iPad Update for Families

Getting Started with Your iPad

The DOE has loaned iPads to students across the city for remote learning. Here you will find information on how to get started with your iPad. School staff and community members can also use this information to help students with connectivity and other troubleshooting issues. Please Visit https://idm.nycenet.edu/students/start.form to request your child’s @NYCStudents.net account information.

iPad Update August 13, 2020

For anyone who has a DOE-loaned ipad, we have some important updates for you. It is essential that you take the actions below to ensure your child’s ipad is ready for use for return to school. The first day of school is only a few weeks away, and all students will be working remotely for at least a few days a week. Your child will need their ipad to be ready for learning for the fall. Please note that when we have other updates, we will send messages to you and your iPad on Thursdays, and we will let your schools know about the updates.

To prepare, you MUST 

Turn on the iPad

Some iPads have not been turned on all summer. We need you to charge and power up the ipad.

Turn Airplane Mode On and Off

This will reset your internet connection

  1. Go to Settings
  2. Find the Airplane Mode button
  3. Turn Airplane Mode on for ten seconds (button turns green)
  4. Turn Airplane Mode off and wait until the ipad reconnects to the internet 
  5. You will see the connected icon at the top of the screen
  6. Go to schools.nyc.gov to make sure your ipad is connected to the internet – all DOE-loaned ipads have internet access.

Sign into Zscaler

In order to ensure your child is using the internet with all the safety the DOE requires and protect your child. You will need your child’s @nycstudents.net account. Once you get that please follow these directions, or see the instructions on our Zscaler page:

  1. On the main screen, click the Zscaler icon. After clicking the icon, you will be taken to the login page.
  2. Enter your child’s @nycstudent account (only use the student’s username and password, no need to include @nycstudents to log in), then click the “sign in” button.
  3. Click on the “allow” button and wait one minute for a connection to be established until you will see the Zscaler screen
  4. Once the connection is secure, close the app
  5. That is it. You can use the iPad normally now.

Sign into the Learn at Home App

To get ready for the first day of school, make connecting to learning and support much easier for your child (and you, too!), and allow you to get notifications on the iPad:

  1. Find the Learn at Home icon on the main screen on the iPad
  2. Log in the same way you did for Zscaler, using the same @nycstudents.net account (only use the student’s username and password, no need to include @nycstudents to log in)
  3. From the Learn at Home app your child can access TeachHub, Google Classroom and get help.

Good news! Your child’s iPad is Now a Hotspot

That allows you to connect other devices used for remote learning to the internet. It is easy:

  1. Go to Settings
  2. Find Personal Hotspot and click to take you to the login screen
  3. Select Allow Others to Join
  4. Devices other students in your house are using for remote learning can be added to that connection
  5. As a reminder, as with the ipad itself, the hotspot connection is to be used only to access remote learning activities. Any unauthorized use is strictly prohibited.

Parent Meeting for the 2020-2021 School Year

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Please join us for a Zoom Parent Meeting on Thursday, August 13th at 6pm regarding the upcoming 2020 – 2021 school year. 

Date/Time: August 13, 2020 6:00 PM

Join Zoom Meeting

https://zoom.us/j/99844643693

Meeting ID: 998 4464 3693

Passcode: taots2021

Use this link if you want to submit a question: https://forms.gle/XboayMwSjoHGfvng6

If you have a specific question about the 2020 – 2021 school year, please submit one question and we will try to get through as many questions as possible. You will be able to submit questions until 9:00am on Wednesday, August 12th.

Also, please watch the Chancellor’s Family & Student Engagement Session on Wednesday, August 12th at 6:30pm.

Register at https://learndoe.org/face/

In addition, in the upcoming weeks our TAOTS team will be providing grade specific ASD/Nest Parent Meetings. Details will follow shortly.

School Reopening Updates 2020

Dear Parents/Guardians,

We hope you and your families have been able to enjoy the summer thus far and have remained healthy and safe.  We have received more information from the NYC DOE that I would like to share with you.

It is imperative that all of our TAOTS families complete the LEARNING PREFERENCE SURVEY by Friday August 7, 2020 if you are choosing 100% Remote Learning.  If you have not done so already, click on the link below and complete the survey.

Learning preference survey

The information obtained in this official survey from the NYC Department of Education allows students to opt into 100% remote learning full-time and it must be completed if you want 100% remote learning for your child. 

When we receive the final information provided to us by the NYC DOE, we will then be able to assign students to cohorts and provide you with that information. This school year will be very different from what we have experienced in the past.  Overall, it is crucial that we maintain a positive and safe learning environment for our students by following the directives of the DOE and CDC guidelines.

Blended Learning Model Choice:

The DOE has hosted several Parent Information sessions, surveying families, and sending the latest updates for the Fall reopening of schools.  We also include all of this information on your school’s website www.taots.org which is translated into all languages.

We are now starting to get information on the parameters, guidance, and plans for school opening.  All City schools have been asked to choose a Blended Learning Model  that is most conducive and appropriate for their schools community.  P.S. 682 TAOTS has selected Model 2. When deciding on a model, we carefully took into consideration the square footage of our classrooms, social distancing parameters, class size and staffing.

