A Letter to My Students

Hello my amazing Biomedical Academy students!

I want to start by just letting you know how much I MISS each and every one of you. You all know I love my job, but what you may not know is that the best part of that job is getting to see and teach each of you in person every day. Although this crazy pandemic has robbed us of that in-class biomed experience, I want you all to know that this is not a permanent situation – it will pass, eventually, and we will figure out how to move forward together. The most important thing is that each of you are currently safe and secure; your families' health and well-being are the first priority in all of this.

In the meantime, we’re going to try to make the best of our current situation! Please, please, please communicate with me if you have any questions, concerns, worries, fears, etc. during distance learning. I am here as a resource for you. If I don’t have an answer available, I will do my best to get you an answer.

We will continue our Biomedical education virtually: by reviewing concepts we have previously explored, by looking at and analyzing current events, and by discussing ways in which we can help the healthcare community in this grave time of need. *Please complete the survey I am sending out via Remind on Wednesday. (If you do not have access to Remind, please email me so I can add you to our class account: terin.arnold@washoeschools.net ).

Distance learning begins April 1st. I’ve received many questions over break about distance learning, so I want to share some information with you that will also be specific to Reed High School:

1. Technology

Please let me know if you do not have access to the internet at home and I will put you in contact with a Reed staff member that can get you what you need to be successful. The district is also providing physical packets of work for core classes if needed.

2. Where do I access my assignments?

For Biomed, you will access your assignments through our online classroom portal. I will send you more information on this as we move forward (please complete the form I will send out through our Biomedical Remind app). To access materials for all WCSD high school classes, check out the district’s website here: https://bit.ly/2yln2fG

3. Attendance- how does that work virtually?

At Reed HS, we are taking attendance through our 3rd period teachers. You MUST communicate with your 3rd period teacher once a week before 2:35 pm on Wednesday.

Your 3rd period teacher will decide how they want to message you. This can happen through email/Teams/Remind/Zoom/phone call/etc., but you must respond. So, if they message and you do not reply to them confirming you received that message, then they will assume you did not receive the message. If you do not make contact with your 3rd period teacher, then your parent will receive a phone call home from the attendance office checking to make sure that you are receiving your assignments. If they cannot reach you, then you will remain absent in the system for the whole week! So please make contact with your 3rd period teacher at least once a week between Monday and Wednesday.
You are also an academy student, so I am requiring that you make contact with me, Mrs. Arnold - your biomed teacher, when assignments are posted and when Remind messages are sent out. I want to ensure that you have access to your assignments and are receiving my messages. I will send a message through Remind and you are expected to respond to it with an “OK” when you receive the message. You can respond through your phone or through the Remind website. *Again- if you do not have access to the Biomedical Remind account, then you need to let me know via email (terin.arnold@washoeschools.net) so I can re-add you to this communication service, either by phone or email. If there is an issue, I need to know so that I can help you solve these virtual problems.

4. Grades- will virtual assignments count towards my current grade?

Virtual assignments cannot harm the grade you have earned in your classes after progress reports are finalized on Tuesday evening. However, completing these assignments could potentially HELP your grade.

Just because the assignments cannot harm your grade, does not mean you should not complete your assignments. You are a Biomedical Academy student. You are on your way to earning college credit for the work you are completing. Do not slow your progress by not engaging in your continued coursework. This is part of the learning process- just because you don’t receive a grade does not mean you are not learning from what is assigned!

You have also built a relationship with your teachers. We study Workplace Readiness Skills in Biomed and know the importance of maintaining a good workplace reputation as a diligent worker that can be depended upon. For example, a teacher that sees you put forth a good faith effort during a precarious worldwide event such as this will more than likely want to write you a letter of recommendation. When the time comes to write that letter, they will have something unique to write about you that will show your future college or employer that you went the extra mile to complete your job, school, during this pandemic.

During this time, the priority is that you are healthy and that your family is able to get through this together. I do not want to add any stress while we navigate these challenging world events. I will try to answer any questions that you or your parents may have during this unpredictable time.

As always- you are my students and I am here for you. If you need anything, please email me at: terin.arnold@washoeschools.net

Stay safe and sanitize, good noodle crew!

Terin Arnold

Biomedical Science Academy Teacher

Reed High School