Home Learning FAQs

Even during Phase 1-3, we ask that you let the office know if your student(s) will be unavailable or absent during the day. This will allow us to put a note on your student’s account and avoid your student being marked absent during virtual learning. You may notify us through the IC Parent Portal, emailing meadowlark.attendance@bvsd.org or calling 720-561-5404. Please do not email the Learning Community teachers regarding arranged student absences (ie. trips, appts, illness, etc.).  

Attendance will be tracked based on participation in live sessions, completion of assignments and tasks, and communication with teachers. We also ask that students log into Schoology/Seesaw each day to make sure they have everything they need to learn from home. 

It is our expectation that students are logged on and engaged in learning in Phase 1+ Home Learning just as if they were in the school building.  If your student is going to be absent, you are asked to report that absence in your student’s IC portal.  The online absence form on the school website has been removed and all attendance is to be reported in the IC portal.

Mondays will be a day where students complete assignments on their own. This will be the only day of the week when learning will be asynchronous (students may complete their assignments on their own schedule). Teachers will be meeting, collaborating, learning and planning to prepare for the week. Teachers  need ample time to prepare meaningful and engaging online instruction. Mondays provide teachers time to collaborate with their colleagues as they create engaging online content and lessons.  Monday is also “Launch Day” where assignments and activities for the week will be posted. Parents and students will know what is expected of them for the remainder of the week and how to receive additional support if needed.  Teachers will  upload their class content into the Learning Management System (PK-2: Seesaw | 3-8: Schoology) for the week. Throughout the course of the year, this will allow families to access their content anytime, even as we transition into in-person learning opportunities. 

There will not be late start Wednesdays for the 20-21 school year.

We will not be asking families for a supply donation as long as we remain in Phase 1. If we progress to Phases 2-3, there may be a prorated request for a supply donation. Teaching teams will be sending lists of very basic supplies to families by Friday, August 14.  Please reach out to any of the principals if your family needs support with materials.  

Teachers will be communicating as soon as they have their class lists to let parents know the best way to communicate and stay connected throughout the school year. They will let you know where to access all class content. All assignments, learning materials and resources will be made available to families by Monday of each week. Teachers will be uploading content into Seesaw (Grades PK-2) and Schoology (Grades 3-8) by Monday of each week. Students can expect to receive weekly feedback on their academic progress.  Grades will be updated weekly within Infinite Campus for the 5/6 and 7/8 Learning Communities. Please note that teachers may use other online tools such as Google Classroom, but this content will be linked in Schoology or Seesaw to ensure families only need to access one platform for all their learning needs. 

Due to the current Phase 1+ guidelines, we are unable to host an in person orientation and tours.  Our Counseling T-eam will be reaching out to our new families grades 1-8 to set up a virtual New Family Coffee Talk. Our Preschool and Kindergarten teams will be reaching out to our newest Mav families to do the same.

We regularly schedule distribution days throughout the year.  If you are need of a Chromebook, please follow the directions below.

- If you need to request to borrow a Chromebook for the first time to use during Home Learning, please fill out this form. 

- If you currently have a BVSD Chromebook to use for Home Learning and are experiencing issues with it, please fill out this form.  

Families may always call the Meadowlark office at 720-561-5403 with any questions. Current BVSD families can receive help with the Annual Data Update (ADU), Free and Reduced Lunch Applications and Open Enrollment Applications.  New families can receive help with Online Registration (OLR), Early Childhood Education Applications (ECE - Preschool) and Open Enrollment Applications.

Please see this Help Center page for more information including video walkthroughs of these processes and how to make an in person appointment if needed.

The “Mav Minute” is our email communication and will be published every Friday to our school website as well as sent to all our families.  Our school website is filled with lots of information to keep you updated and connected.  Be sure to “LIKE” our Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/meadowlarkschoolBVSD/ 

Please make time to read the important information in the Meadowlark School Student and Family Handbook with your student(s).  Parents/guardians and students are asked to click "SUBMIT" at the end.  This e-signature confirms that you have read the information, understand it, and agree to adhere to it.  This is required for all families.

