Last week over 160 people join our first live, remote yoga class! 2. The same subscription form can also be used to opt-out if you no longer wish to participate. She has 15 years of classroom teaching experience and a master's degree in literacy education. Teachers' Acts of Kindness During Coronavirus. The CRT also recommends that community members limit personal travel. There are many ways to help ensure the integrity of the learning and assessment processes. Dear William & Mary Faculty, Staff & Students. The full Board will meet electronically on Tuesday, May 12th.President Katherine Rowe and the senior leadership team briefed us on the various efforts across campus to respond to the crisis and prepare for the future. In order to ensure due process for students who are reported to have violated the Healthy Together Commitment, all COVID-related matters will be addressed via Administrative Resolution by the Community Values and Restorative Practices (CVRP. Tickets for the highly . Honorlock is FERPA compliant and uses securely encrypted protocols to save and view all test \-taker assets. COVID-19 poses an unprecedented threat to public health; so too this pandemic threatens the financial health of millions of households and institutions around the globe. Our largest expenditures are on salaries for the faculty and staff who support teaching, learning, researchand our varied university operations, from student financial aid specialists, to career services, to facilities. One aspect of our being able to reconvene this fall with health and safety foremost in mind is agreeing on best practices, and then committing to them, through the Healthy Together Community Commitment. If you intend to select Pass/Fail, you must do so in Banner during the extended withdrawal period, which now ends on Monday March 30 at 11:59 pm. For more information on meal plans, please visit, June 25-July 7 -- Registration for undergraduate transfer students, July 8 New student housing assignments announced, July 8, 5 p.m. Meal plan selection deadline, July 15 Details about orientation, residence hall check-in, and move-in process announced, July 15 Listing of fall course delivery available (including delivery mode designations), Week of August 3 Continuing students and new transfer students can make changes to schedules, Aug 8-11 Returning Students Phase I move-in (returning students with a need to arrive early), Aug 12-14 New Student move-in (freshman, transfers, Joint Degree Programme), Aug 13-18 Returning Students Phase II move-in (all other returning students). 101 JFK Parkway | Short Hills, NJ | 07078 | (973) 921-5500. We recognize the stress this uncertainty places on students, families, faculty, staff and the communities we belong to. William & Marys responsibility to steward our resources prudently is understandably at front of mind for all in this community. As many of you know, Sam Jones retired at the beginning of December after an exemplary career at William & Mary, capped by his able leadership of the COVID-19 Response Team. 14. In addition to maintaining students' attention through devices and teaching the planned curriculum, they also have to adopt new technology and tools, accommodate students' different home environments and varying access to resources, and create a safe . will be limited for those with compelling reasons to be present, such as international students. On April 28, a video was shared on YouTube featuring the principal, teachers and staff members of the Van Holten Primary School. - Ed. While many students are complying with the rules and regulations set forth in our Healthy Together Community Commitment,too many are not. If you, yourself, are a dorm resident who is having difficulty with your plan for moving out by Wednesday and you have not notified the Dean of Students Office, please do so right away by clicking here. We will continue to work to ensure that we follow the science as we enhance our testing capacity. Helping Children Cope With Changes Resulting From COVID-19 In our residential setting, we interpret this as roommate/suitemate groups. I am confident that will be the case in the coming days and weeks. Students will have an opportunity to review and affirm the Healthy Together Community Commitment through the Personal Information Questionnaire that is being deployed today. How to Support Teachers' Emotional Needs Right Now - Greater Good You can find details of our meeting here. This is the second time in its history that a BOV committee met virtually under rules established by the Attorney General in response to the State of Emergency in Virginia. Here are three examples: "When I introduce an assignment, I allow students to choose a breakout room. In these trying times, this school staff has gone the extra mile to make sure their students know they are missed. 11-year-old Aaron. I write to share essential information for students. This has been a very difficult year for us all. W&M will provide each student a free COVID-19 saliva test, mailed in advance of returning. The students were tearful that even though we couldnt all hug each other in real life the connection among the students and with their faculty member was as in many ways as strong as it would have been in person, she said. Were hoping students will be supportive and kind to each other remotely as well. Connect with school staff. In 2020, they also have to deal with. As the semester winds down, I write to share my gratitude for your steadfast and creative efforts over the past nine months of pandemic. For more inspiring messages, check out these inspirational quotes about hope and healing. "The Lord gives His toughest battles to His strongest soldiers". Knowing how much this semester matters, to so many, this email updates you on issues at the front of many of our minds: You are likely aware of the news about positive COVID-19 cases at some colleges and universities. A return to campus, like all aspects of life, carries with it potential risk. We are in wholly new territory and will learn as we go, together. Teachers Share Uplifting Message to Their Students Amid Coronavirus Pandemic In these trying times, this school staff has gone the extra mile to make sure their students know they are. For more transparency, weve created a graphic that sketches these three strands of work and their relationship to each other. A university-wide policy on travel reimbursements is posted online. 