TCA Newsletter November 23, 2020
Upcoming Important Dates SCHEDULE CHANGES - THANKSGIVING WEEK During the week of November 23rd (Thanksgiving Week) November 26 & 27 - No school, Thanksgiving December 8 - Virtual Info Session A-Day Monday (periods 1-4) December 23 - No School, Winter Break Begins B-Day Tuesday (periods 5-8) January 4 - School Resumes C-Day Wednesday (100% Asynchronous)
No School Thursday and Friday
Lueth Letter Dear TCA families, Wednesday Schedule Change As we have finished up quarter one, we are Beginning on Wednesday December 2, 2020 looking forward to quarter two and beyond. Per the Governor’s Executive Order 20-94 all Minnesota To make sure that we are serving your public schools who are serving students in either a distance family and student(s) in the best possible way, we are learning or hybrid model are required to allow an additional seeking your input through our short family survey. You can 150 minutes per week for teacher preparation time. find the link to that survey in this newsletter, below. This new Executive Order combined with the need for more We are also looking forward to meeting with all of you student support time, assignment work time, and to help tomorrow, Saturday November 21st, during conferences. with Zoom fatigue, has led TCA to adopt a new plan for C Conferences are a great time to have individual Days (Wednesdays) for the remainder of the school year conversations with your student's advisor to share how regardless of what Phase we are in. things are going as well. Beginning on Wednesday December 2, 2020, following will It seems that, unfortunately due to the growing cases of be the new schedule for students and teachers.
COVID-19, distance learning will continue through quarter 9:15 - 11:50 - Teachers will hold office hours, individual two. We are fortunate to have students who are attending check-ins and allow for asynchronous work time for daily and engaging well in classes, but we know this students. No additional assignments or work will be assigned continues to be a huge strain on everyone from our staff, C Days (Wednesdays) going forward. It is designed to be a teachers, students and parents/guardians. Your input is very student instructional support day. important to us so we can continue to problem solve and 12:00 - 1:00 - All clubs that were formally held from find ways to make this situation as good as possible. 2:00-3:00 prior to this change will meet. We also continue to encourage all families and students to 1:00 - 2:00 - All clubs that were formally held from 3:00-4:00 follow the health guidelines by avoiding gathering with people other than immediate family members, wearing prior to this change will meet. masks, social distancing and washing hands. All of these 2:00 - 4:00 - Students are done with their day at 2 p.m. All things together over the next couple of months will help in teachers will have additional preparation time during this achieving our community health goals so we can open up block. school, sports and extracurriculars sooner rather than later.
Until next week, be well and take care of yourself and others!
Betsy
COVID Updates Let us hear your voice! COVID affects different people in different ways We understand how challenging this year and (some people do not get a fever). Currently, the last spring has been for all of us. TCA is doing its CDC and MN Department of Health are strongly very best to bring a supportive and high quality learning recommending that you go in and get tested experience to all students. We know that we don’t always with ONE new symptom: a runny nose, a new cough, a new get it right, and that in these unusual times we need to be headache that is not normal to you, new digestive willing to hear feedback and adjust to ensure we are giving interruption. Being tested with any of those symptoms, even the best we can to everyone. if the test returns negative, will help the medical community learn more about how and under what circumstances this Please fill out this short survey to help us plan for the next virus spreads, what age groups are most affected and in quarter and even the next semester. We know that the what ways. pandemic may not end soon, but we also know we can keep checking in and keep what is going well and consider Additionally, If your student has an appointment on campus, changing what is not, if we can. please fill out the Symptom Checker the evening before, or Fill out the survey here morning of your arrival on site. If you do not receive a link to the Checker, please contact me and I will email one to you. ------WE NEED YOUR HELP TODAY! Resources Twin Cities Academy relies on families filling out The Ramsey County Child’s Mental Health Collaborative has Free and Reduced Priced Lunch forms each year many resources for schools to help support children’s for federal and state funding. TCA faces losing thousands of dollars in funding next year. PLEASE FILL OUT THE FORM mental health. WHETHER YOU THINK YOU QUALIFY OR NOT, and get it in The MN Black Community COVID-19 Hotline is staffed to by December 6th. You can fill it out online through the support Minnesota’s African American Community through Parent Portal on Infinite Campus. Log on to the portal, go to the Pandemic, 24 hours a day/7 days a week. The phone “More”, then “Applications” number is 612-254-1145. Staff are available to provide callers with info about virus testing sites, resources for food security, physical and mental health, employment, housing, Food Resources Free Meals for Kids app helps families and kids childcare, legal rights and other COVID-19 related challenges. locate free healthy meals across Minnesota until December 31, 2020. The app shows HACER (Hispanic Advocacy and Community Empowerment locations of schools and other sites that are Through Research) is staffing a COVID-19 Hotline, providing providing meals and meal packs, with days and information in English and Spanish about testing, hours for distribution. It also shows the distance and self-isolating, and resources. The phone number is directions to the nearest site from your location. The app is 651-304-6145 and is answered Weekdays from 8 am – 5:30 updated regularly. pm Search Free Meals for Kids wherever you download apps. ------ ------GET TESTED! There will be a Food Drive-Thru at TCA on Thursdays from The Minnesota Department of Health highly recommends 11am - 1pm through December 10th. that all people in Minnesota between the ages of 18 and 35 Pull into the bus lane off of Birmingham St. get tested immediately. Based on data at the MDH, it You will receive 7 breakfasts, 7 lunches, and milk (first appears that people in this age range are often come, first served while supplies last) asymptomatic and may be unknowingly contributing to the ------spread of the virus. Free Food for Adults and Children Now! TCA is now offering free meals for both children and adults. Free testing sites: Nasal Swab Community Test Sites Ms. Ausen is working to offer many new food options for Saliva Community Test Sites both delivery and pick up for TCA families. TCA delivers Order a Free At-Home Saliva Test meals to families on Wednesdays and offers pick up on
Thursdays.