Students will be enrolled in three sections of classes: AM, PM, and Specials. AM and PM will contain the learning community class that matches the student’s grade level and will list the huddle teacher. For the 2020-2021 school year only, students are grouped by grade level with one individual teacher for their academic support. As we are preparing for the possible transition to in-person instruction, careful consideration must be made for potential contact with live adults and other children. The teacher for AM and PM should be the same. Specials are scheduled on an A/B/C rotation and each of those classes will be visible. Please note which day and teacher the student has for specials. Your child should have a music, art, and PE course. No class will appear in PM2.

• If you need to request to borrow a Chromebook for the first time to use during Home Learning, please fill out this form.
• If you currently have a BVSD Chromebook to use for Home Learning and are experiencing issues with it, please fill out this form.

Our IT department has also put together this troubleshooting guide that may help with any common errors you experience. Questions? Please email Meadowlark.School@bvsd.org.

HelpAtSchools hosts our online parent/student directory.  The directory lists students and parents by grade, and parent phone numbers and emails.  It is accessible only to verified parents/guardians, and lists only those families that agree to be listed.  You can control your privacy preferences from the Account Settings page on HelpAtSchools.  So be on the lookout for an email from HelpAtSchools inviting you to opt-in or opt-out of the Meadowlark directory.

How to Sign Up for a HelpAtSchools Account

• Go to https://bvsd.helpatschools.com/schools/select_school, select Meadowlark, and click on Login Or Create Account 

• Find the I’d like to create an account section and fill in your email address.
  Be sure to use the same email you use for Infinite Campus.
  Click Send Signup Link.

• Check your email for a message from HelpAtSchools.
  Click the link in the email to complete your registration.

If the teacher is absent, we will attempt to get a substitute for the class. BVSD  has subs that are being assigned just to ML8 only.

As we prepare for the transition to Phase 2+, we would like your help in ensuring that we have students properly assigned to the right mode of learning. If you would like to opt your student out of in-person learning for any of the opportunities that we have mentioned thus far, you can change your student’s preferences now following these instructions.

We are asking that at this time parents who want to switch back to in-person learning work with us on timing for this. We may need a little time to find a placement for families wanting to switch back to in-person learning.

We will be once again sending a Mode of Learning confirmation email next week with the current mode your student is in and, again, instructions on how to opt-out of in-person learning. We would ask all those considering opting out of in-person learning to do so by September 22. For those in Grades 3-12, we also ask you to update your learning preferences so that we have the most accurate data when evaluating more opportunities.

With equity as a focus, the following specific student groups will be offered in-person opportunities:

Learners with the most intensive needs - By September 29
Students in our most intensive special education programs will be among the first welcomed back to school. As long as they are able to meet health precautions, including the wearing of face coverings, and maintain social distancing they will be able to return to in-person learning two days a week for students in grades 3-12 and four days a week for students in grades K-2 beginning with the implementation of Phase 2 +. In an effort to ramp up to the implementation of phase 2+ we are beginning a pilot roll-out for students in our HS intensive programs that will provide them the opportunity to participate in 2 half days designed to support their access to home learning. This is set to start September 8th. 

K-2 Return to the Classroom - Starting September 29
As you might recall, our youngest learners have been one of our biggest concerns from the very beginning. Education is extremely important for each and every one of our students, but our Working Advisory Group acknowledged that this time is especially precious for our kindergarten through second-grade students, who are laying their educational foundations. Research has shown that if students fall behind in these early grades, it is incredibly difficult for them to catch up. Not to mention that we also recognize that children at this age also require a lot more one-on-one support. They are less-able to stay still during synchronous learning opportunities or complete assignments independently and therefore the lessons are a larger burden on our families.

As a result, as long as they are able to meet health precautions, including the wearing of face coverings, we will be offering the opportunity for up to four days of in-person instruction for this age group.

