changes that I hear about or other ways I can suggest to support you and your families. Thank you for working with us during this difficult time.  We care about you and look forward to the day we can be together.

Susie Askew

Principal

SLHS HOTLINE:  253-800-5600 - leave a message indicating student’s name, good contact phone number, and question/reason for call.  We are checking messages daily, from 9:30-1:30. We are forwarding these messages to appropriate staff members.