To sign up please email [email protected] Attendance Reminder
If your student needs to be absent from a class, for
an appointment, vacation, ANYTHING, please call
(651-205-4797) or email ([email protected]) so it can be excused. Enrollment is OPEN for the 2021-2022 Free Community Led Well-Being School Year!!! Sessions Promoting our school is even more difficult Allina Health’s teen mental well-being initiative, Change to Chill (CTC), is this year with the pandemic, and we need your help. TCA is offering virtual school partnering with Hennepin County Public Health to promote free virtual mental well-being sessions to teens and parents tours, virtual informational sessions and even virtual shadow days in the upcoming months. PLEASE help us spread the word most impacted by COVID-19 throughout the metro area. about our great school. Find more information here
There is lots of information on our website and Facebook page Sessions for Parents & Caregivers of: Native American Teens - Tues, Dec. 1, 7PM. Register here. to share with potential new families. New families can also Black/African American Teens - Tues, Dec 8, 7PM. Register reach out to Erin Spector at [email protected] for more information and even fill out an application for next here. year online. Sessions for Teens (age: 13 – 19 years): Native American Teens - Thurs, Dec 3, 7PM. Register here. We also encourage you to help us with video testimonials of LGBTQIA+ Teens - Mon, Dec 7, 7PM. Register here. your experience at TCA, which can also be sent to [email protected] or leave a review about your Black/African American Teens - Thurs, Dec 10, 7PM. TCA experience using the following links: Register here.
Great Schools - Leave a Review! Niche - Leave a Review! The Suburban Ramsey Family Collaborative and Ramsey Co Children's Mental Health are teaming up Thank you all for your help with this, we are stronger together, to host monthly resource fairs for the remainder of and know that TCA will continue to be a strong school in the 2020. future through your kind words and encouragement to potential new families and students. Thursday, Dec. 17th, 3-4:30
Parents/ caregivers will have the opportunity to meet and Mindfulness Continues at TCA! will learn about community resources, such as housing support/rental assistance, basic needs/food support, On Thursday Nov 12th several of us gathered via parenting support, and mental health/well being. Receive a Zoom with Drew from Mindfulness Consulting to $20 gift card for attending! (by zoom) Be entered into a learn some easy ways to help ourselves find a raffle to win prizes such as a pizza night, movies, fidgets sense of calm in the crazy! It is a very relaxing time. Drew will and more! Register here continue to bring ideas for practicing Mindfulness that can be shared with your family, every month. The Librarian is in! The next TCA Family Mindfulness Night will be on Thursday December 10th at 6 p.m. All are welcome. Please watch this If a student would like to check out a book, search the TCA newsletter in the coming weeks to sign up to join us. Library electronic catalog Students may email [email protected] to Until then, here is one practice you can start today: FOCUS FINGERS request a book.
Students can come pick up the library book from school and the librarian will bring the book The yearbook staff needs your photos! Students, please send in all your great photos from out to your car at an arranged time. the summer and the school year. Since we are not in Students can use their Library Go virtual library card to the building and yearbook staff cannot go out to take photos, access the St. Paul Public Library WE NEED YOUR HELP if you want to have a yearbook this year! Questions or concerns? Please Visit tcayearbook.com and click on "Submit Your Photo" or contact the librarian Ms. Lynn e-mail it directly to Mrs. Neilson at Delesha at [email protected] [email protected]
TCA still has a few spots left in all grades except 7th! If you know someone who may be interested, encourage them to reach out to Erin Spector, at [email protected] for more information about enrolling this year at TCA.