We hope to follow shortly after with a reintroduction of preschool students, but this will take a little extra time because we are needing to reassign staff members who were temporarily utilized for childcare, back to preschool classes. 

BVSD and Boulder County Public Health are closely monitoring all COVID related data. Three key metrics influence decisions about in-person learning:

1. # of confirmed cases/100,000 population with 2.9% (2900) cases being the threshol

2. % of people being tested with a positive result (<5% is goal

3. Sudden increases or “spikes” in data

   • BVSD and BoCo Public Health are closely monitoring community data with students returning to the University of Colorado. Last week, there were 470 new confirmed cases of COVID. CU has implemented a mandatory self-quarantine protocol and is working to slow the spread of the disease. BVSD and BoCoPH are watching the recent trends closely, but as of 9/17 feel it is still safe for students to return to school.

How Sick is too Sick - A Guide to keeping your child home vs sending them to school 

1. At Home Screener: Daily, before going to school, parents/guardians will check their child(ren)’s temperature and fill in a questionnaire screener.

   • BVSD Website: Parents/Guardians are required to complete a Daily Health Check in Infinite Campus each morning before their child attends school or other on-site activity.

     • Instructions for parents are available in English and Spanish

     • Access Parent Portal in IC via: 

       • bvsd.org - Quicklinks

2. • • • BVSD Parent Tools - Sign into Daily Health Check Form

       • Infinite Campus Parent Portal

       • The QR code on the screening signage provided to each school

     • Parents will receive an immediate response after submitting the form and an email confirmation with either  ‘Your child is cleared to attend school today, Date’ or ‘Your child is not cleared to attend school today, Date’.

   • ***Meadowlark School Easy Reference Sheet - CLICK HERE

3. Required Face Masks: COVID-19 is spread by small droplets while breathing, speaking, etc. By having everyone wear masks, it significantly reduces the risk of transmission. All students and adults are required to wear a mask on BVSD property except when in a private vehicle or while isolated in a room with doors closed. 

4. Meadowlark School Building Entry Points - 8:30 AM Soft Start: Students will be greeted by adults at each entrance and reminded to properly wear masks into the building. 

5. Frequent Handwashing and Sanitation: Throughout the day, handwashing will be scheduled and required before, after and during certain activities, like eating lunch. 

6. Physical Distancing, when possible: While we are not requiring that students under the age of 8  be kept six feet apart, we recognize that distance is a valuable prevention strategy. Whenever possible, we will encourage the practice of physical distancing.  

7. Sanitizing and Disinfecting: Throughout the day, our custodial crew, as well as our staff and students, will wipe surfaces of materials, desks, chairs, counters etc.. to ensure our spaces are as clean as possible.  Our restrooms are well marked for safe use and are cleaned twice an hour all throughout the day.  Our learning communities and all schoolwide spaces are disinfected and sanitized each afternoon/evening as the day comes to a close.

The At Home Screener that is required to be done by all parents/guardians of students and all staff members EACH DAY, prior to entering the school building is real time data.  We have two staff members monitoring both the staff and student screeners.  If the screener indicates a possible or confirmed test, there are protocols in place for immediate response for the school with support from BVSD and Boulder County Public Health. Any student displaying possible COVID related symptoms will be sent home with guidelines for parents to follow prior to students returning to school. 

We will communicate to families anytime there is a presumed or confirmed positive test.  If a teacher or  student in a cohort tests positive,  the cohort will transition to Home Learning during a 14 day  quarantine. 

Schools are currently building plans to return K-2 students based on the student preferences in IC. Requests to return to in-person instruction will be based on availability in each grade level.  The Meadowlark principals will review our enrollment numbers and space available on October 14. We ask parents who are interested in returning to in-person to email brent.caldwell@bvsd.org to discuss availability and a possible timeline to begin. 

