To say that this summer was a unique one would be a massive understatement. Our FHS staff have been working tirelessly to prepare and plan for the highly anticipated return of our FHS students to the 2020-21 school year. While we have many things planned and figured out, there are still some things yet to be worked out….so please be patient. We also know that we may plan something one way, but in reality it doesn’t go like we wanted to. We will have to monitor and adjust constantly, and the Farmington High School staff will work hard to keep all students and families up to date with the most current information.
We hope that you and your family have been enjoying the summer as much as possible. In this article you will find important information for the 2020-21 school year as well as some links that will help you and your student prepare for the school year.
While our #1 priority is planning a SAFE return to school for our students and staff, we have also spent quite a bit of time on the learning design of our classes and how we can adapt to our new normal of a hybrid or a distance learning model. Through the flexible use of time and varying instructional practices, incorporated by our staff, we believe our students will walk out of FHS not only prepared academically, but equipped with the skills needed to be successful in all postsecondary options available to FHS students, regardless of WHERE the learning takes place.
Picture Days (Including iPad and Parking Pass Pick-up)
Families with students at FHS in grades 10, 11 and 12 are invited to sign up for a time slot to attend Picture Day on any of the following days.
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Tuesday, August 18th, 9:00 am - 4 pm
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Wednesday, August 26, 1:30 - 7:00 pm
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Monday, August 31, 11:30 am - 3 pm
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Tuesday, September 1, 11:30 am - 3 pm
To sign up for a picture time, please enter the following web address into your browser window: https://www.ptcfast.com/schools/Farmington_High_School
If you do not have internet access, please contact us via phone at 651-252-2500. We cannot permit families into the building that have not signed up for picture day.
All cohort 1 and 2 9th grade students will have their pictures taken on their first day of school, either Monday, August 31 (cohort 1) or Tuesday, September 1 (cohort 2). More information about these days below.
All students doing full distance learning in Farmington Academy are welcome to sign up for a time on the above timeslots if you feel comfortable coming into the building, or we will be planning another opportunity later in the year once we know how things will look.
Please view the attached document for full information about our Picture Days. It is important that you know the safety regulations and other things available for you to do while you are at school on these days.
Picture Day Information: FHS Picture Day.pdf
All ordering is now done digitally on the Jostens site and pictures are shipped to your home. Visit jostenspix.com and use event code FE17220 to explore options. You can also see this information on their ordering flyer.
Questions about picture day, please email Laura Pierce, Assistant Principal at [email protected]
iPads turned in for the summer must also be picked up during any of the FHS Picture Days. There will be a booth where you can take care of this in the commons. New Students to Farmington will be contacted to set up a time to come and get their iPad.
Campus Portal
Campus portal is an essential tool for you to use as a parent to keep our school records accurate so that we can communicate with you and also keep up to date with your students' progress in school. If you don’t have access to Campus Portal please see the following link for more information to set up an Infinite Campus account: https://www.farmington.k12.mn.us/for_parents/infinite_campus.
You will need to use this account to view your students schedule, attendance, bus route information, etc. We do not hand out hard copies of these things anymore. We cannot stress enough how important it is for you to have your account set up and know how to use it.
Here is a direct link to Campus Portal: https://campus.farmington.k12.mn.us/campus/portal/farmington.jsp
Student Lockers
All 9th and 10th graders will be assigned a school locker. Students in 11th or 12th grade who wish to use a school locker can get one assigned by stopping into the 3rd floor office or contact Kim Chambers at 651-252-2517.
Student Schedules
Student schedules are currently available on Campus Portal. We will not be making any schedule changes this year unless it was our error and your child has a missing class, 2 classes in 1 hour, or something like that. If there is an error on your student’s schedule, please fill out this form to request a schedule change: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScCxZI4NiQoSmtjeq-tVl3dJXiZ8F3qs0GZGon2FvqTCb2_ow/viewform
FHS Daily & Weekly Schedule for Hybrid (Cohort) Learners
Those opting for the hybrid model will be coming into FHS 2 days and will engage in distance learning the other days of the week. Below you will find the schedule based on the cohort your child is assigned to. Cohorts have been designed around the health and safety of learners and staff, keeping families/households on the same schedule, individual learning needs, and transportation. Unfortunately we will not be able to accommodate cohort switches unless there is an emergency situation. You can access your students cohort by visiting Campus Portal.
We will be communicating the schedule weekly via email as the first couple of weeks it is a little different due to days off, etc. While planning the daily schedule we use student and staff safety as our #1 priority. We have less classes during the day due to reducing passing times and other unstructured times throughout the day.
