The following email was sent to the North Springs Community on the afternoon of Sunday, January 2.

Good evening North Springs parents, students and community!

I sincerely hope that everyone had a safe and restful winter holiday, and is ready to start the second semester of school on Tuesday.

Due to the increase of COVID cases in Fulton County, the district has elected to start the 1st week of the semester virtually to help slow the spread in our schools. This means that next week, Tuesday 1/4 through Friday 1/7, all students will remain at home and will learn virtually through the MS Teams platform. For those that were in Fulton County last year, this is how we started the school year. While this is not the best way to start the 2nd semester, I know our students and staff are ready to take on this challenge next week. There is another huge learning curve for the staff and students, and I would ask everyone to remember that for this upcoming week.

While there will be much more information to share tomorrow after we have had an opportunity to speak with district leadership, this is what you can expect next week.

• The campus will be closed to students all next week. No students will come to school next week. The buses will not operate next week.
• If a student needs help with their technology, please contact the FCS Student Help line at: 470-254-2300.
• Students will be engaged in virtual learning Tuesday 1/4 through Friday 1/7.
• Students will follow the normal A/B block schedule during virtual learning. Tuesday 1/4 will be an A day.
• Teachers will be teaching live lessons, and will be taking attendance and participation for students during the normal class time. It is imperative that students log-in, and engage with their teachers when we return virtually on Tuesday 1/4.
• Microsoft Teams is the live content delivery platform
• Teachers will share information with parents and students tomorrow about where to access classes, what assignments will be given during the week, which content will be taught, etc., so that we have a clear understanding of what students are expected to do this week.
• Students that need to make up semester exams will work with the teachers to make those exams up the week of January 10th – January 14th. After a student makes up the exam, the teacher will process a grade change to reflect the new grade on the transcript.
• Athletic teams can practice and compete as normal. Information will be shared by the coaches for our athletes.
• When students return to campus, we will be back into the mask mandate, whereby all students, staff and visitors will be required to wear a mask in the building. This will last until the district makes a determination that the City of Sandy Springs has dropped back to below 100 per 100k cases. You can always check the status of the COVID cases by visiting Fulton County BOH Epidemiology Reports

We know this is still a difficult time for parents and students. Fulton County Schools and Fulton County Government have created a list of resources available for families.

• Connect Fulton is available to anyone seeking resources that best meet their individual needs. This is new incredibly robust platform that leverages the latest of technology to connect anyone in our community to the best fit resources available.
• If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, please call 911 or the Georgia Crisis and Access Line at 1-800-715-4225.
• Text4Help Text4Help is available 24/7 365 and staffed by clinical mental health experts. Someone is always there to listen to any FCS student. 
• Our on-site mental health partners continue to be available for new referrals and existing clients. A significant number of our students continue to see our on-site mental health partners through in person and telehealth options.

It is important to note, while students are engaging in the online learning environment, the Student Code of Conduct & Discipline Handbook is still applicable, and students are subject to school discipline if they violate expectations contained therein.

Online communication is different from face-to-face communication. Body language, facial cues and vocal intonations all provide immediate feedback during a live conversation, and these can be missing in an online setting.  It is very important for staff to understand and establish some common rules for good online etiquette and digital citizenship for our students and for one another.

During Remote Learning, students should:

• Be Respectful.  If a comment or expression isn’t acceptable in a face to face interaction, it isn’t acceptable online
• Avoid strong language, all caps, and exclamation points
• Be careful with humor and sarcasm
• Do not allow the use of textspeak, i.e. gr8, r u, when communicating online
• Cite their sources to avoid any concern about plagiarism
• Never post or share inappropriate material (even privately)
• When in doubt about a communication, students should ask their parent or teacher for guidance

To learn more about digital citizenship, please visit our district’s approved curriculum via the Common Sense Media parent letter at this link: Common Sense Media Parent Letter

Lastly, it is important that we continue to keep our community and students safe. please remember to report any COVID tests to FCS and the FCBOH at this link: FCS COVID Reporting Link

I know this is a lot to digest. I will share more information tomorrow afternoon as we prepare to start remotely on January 4th.

Have a great rest of the weekend!

Sincerely,
Scott Hanson

Michael Scott Hanson
Principal North Springs High School Fulton County Schools
7447 Roswell Road N.E. Sandy Springs, GA 30328
470-254-2490 ph 470-254-2498 fax
hansonm@fultonschools.org  North Springs HS | http://www.fultonschools.org