2020-2021
Dear Sedgefield Middle School Students and Families,
What an honor it is to welcome you to Sedgefield Middle School! We hope this letter finds you safe
and excited about the new academic year. Throughout this summer leaders and staff have worked
to develop focused plans to ensure the safety of all students and staff, while continuing to develop
curriculum and instruction responsive to the needs of the students. This year attendance and
safety preparations have been made as a continued response to COVID-19. Based on current
pandemic metrics, the Board of Education voted to begin school on PLAN C and/or the Full
Remote Academy for ALL scholars. This results in ALL students beginning school remotely on
August 17th, 2020. Students will utilize the Canvas Platform to engage in school while in a
remote learning environment. Further information will be released on how it will be determined if
and when the district will move to PLAN B.
Academics and Instruction
Sedgefield Middle School has a strong tradition in creating an exciting learning environment for our
community students. We at Sedgefield Middle School are committed to creating a responsive
learning environment and culture that nurtures social, emotional, and academic skills to support
the development of each student’s potential. At Sedgefield Middle School, we are focused on the
following targets to strategically support our vision for your student:
● Designing whole-child initiatives to support the positive development of students.
● Utilization of data to create responsive academic instruction aligned with district
curriculums and North Carolina Standard-Course of Study.
● Embedding of social and emotional strategies into daily instruction.
● Creation of opportunities for students to develop and enhance critical thinking skills to gain
perspective and build global citizenship.
● Preparing each student for all high school and post-secondary opportunities.
To best support students in both face-to-face format and through virtual instruction, teachers will
work collaboratively to support the teaching of your student. Teachers will teach most content in
pairs, or co-teaching. This ensures students are able to maintain engagement with a teacher
regardless if we are face-to-face or in a remote setting. Teachers will collaboratively plan and lead
Zoom sessions to ensure students are engaged in active instruction. Through this model teachers
are able to provide more differentiated instruction and support students across learning
environments. More information will be provided during Open House and panel discussion
sessions.
Attendance is critical during remote learning. Each day, attendance will be taken based off of
synchronous and/or asynchronous activity for each course your child is registered. Please work to
encourage the active learning and participation of your student. Grades will be recorded in Canvas
and Powerschool. More information on grading will be provided during Open House and from the
classroom teachers.
Remote Learning/Technology
Students will engage in the Canvas platform to drive their learning beginning August 17th.
Students will be able to access their schedule in PowerSchool on August 5th, 2020. Students will
begin each morning at 8:15am and engage in a collaborative community discussion with their
peers to engage in social-emotional strategies appropriate for middle school students. Students
will then follow their schedules to engage in synchronous learning activities for each of their
scheduled classes. Times are as follows:
● 8:15 am--9:30 am---Spartan Time--Social/Emotional Learning
● 9:30 am--10:05 am---Block 2/8th Electives
● 10:15 am--10:50 am---Block 3/7th Electives
● 11:00 am--11:35 am--Block 4
● 11:45 am--12:20 pm--Block 5/6th Electives
● 12:30 pm--3:30 pm--Independent Work-time--may include pre-reading; conference with
teacher; discussion boards; video viewing; peer group work
Embedded within our remote learning schedules are approximately 45 minutes of
transition/movement time between classes. We encourage students during this time to step away
from the screen and complete movement activities.
Engagement in remote learning is critical for students to gain instruction and support for their
academic, social, emotional development. Teachers have received ongoing training throughout the
summer on engagement strategies to embed within their virtual coursework. All courses will be
provided through Canvas. Parents have access to the Canvas platform and we encourage you to
download the Canvas app to connect with your student. This will provide parents the opportunity
to monitor progress and completion of assignments. Partnering between students, parents, and
teachers during this time is critical for success.
Many students have been provided with their Chromebook to support remote learning. If your
scholar needs a device, the device is not currently working, or needs access to a hotspot to ensure
wifi access, please contact Jason Gwinn at jasonr.gwinn@cms.k12.nc.us .
Back to School Events
Traditional Back-to-School events such as Open House and orientation will be virtual this year. To
ensure understanding of the format we will release a pre-recorded Open House session on
Tuesday, August 11th through ParentSquare, the SMS website, and social media. Grade-level
Zoom sessions will be held on Thursday, August 13th and Friday, August 14th. Times are attached
to this letter and registration occurs through ParentSquare.
Students will need certain materials for success in remote learning. Materials may include school
supplies, elective materials, content workbooks. Pick up days for these materials are on Thursday,
August 13th from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM and Friday, August 14th from 7:30 AM until 3:30 PM.
Safety Measures
Safety for students and staff will be critical throughout the upcoming year. Sedgefield will follow
all district, NC DPI, CDC, and local guidelines to ensure staff and students are provided the safest
learning environment. Below are a few current safety measures that in place:
● Health screenings, including temperature, of all staff, scholars and visitors upon entry to the
building
● Masks to be worn by all individuals in the building
● Social distancing, all stakeholders remaining 6 feet apart throughout hallways, classrooms,
and meetings paces
● Protocols in place if a scholar or staff member demonstrate any symptoms or
communicate exposure to COVID-19
● Increased hand-washing and access to hand sanitizer throughout the building
● Updates on safety measures will be provided as they are received.
Visitors in the Building
Inside the building activities/visits are currently limited to staff and teachers to ensure the safety of
all. Volunteers may be utilized outside of the building pending health screenings, and adhering to
social distancing and wearing of a mask/face covering.
I am grateful and proud to serve as the principal of Sedgefield Middle School. In serving as the
building leader, I commit to providing your student and family with an exceptional middle school
experience. Excellence in attitude, effort, and communication is an expectation for all stakeholders
at Sedgefield Middle School, including our students! Through partnership and shared commitment
to excellence we will empower our scholars with a positive self-concept, empathy, and academic
achievements necessary for future successes.
Let’s make this year the best!
In educational partnership,
Sheena Miracle, Principal
SheenaL.Miracle@cms.k12.nc.us
Sedgefield Middle School