20 inspirational quotes to lift you up - Kids Help Phone We teachers feel a love for students thats hard for other people to imagine. School outbreak. "Thank you very much for doing that video. To plan your vaccine, head to NBC's Plan Your Vaccine site at PlanYourVaccine.com. All of our lives have been upended by COVID-19 and we will all be balancing competing demands for some time to come. Isolation of asymptomatic individuals awaiting test results is NOT the recommendation of trusted authorities such as the CDC or VDH. Yet I look forward to the coming months with optimism. They become our families each year and we love them fiercely, even when they cant follow through or act out or dont do the work. Our community has generously given to the university through our, Academic Advising has helpful tips on their website. With students due to return from spring break and reports of presumptive cases in our region, we are taking further steps to ensure we meet these goals. Wash your hands. These prudent measures ultimately increase our ability to be together as a community by decreasing the density on campus at a critical time. Because of health concerns and regulations, Richards couldnt return to teaching her students in person. We have heard the concerns expressed by many students and faculty about this falls compressed semester. Teachers hope students create art in any way that matters to them. I believe this and I hope it for each one of you. The creativity and resilience of our people have proved our most valuable resources. At this time room selection for returning students for the 2020-2021 Academic Year will proceed on schedule online, including Priority Housing. Room Selection. We will have a clearer picture of this impact when the state closes the books for this fiscal year and revises its revenue forecast later this summer. While Virginia remains in Phase III, the fall is uncertain, and we recognize that families may not feel safe traveling here from elsewhere. After discussion with Student Assembly leadership, we are also emphasizing the following for this coming week: Thank you again for taking the necessary steps to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 on our campus and in the local community. Simply browse our wellness departments' resource pages or our App and dive into something that speaks to you. And finally, how W&M might take the lead in issuing broad calls to service at this critical time, in order to strengthen our communities near and far. It is important to realize, however, that elimination of all risk is not possible. Come and share in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook. Greeting Card Messages In The Time Of Coronavirus - Ideas & Inspiration Mask up. So, we asked the teachers in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook to share their messages to students during COVID-19 school closures. While the governor loosened some restrictions, William & Marys requirements remain in place, to minimize spread of the COVID-19 virus: So far, your compliance with these basic requirements has resulted in a limited number of positive cases in the community. We have posted programs, videos and articles to enhance your wellness and resilience, including live wellness and fitness programs. More details on delivery and additional instructional time and content will appear in the syllabus. During the social distancing of COVID-19, we have been looking for ways to stay in close contact with you. We make these decisions in conjunction with the advice of local health authorities, recognizing that the Peninsula Health District, in which our main campus resides, has a dense concentration of positive COVID-19 test results now including individuals on our campus. "Just keep swimming." Dory, Finding Nemo. Celebrating the work of W&M faculty, staff and students. Our goals have been, and continue to be: to safeguard this communitys health and wellbeing, to the best of our ability so that students can continue to learn and live together and faculty and staff can continue in the work they are passionate about. We must remain vigilant so that we can move quickly to identify positive cases and potential exposures. Our Health & Wellness team is working to create a Virtual Wellness Center that includes a variety of wellness and fitness resources for students to access online. We will continue to gather for virtual Community Conversations on a weekly basis. Heres to you, William & Marys remarkable Class of 2020! The sobering lesson is that the William & Mary community needs to be all in on our strict health and safety protocols, on and off campus. Teachers can be positive role models for their students. Teaching and Parenting During COVID-19: Tips from Fordham Educators 2023 E! The following are available for consultation and referral as needed: Undergraduates: Shelly Laurenzo, Office of Academic AdvisingGraduate School of A&S: Chasity Roberts, Assistant to the DeanGraduate School of Ed: Jim Barber (returning students), Dot Osborne (new students)Other Graduate Schools: Contact your school registrar. A multi-tiered system of supports ( MTSS) framework, like positive behavioral interventions and supports, relies on a continuum of evidence-based practices matched to student needs. Please share your suggestions via our question box. But despite the changes, Mills said there have been positive effects. We are asking you to continue following W&Ms policies developed with such mutual respect in mind. I just really miss them. Cory L. WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook. Safety measures being taken in the area of Campus Dining were detailed in Sam Jones. So I hope you will consider renewing your annual support for the areas of the university where you traditionally give. Being away from our students has been a rude awakening, and were feeling all kinds of emotions. Suzanne Tomlin, a fifth grade science and math teacher at Willis Elementary, decided to call her students at