In order for your child to have the most consistent and high quality experience, we need them in school as consistently as possible. Families should commit to in-person or online schooling and make every effort to have your child attend regularly. Students enrolled in in-person classes will have limited opportunities to participate in daily virtual  instruction when absent to ensure the essential skills are learned.  We will look at special circumstances on a case by case basis. 

The USDA has allowed all students to eat for free until January.  K-2 students are still welcome to bring lunch or eat for free. Students will eat in the heart, in the courtyard, or in their classroom. Students will go through the lunch line to pick up their boxed lunch, but there will no longer be an open salad bar.  You can view the lunch menu HERE.

Transportation eligible intensive special education students and general education K-2 students can receive busing. The district did switch to an opt-in process for transportation this year and asked families to do that over the summer. If you have not done that, please log in to Infinite Campus parent portal, select More- and go to Transportation Options under Quick Links. For questions or to change options, call BVSD Transportation at 720-561-5120.  We are still encouraging families who have the ability to walk or drive their kid to school. We would like to leave spots for those who really need it.

A cohort is another word for class/group, a small group of staff/students in close contact for a period of time. The huddle teacher is your child’s cohort teacher.  This cohort will be together all day - in person - 4 days a week, Tuesday through Friday. We changed to a traditional "classroom" model to accommodate this guideline.

4 days a week T-F.  Students with ICAN services - 2 days a week in person according to their A or B cohort and 2 days a week remote learning.  BVSD Integrated Preschool is set to return in a hybrid model on Tuesday, October 6, 2020.

Students are allowed to work with up to 4 adults within the cohort (close contact): ex: huddle teacher, para, sped teacher. This helps us close a cohort if there is a positive test. Close contact is defined as less than 6’ and more than 15 minutes.  Bus driver, custodians, food service, and your principal walking through a learning community do not quality as an adult contact in the matrix.  

There is not a maximum size of a cohort. 19-25 for ML8, which is our typical size.

Students will not be mixing in different cohorts. 

 One cohort at a time may visit the Curiosity Center.  It is recommended however that books from the CC be brought to each cohort to be shared within that classroom.  All books returned to the CC will be sanitized and placed on a 72 hour time hold for a period of decontamination.

Specials will be virtual at the start of Phase 2+ and we hope to go live as quickly as possible. The goal will be to have specials live!  We will work to have our Specials teachers come to the classroom/cohort to teach in person and to use the main gym for PE.  Of course, we have to navigate what the cohort guidelines are and build around that.

Preschool will have a Tuesday - Friday schedule beginning Tuesday, Oct 6th 2020.  Our Preschool team will be sending out information soon. 

Yes, please see the information on childcare below.

Community Schools is offering childcare for preschool age children in our Color Me Smart program and for grades K-8 in our School-Aged Care (SAC) program. They are committed to ensuring families in need of child care receive that care. They will work with families on an individual basis during this ever-changing and challenging time. Please visit their website: https://childcare.bvsd.org/ for the most accurate and up-to-date information. Contact  bvsd.childcare@bvsd.org with questions. There is a bilingual specialist on staff to support Spanish speaking families and most information is translated into Spanish on their website.

All Community Schools Child Care Programs are licensed by Colorado Department of Human Services and Boulder County Public Health. They provide a quiet place for students to do school work with the support of our child care professionals. Students can bring their own devices; additional devices are available for those in need; there is high speed internet at all sites.

Rates: BVSD Community Schools Child Care Program rates have been reduced below market rates for school age children. Our most updated rates can be found at BVSD Community Schools Fall COVID-Adjusted Child Care Rates. This information is also available on our website.

CDC/BoCo Health have stated that children who are 8 years and under test asymptomatic (not coughing and sneezing - primary mode of transmission), they do not have to maintain social distancing and as long as they wear a mask they can be together in a classroom (Cohort).

We have three kinder classes - two returning in person and one staying online. We have three 1st grade classes returning in person and one staying online.  We have three 2nd grade classes returning in person and one staying online.  We will be using two kindergarten classrooms for kinder. In the 1-2 LC, we will be using all four learning studios, the flex studio, and the makerspace.  We will be using the heart space, outside learning areas, playground, fields, etc. 

