Spring Update

Dear CMS Band Families,

As you have all heard, we just received word from Governor Sisolak and the state superintendent of education that Carson Middle School is closed through the end of the school year.  This newsletter update outlines what I know about our new schedule and grading. As always, we may need to make some adjustments as we work together to navigate these new situations and conditions.

GRADING
We are now on a "pass/fail" grading system.  Students with an overall semester grade of 60% or higher will receive a "P" at the semester, indicating a passing grade.  Students with an overall semester grade of 59% or lower will receive an "F" at the semester, indicating a failing grade. All weekly assignments completed before spring break will be re-assigned a grade of 100% if they were completed and "missing" if they were not. This week, students are responsible for completing the following by Friday at noon:

• 2 assignments on Quizizz
• At least 30 minutes of practicing on at least 1 play-along video.
• Weekly survey

All these assignments are on Google Classroom. The weekly survey also asks students to report their band workload.  I will continue to make minor adjustments weekly to be sure that students do not become overwhelmed with the amount of online instruction we provide. 

WEEKLY SCHEDULE
We are also making a modification to the weekly schedule. Next week, I will maintain our Zoom video lesson schedule. Beginning on May 4, I will switch to providing pre-recorded video lessons that students can view on their own. We will also have no formal instruction on Fridays. This time will be used for teachers to lesson plan, collaborate, and finish grading. Next week, I will also provide Zoom office hours on Friday for any students who would like to visit with me, ask questions, etc. I will announce a formal outline of all this information once we are closer. As for this week, all assignments are due Friday at noon.

INSTRUMENT SUPPLY KIOSK
Once again, I will be operating my instrument supply kiosk in the parking lot adjacent to the district office.  I will be open from Thursday from 11:00 AM-12:30 PM. Please stay in your car.  *Note: I'm out of stock on alto saxophone cleaning swabs*

Please know that I miss your students dearly. I miss making music. I miss all the festivals and trips that would typically be taking place this time of year. Take this time as an opportunity to bond with your kids. If the workload is too stressful, take a break and let us know. We are here to support you, and we know that we will all emerge from this situation stronger and more resilient than ever.

Onward!

Nick Jacques

Spring Break Play-Alongs

Dear CMS Band Families,

We have made it through a few weeks of unprecedented times, and we have all adjusted to a completely different way of learning.  Now, it's time to take a step back and enjoy our spring breaks. Since many students will have more hours of free time than they may know what to do with (get those chores done!), I have put together a list of play-along tunes.  These videos have the notated parts, along with backing tracks, as well as videos of musicians playing the music so students can practice the proper techniques. This is meant to provide students with hours and hours of unlimited musical entertainment from home.

SPRING BREAK PLAY-ALONG VIDEOS

Have a wonderful spring break, and stay happy, healthy, and safe.

-Mr. Jacques-

April Showers...

Dear CMS Band Families,

You know the saying, "April Showers brings May flowers." We are now on our 3rd week of distance learning and we have all discovered that this month will be spent at our homes, with the updated return time being after April 30. Hopefully the old saying will come true and we can all be reunited with a little bit of normalcy in May. We shall see. In the meantime, here is this week's plan, along with a minor attendance and grading update.

ZOOM VIDEO LESSONS - Students should attend at least one. Both are highly recommended. Below is the schedule.

I am also adding a little fun: Zoom theme days! Monday and Tuesday: Pet or Stuffed Animal Day. Wednesday and Thursday: Crazy Hat Day.

THIS WEEK'S ASSIGNMENTS
All students with internet access and instruments will complete the following lesson:

• Practice anything for at least 30 minutes. I will also still accept Flipgrid videos.
• Complete at least 1 Edpuzzle assignment while following along on your instrument.
• Complete the end-of-week practice survey.

GRADING
We are awaiting further guidance from the district and the state board of education about how grading will look. For now, band students will either earn a complete or a missing for their weekly assignments with no letter grade attached.  Once I have more details, this will change to a "pass/fail" or letter grades and I will make changes accordingly.

ATTENDANCE
Finally, I'm going to clarify attendance and update you on the cutoff for attendance each week. Students earn attendance for the week by communicating at least once with their teachers in any given week. Acceptable forms of communication include email, Google Classroom, appearances on Zoom, or phone calls. My cutoff for attendance is 2 PM on Friday. Any late check-ins count for the next week of school. Thank you so much for your patience as we take this journey together. I appreciate you all!

-Mr. Jacques-