Weekly & Daily Hybrid Learning Schedule: https://sites.google.com/d/1kJVH0wORCFkNqU7yyx4SX0dMcgGmXsbo/p/1xxJx_SqMNWtWX0GGPFxXnfo63vSdPXOY/edit
FHS Full Time Distance Learning (Farmington Academy)
Those opting to be full time distance learning this Fall will be placed in Farmington Academy. At the High School this experience will look very similar to those doing hybrid learning but just won't be physically coming into school at all. They will follow a similar daily schedule and will still be enrolled in all of the same classes they would be if they were here full time. Our distance learning at the High School will be a mix of live Google Meets and lessons, recorded lessons, small group and individual tutoring, and independent practice. In many of our classes, teachers will be pairing up a distance learner with a cohort learner as a learning team to stay connected together and help each other out.
The district has also put together a website for our distance learning students with information on the design of learning, resources for families, etc. You can check it out here: https://sites.google.com/isd192.org/farmington-academy-of-dl/home
Weekly & Daily Distance Learning Schedule: https://sites.google.com/d/1kJVH0wORCFkNqU7yyx4SX0dMcgGmXsbo/p/1xxJx_SqMNWtWX0GGPFxXnfo63vSdPXOY/edit
Transitioning Between Hybrid and Distance Learning
As I mentioned above we will not be able to support students switching between cohort 1 and cohort 2, but we are prepared to accommodate students switching between hybrid and distance learning. We understand that we don’t know what we don’t know and situations could change. If you would like to request a change between distance learning and hybrid, please use this form:
Hybrid/Distance Learning Change Request: https://forms.gle/ZRoeHxgVhbsfGv6s7
Any questions about the cohorts can be directed to Assistant Principal Laura Wagner: [email protected]
FHS Student Parking
In a normal year, 10th grade students would be assigned a parking pass in the West lot and can only park in that lot. 11th and 12th graders get an East lot pass and parking in the east lot each day is on a first come first serve basis until the lot is full, with all overflow going to the West lot. This year we will have plenty of space in the East lot so regardless of which lot pass students get, they all can park in the East lot.
You will notice that the cost for Parking Passes have been reduced quite a bit. This is due to the fact that students will only be traveling to school for less days a week and there will also likely be plenty of spots in the main lot for all students to park.
To pay for your parking pass, you can visit our new RevTrak system: https://Farmington-K12.RevTrak.net
All vehicles must be registered and display their permit in order to park on campus other than the grace period of the first week of school.
Just like last year, students will not be able to pick up their parking pass until all of their fee and fines are paid. Students may pick up parking passes during the FHS Picture Days.
Complete FHS parking regulations can be found on our website.
Any questions about parking can be directed to Assistant Principal Jon Lund ([email protected])
Student Transportation & Busing (Including DCTC)
ALL students in grades 11 and 12 that require busing (this includes students needing transportation to DCTC for their first hour class) MUST contact Marschall Lines by phone at 651-463-8689 or by email at [email protected] to request being added to a route.
Marschall Lines does not route 11th or 12th graders unless families contact them directly. If you have further questions regarding transportation please contact Marschall Lines directly.
Parent Contact Information, Consent to Publish, and Emergency Contact Form
Sometime before school starts we ask that you check Campus Portal and make sure all contact and emergency information is up to date. If you need to make any changes you now can do that right online. It is important that FHS has up to date phone numbers and email addresses in order to stay connected with families. All FHS information will be pushed out via email to families so please make sure this is updated.
Parents who would like to deny their consent to publish their student’s work must also complete an online form. This form only needs to be completed if you don’t want your students' picture or work to be used publicly.
Deny Consent to Publish
Emergency Contact Information can now also be updated online using your Campus Portal account.
9th Grade Specific Information
FHS 9th grade students will be participating in a 9th grade orientation on the first 3 official days of school, August 31st, September 1st, and September 2nd. This orientation is organized and put on by our FHS Link Crew (11th and 12th grade students).
Monday, August 31st - 8:20 - 12:15pm
Cohort 1 9th Grade Students Only
9th Grade students ride their normal bus to school OR be dropped off by a parent between 8:00 - 8:20am
Tuesday, September 1st - 8:20 - 12:15pm
Cohort 2 9th Grade Students Only
9th Grade students ride their normal bus to school OR be dropped off by a parent between 8:00 - 8:20am
Wednesday, September 2nd - 9:00am - 10:00am
Distance Learning (Farmington Academy) Students Only
Online Academy 9th grade students will need their iPad or access to a computer with a webcam. They will also need to download the Zoom app (apple id and password) and be able to open their school email to get a Zoom link for Wednesday (may need an email password). If your student turned in their iPad last Spring and needs one before this day please contact Nathan Yager ([email protected]).