We will have recess/lunch. If students go out with their own cohort they can have a mask break. If they go out with more than one cohort, they have to keep their masks on. We will require hand washing protocols many times throughout the day, including returning from outside.  Our heart space (square footage) allows up to three cohorts to eat inside at one time. We will use that for lunch times and rotate between classes. We have the courtyard that can be used for lunch as well as classrooms.  The Heart will be cleaned and disinfected between groups. 

Yes.  We need all K-2 students to submit the online Walking Field Trip permission form by the start date of September 29, 2020.  

Great question! At Meadowlark, our teams share responsibility for all students in a learning community. It is important that the entire 3/4 Learning Community use one learning platform. Over the summer, the 3/4 teaching team took several classes on managing Schoology and have developed robust lessons and resources for our students to use in Schoology. Schoology allows for assigned breakout sessions similar to Zoom, which the team feels is instrumental in being able to differentiate and group students according to learning goals. 

Due to the current Phase 1+ guidelines, we are unable to have any middle level athletic programs right now.  We will send out information regarding potential clubs, once we have the information.

We will begin capturing the start of our school year remotely and need our families to be the #1 contributors to that!  Shannon Kaple, ML8 Communications, will be sending out information on how to send in your beginning of the year photos and beyond!  No photo is too silly or too serious.  Keep an eye out for Shannon’s email and keep your finger on the shutter button! In the meantime please send any photos of your student’s first day of school to meadowlark.communications@bvsd.org 

AM

• Advisory: This is the student’s huddle and the teacher will be your child’s huddle teacher.
• 5th Grade: All students scheduled for this course.
• Math: This will appear ONLY IF the student is not in 5th grade math. 5th graders in 5th grade math do NOT need a math course listed separately.

SPECIALS

Specials are scheduled on an A/B/C rotation and each of those classes will be visible. Each student should have an art, music, and PE course. Please note which day and teacher the student has for specials.

PM

Advisory: This is the student’s afternoon huddle and the teacher should match the AM huddle teacher.

PM2

This should be blank

Advanced Math

Students in the 5-6 LC taking a math course in the 7-8 LC will need to toggle between our schedules to see their math course. The drop down menu that reads “20-21 Meadowlark School (Main)” will need to be switched to “20-21 Meadowlark School (7-8).”

AM

• Advisory: This is the student’s huddle and the teacher will be your child’s huddle teacher.
• Health: All students scheduled for this course.
• Math: The specific math class for the student should be listed here.

• SPECIALS

• Specials are scheduled on an A/B/C rotation and each of those classes will be visible. Each student should have an art, music, and PE course. Please note which day and teacher the student has for specials.

PM

• Advisory: This is the student’s afternoon huddle and the teacher should match the AM huddle teacher.
• Middle Level English Language Arts: All students scheduled for this course.
• 6th Reading: All students scheduled for this course.
• 6th Science: All students scheduled for this course.
• 6th Social Studies: All students scheduled for this course.

• PM2 This should be blank

AM

• Math: The specific math class for the student should be listed here.
• Advisory: This is the student’s huddle and the teacher will be the student’s huddle teacher.

SPECIALS

7th graders should have a black day and gold day elective. One of these courses should be PE and the other should be music or art. Please note which day and teacher the student has for specials.

PM

Advisory: This is the student’s huddle. The teacher should match the AM advisory course

7th grade science: All students scheduled for this course.

7th grade social studies: All students scheduled for this course.

7th grade language arts: All students scheduled for this course.

Click here to access the Meadowlark A/B/C (K-6) and Black/Gold (7-8) schedule. Students will attend each special for two weeks before rotating to the next class. K-6 will attend on the A/B/C rotation and 7-8 will attend on the Black/Gold rotation. The time listed for your students specials is not the time for their grade level, use the LC schedule linked above.