various times this week, as well as speaking with their parents. All rights reserved. The coronavirus pandemic and school shutdowns have forced schools to go remote, creating a whole new set of extra difficulties for teachers. Our Wonderful Students: I hope this message finds you and all you love doing well. For students, staff and faculty who are traveling and for their families taking prudent action now increases their ability to plan. Students are strongly encouraged to return home or stay home. You are required to wear a face covering when in university housing hallways, other shared spaces and hall baths (except when actively washing, brushing teeth, etc.). To support that effort, yesterday, Provost Agouris shared temporary adjustments to grading policy for this semester that provide options to undergraduate students in different situations. Verified disregard for mask-wearing, social distancing and other practices will not be tolerated. We will continue to add to this calendar overview so all students have the dates that are most critical to planning for fall. How Teachers Are Coping With the New Realities of the COVID-19 Classroom More will be needed in the weeks ahead. We wish you the greatest success during this extraordinary period and into the future. Your source for entertainment news, celebrities, celeb news, and celebrity gossip. We write to share W&Ms plans for both in-person and virtual celebrations. As I said in last weeks Town Hall, W&M students bring a special and very powerful commitment to building community. I have heard from so many of you over the last week and our sense of shared purpose is strong. So the deans, faculty, and staff are empowering each other to explore as many solutions as warranted for each discipline and each students learning situation. As. I have cautious good news to share about our return-to-campus testing positivity rates so far, which are very low. COVID-19 testing is relatively new and questions are understandable. We will continue to share updates as new information becomes available, create opportunities for feedback and find ways to connect virtually. We are making decisions in a phased, evidence-based way and understand extreme flexibility is essential to our plan. Testing frequency and population percentage may vary based on campus trends and available testing methods. I am so grateful for our communitys outpouring of support, yet many students continue to have an urgent need for longer-term housing and food. Today, we are announcing rebates for the spring semester, for eligible students, as follows. Teachers hope students take the time to figure out what they love and find out more about it. Do not be the person who causes us to shut down this semester. The heart of Round Rock ISD teacher, Natalie Wieland, has been with her students since what was thought would be a short break away turned into an indefinite stay at home learning model. I also understand that COVID-19 has drastically hurt chances to see your friends and to get more involved; just stay positive and things will be back to normal soon. Slots are first come, first served. For Fall 2020, the university is preparing for an early opening and a primarily in-person semester, adapting our curriculum and operations consistent with Virginias public health guidelines for higher education. I am especially grateful to the students who have been on campus for several weeks already and who are modeling the way. We will continue to reach out to you with updates and information we think you may find useful. The pandemic sparked more appreciation for teachers, but will it give We want to hear your voice and believe this app will help us better stay in touch with student opinions as we plan ahead. Currently, we project losses ranging from $13 million to $32 million through August 2020. If your students are sick, please keep them home, and if your son or daughter tests positive for COVID, please contact our school nurses. It is imperative that you do your part to safeguard everyones health at William & Mary. Quotes that Hold the True Meaning of Education. Well, that is a ton of helpful information. There is something here for all students (graduate and undergraduate), whether you live on campus, off campus or are studying remotely. Looking ahead to the transition from the fall to the spring semester, I want to be sure you have as much current information as possible to assist you in your planning. So low in fact (under 10 in the respective categories for students and employees), that providing them would compromise the privacy of those individuals who tested positive and who are not currently on campus. Ginger AmblerChair, Commencement CommitteeVice President for Student Affairs. Please talk with your advisor as you consider the options that best suit you. They should be telling me their stories from the weekend and being with me and theyre not.. Thanks for your flexibility, resourcefulness, creativity, and kindness. Yet it is one thing to plan for hypotheticals and another to make decisions in real-time, under ambiguous circumstances, adjusting as new information arrives hourly. I am pleased to offer you a link to the W&M Student Rebate portal, where you will find individual information on your personal housing, meal and parking rebates as well as your dining dollars refund. Graduate courses will also begin as planned by the respective schools; We will slow the pace of student return to campus through August, to Labor Day Weekend, so as to minimize density and reduce circulation on/off campus; We will delay the start of in-person undergraduate instruction until after Labor Day, so as to ensure consistent experiences for all students (on and off campus) during a more extended return to campus; Deans will communicate details in each school, appropriate to the instruction plans already in place, which had anticipated the need to adjust throughout the semester. at home with family, at an apartment, at a hotel, etc. Classes are back in session because of great effort by many. We must continue to do all we can to keep our community healthy. This delay from August 1 reflects potential impacts from Hurricane Isaias, and allows us to adjust operations