Here is what the schedule will look like when your 9th grader is on campus those first days:
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8:00 - 8:20
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8:25-8:35
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8:35-10:40
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10:45 - 12:05
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12:15 Busses Depart
One other important note for 9th grade families is that FHS does not have a supply list for students at the High School. We recommend that you send your student with all of the normal school stuff (pencils, notebooks, folders, etc.). Your student will come home with syllabi for classes after the first day of school. If there is anything special they need for a particular class it will be listed there.
Any questions about the Link Crew Orientation Days can be director toward our Link Crew advisors
Jen Snobeck ([email protected])
Andrew Paul ([email protected])
Heidi Yager ([email protected])
Leah Bell ([email protected])
First Week of School
Our first 3 days of school will be dedicated to building connections with families. Our 9th graders will be coming in for their link crew orientation (info above). During this time our 10th - 12th grade teachers will be reaching out to families and having a conversation about how we can support your students either in the hybrid or distance learning model. We would like to learn about how last Spring went, and what we can do to be better. We will also be using this time to make sure your family is clear with all of the new expectations and procedures we have at Farmington High School in regards to student safety.
The first day of school for ALL 9th - 12th Graders is Thursday, September 3rd for Cohort 1 and Distance Learning students and Friday, September 4th for Cohort 2 students.
Thursday and Friday will both be Odd Class Days and will follow the follow the Odd day schedule
Students enrolled in the DCTC program DO NOT start their DCTC classes until the following week on Tuesday, September 8th.
CTE Classes at DCTC (Dakota County Technical College)
FHS students in a CTE class at DCTC will only attend there on the days that their cohort is in school. Students have the option of driving themselves or riding the FHS bus out to DCTC. If riding the bus, they must contact Marshall Lines by phone at 651-463-8689, or by email at [email protected] to let them know. The bus going to DCTC each day will depart and drop off at door 29 at the High School. Pick-up and Drop off times are below.
Bus times:
Depart FHS for DCTC - 9:40
Arrive at DCTC - 10:10
Depart DCTC for FHS - 11:45
Arrive at FHS - 12:10
If a student is driving themselves, they need to be at DCTC in time for class to start at 10:30. On days that DCTC does not have class and FHS does have school, students are not required to be at FHS, but if they must they will be asked to socially distance in the commons area.
Any further questions about DCTC and their programming can be directed toward school counselor Jerry Pfau ([email protected]) or Principal Dan Pickens ([email protected])
First few week schedule:
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8/31 - 9/4:
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NO DCTC classes
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FHS classes still on
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9/7 - 9/11:
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NO DCTC classes or FHS classes on Monday
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Tuesday & Wednesday - Cohort 1 at DCTC
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Thursday & Friday - Cohort 2 at DCTC
MNCAPS (The Minnesota Center for Advanced Professional Studies)
During the Covid-19 Hybrid schedule MNCAPS students will attend MNCAPS four days a week regardless of which cohort they are in. BOTH cohorts will attend MNCAPS on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Wednesday’s they do not report as it is a FLEX day for Prior Lake Schools.
Students doing full time distance learning and in MNCAPS will be supported virtually by their MNCAPS teacher. If you have any questions please contact the MNCAPS Principal Erik Sill: [email protected]
Students attending afternoon classes at MNCAPS are NOT expected to attend TC and CCR as it would not allow them enough time to get to MNCAPS on time for class.
Other Back to School Safety Information
Maintaining learners’ safety is our primary concern each and every day. As we welcome students back into the building, this continues to be our focus. Please trust that we are actively creating procedures and outlining expectations for all members of the FHS community in order to provide everyone a safe, hygienic, learning experience. These procedures and expectations include, but are not limited to, movement throughout the building, sanitation practices, visuals to support social distancing, classroom setup, minimization of shared materials, and contact tracing. We are grateful for your patience and support as we iron out details and are able to present our vision in a coherent manner at a later date. We are confident that this year, though unique, will be an exceptional learning experience for all.
Masks
Per the Executive Order, all students and staff members will need to wear masks while in the building. We have signs indicating this upon entry and all students will be provided with one mask. If someone has a medical reason that prevents them from wearing a mask, we ask that that family work with our building nurse to provide a doctor's note indicating the accommodation needed and that student can then wear a face shield in lieu of a mask.
Lunch
Students will eat in the commons, but seating will be spaced out and students will not be able to move chairs. Students will need to maintain social distancing in the lunchroom, which will be marked for ease. We have also added a fourth lunch to limit the number of students in each lunch. Food options will be similar to previous years.
Classroom and School Cleaning
Custodial staff will be cleaning and disinfecting each room each night and will maintain increased cleaning procedures that we implemented last spring. This includes doors and railings. In addition to that, teachers will be wiping down all surfaces touched by students between each class period.
Other Important Links
The Hub
FHS Student Handbook