Model 2

What you need to know about Model 2:

Model 2 involves 1 – 2 Days Per Week with Alternating Weeks / The In-Person Cohorts

  • The Model will incorporate Three In Person Cohorts of Students and one remote.
    • Provides regularity on days per week with some variation by week (e.g. Group A is in-person every Wednesday, as well as on Monday in week 1 and Tuesday in week 3).
    • This model will accommodate for ⅓ of students to be in the building.
  • Group A, Group B, Group C: in person learning 1 – 3 days per week (5 days every 3 weeks); remote learning for non-in person days.
  • Group D: remote every day; consists of students who opt out of in-person instruction.

The DOE is requiring Principals to submit the Model of Choice to the Department of Education by August 14th for final approval and planning.  Our selection has been submitted and we are awaiting approval. This was fully discussed on July 20th at our School Leadership Team (SLT)  meeting. The minutes to this meeting can be found on our school’s website in the School Leadership Team (SLT) section and then click onto the SLT Minutes: TAOTS SLT Google Drive Folder

Next – August Planning and Preparation:

We are currently awaiting approval for our selected Model 2 and will soon begin planning to implement Model 2 framework into our school program, schedules and procedures.  We are also looking into accommodating families with siblings at P.S. 682.

As the NYC Department of Education prepares to open schools in September in a blended learning model, where students will work from home on specified days and will receive live instruction in school on specified days, there is also the option of remaining 100% in the remote learning environment until schools open at full capacity.  

  • Students who remain in remote learning will NOT be able to change their decision and enter the blended learning model until specified points during the year.  We do not have the dates for when the change can be made.

We understand there are questions regarding this and we will continue to provide you with the most up-to-date information that is given to us by the NYC DOE.  Please understand that we are awaiting further guidance from the DOE and all information will continue to be relayed to you in a timely manner.

A Robo-call will follow this letter and translated versions of this letter can be obtained from our school’s website at www.taots.org

I hope to see you all again soon and please know we will all get through these difficult times together.  You are always in my thoughts and I will be following up with a Zoom Meeting next week to meet with all of you and provide you with further updates. Please stay tuned for details.

Letter from the Chancellor

Dear Families,

I hope you and your children are well and enjoying some time off this summer. September will be here before we know it, and I am writing to you today to keep you updated on the 2020–21 school year and make sure you know how to be part of the conversation. Throughout this summer, as we diligently work to clarify operations for the fall, I promise to be transparent about what we know—and what we don’t yet know.

Your Learning Options

First things first: New York City students will be learning five days a week, whether in person or at home. As previously announced, schools are planning for blended learning, in which students will be taught in school buildings for part of the week, and will continue learning remotely from home on the other days of the week. Any family can also choose all-remote learning, for any reason. We know that the majority of families want as much in-person instruction as is safely possible, and we will work to maximize it at every turn, consistent with health and safety requirements. However, if you intend to choose all-remote learning for your child and have not yet notified us, please let us know by August 7 so schools can plan accordingly. You can fill out a web form or call 311.

To enable you to make a more informed choice, we have prepared some important comparisons about what you can expect from each mode of learning, which you can find at the end of this letter. Families who choose all-remote instruction will be able to opt back in to blended learning on a quarterly basis throughout the school year, beginning in November.

No matter whether you are at school in-person or you are learning remotely, you and your child are still enrolled in and part of your school community. Your child’s schedule and learning experience will be fully managed by your school. The vast majority of students who participate in fully remote learning will be taught by teachers from their school. While there may be some limited exceptions on a school-by-school basis, you should expect your child to be assigned teachers from their school when they receive their full schedule before the school year begins.

As our plans continue to come together, we must be nimble. We will make adjustments as public health conditions continue to evolve.

How to Learn More:

Every week, we will be posting more information about school operations to on the DOE website. Please bookmark this page and visit it frequently. On this page, you will find information on Physical Education, Arts Education, and more. We are asking for your patience and flexibility throughout this process as we work through a great deal of planning in collaboration with our teachers, principals, and school-based staff.

Your voice and feedback are essential as our work continues. We are creating many opportunities for you to discuss the year ahead with the DOE, and we hope you will get involved. We hosted our first citywide information session on July 16, and received many great suggestions from families across the City. Please join us for one of the upcoming info sessions Tuesday, July 28; Wednesday, August 12; and Thursday, August 27.

In addition, each school will host a parent meeting to discuss the proposed school schedule and to review planning for the year ahead, and we will be holding community and advocate round-table meetings, briefings with Community Education Council leaders and elected officials, and more.

While the world around us continues to change, our commitment to the health and safety of our students, teachers, staff, and families remains steadfast, and so does our focus on equity and excellence. We will deliver what your child needs to succeed academically, knowing the traumatic impact this crisis has had on New Yorkers of all ages. We will ensure your child feels welcome and supported in their school community, no matter what.

Thank you for continuing to share your comments and questions. I have said it before, but it’s no less true now: You are our most important partners and I am grateful for you today and every day. Please stay safe and healthy.

Sincerely,

Richard A. Carranza

Chancellor New York City Department of Education