in the early part of next week in a way that minimizes disruption. ! Jen O. I just really miss them. Cory L. I hope you are all safe and healthy. Many of you are back in the classroom, as Arts & Sciences, Education, and VIMS started classes this week. Graduation Speech During Pandemic: 'To Forgive and Be for Giving' - ICMS messages from teachers during COVID-19 pandemic Rebate amounts for meal plans reflect adjustments for university costs incurred. Dear William & Mary Community, At our first weekly Community Conversation, I invited our far-flung William & Maryfamily to learn how the Alma Mater of the Nation is responding to the coronavirus pandemic. It is critical that you avoid interactions with others, maintaining at least 6 feet of physical distance and wearing your face covering. The Emergency Management Team will share additional details and guidance related to that action later today; please stay alert for that and please check our growing FAQ daily. You spend a little time learning what it's like to live in someone else's shoes." Country Living. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major effect on nearly all aspects of life. of Education. Check out some of Kids Help Phone's favourite inspirational quotes! We will continue to meet daily to evaluate the circumstances and decide no later than April 1 whether to continue these changes further. A lot of my students arent able to get online to be able to get the internet to do the stuff, she added. It is clear that we must defer the planned ceremony on May 16. Youre so smart. "The job of an educator is to teach students to see the vitality in themselves." Joseph Campbell 22. As does the fear of worse losses, impending. To that end, the university has developed a series of training videos to teach the community about COVID-19 and how to protect ourselves and others in a campus environment. We asked students, faculty, and staff to email us their thank-you notes to those who have helped, supported, or encouraged them. Like many of you, we continue to follow closely the unprecedented outbreak of COVID-19. Every enrolled student has affirmed theHealthy Together Community Commitmentand their willingness to adhere tothe universitys COVID-related health and safety rules. The health and safety protocols were currently maintaining are helping to limit the spread of COVID-19 in W&Ms close-knit community. Please join us on Friday to hear more about how this week unfolded, from teachers and students perspectives. Next week we will update the campus on financial projections for FY21. Spikes in positive COVID-19 cases at other institutions came in the first few days after students arrived on campus, often as a result of large gatherings where mask-wearing and physical distancing expectations were ignored. Please enter the building at the ticket booth (glass) doors on the concourse level, at the corner of Ukrop Way and Compton Drive. For the limited number of courses that require proctored exams, W&M will use Honorlock. Anxiety, by far, was the most frequently mentioned emotion. Its been tough, and she said an added challenge for her students is having the equipment to connect with her virtually, whether its because of not having the means or not having internet access . This note has only one piece of business, an invitation, and then reflections on insights that have been shared with me this week from many different sources. A Weekend for Commencement Celebration: October 9-11, 2020 Please hold the long weekend of October 9-11, 2020 as this years Commencement Weekend in Williamsburg. These 4 Inspirational Letters From Teachers to Students Will Ease Exam Pains By Jovita Aranha March 9, 2018 These beautiful letters by teachers have been immensely helpful for not just students but also their anxious parents. Against the unpredictable environment of COVID-19, we will do everything we can to continue to provide as much certainty as we can. By opting-in, you will receive periodic texts from campus administration asking what you think, how you feel or what you want related to a particular question. Even with full compliance, the health and safety of our community will remain vulnerable. Helping Young Children and Parents Transition Back to School An enormous amount of work has taken place to prepare our campus community for a successful fall and that work continues in earnest. You are likely most infectious during these first 5 days.. Access to personal items. Do not test the resolve of this university to take swift action to prioritize the health and well-being of our campus and the Williamsburg community. Our fall calendar anticipated a winter surge and the urgent need we face now, nationally, to minimize every path of transmission for COVID-19. Amid pandemic, there is no place that individual choices are without consequence to the health of the William & Mary community. Here Are Messages to Students During Covid 19 From Teachers In other words, asymptomatic students will await test results wherever they live. Over the next week we will move to online and remote modes of instruction. W&M requires all employees and all students registered for courses to sign the Healthy Together Community Commitment and complete public health training. We are planning a phased move-in for undergraduate students living in on-campus housing. A new guidebook from the U.S. Department of Education urged districts to step up emotional support for their staff members, even as they focused intensely on supporting students traumatized by. As we embark on a new semester tomorrow, the importance of ourHealthy Together Community Commitmentcannot be overstated. I wish you all the best as you finish your classes and exams and prepare for a well-deserved break in just a few weeks. If you are a student and receive a positive test result from William & Marys ongoing testing or from another health service provider: If you are a faculty or staff member and receive a positive test result from W&Ms ongoing testing or from another health service provider: William & Mary has established a network of case managers (all W&M employees) to help members of the community navigate living, study and work after a positive test result.