Dear Friends,
As schools in Arkansas continue to remain closed to help slow the spread of COVID-19, many educators have turned to online learning.
Your child's teachers and schools will implement the learning system they think is best to keep your child's education on track. I also would like to share resources that are available to parents, students, and educators during the COVID-19 outbreak to boost your children's education while we are all practicing safe social distancing.
Alternative Methods of Instruction in Arkansas:
Stacy Smith, the Assistant Commissioner of Learning Services for the Arkansas Department of Education, recorded a video regarding Alternate Methods of Instruction (AMI) for extended learning days due to COVID-19. To watch, click HERE or on the image below.
Arkansas PBS is partnering with the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) and the Arkansas Department of Education’s Division of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to fill the learning gap caused by school closures around the state.
On Monday Arkansas PBS began broadcasting “Arkansas Alternative Methods of Instruction (AMI)” statewide.
These broadcasts are streamlined, curriculum-based programming for the state’s pre-K through 8th grade students.
The content of "Arkansas AMI" aligns with current state and federal standards and is flexible enough to serve as both supplemental and as primary instruction for students, based on the needs of school districts. All lesson plans are being developed by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). Educators and parents will have access to bilingual lesson plans and curriculum materials tailored to the PBS content to HERE.
"Arkansas AMI" will air Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. on your local PBS station.
The daily schedule beginning weekdays at 8 a.m. will be divided into the following programming blocks:
8-9:30 a.m.: Grades Pre-K-2
9:30-11 a.m.: Grades 3-5
11 a.m.-1 p.m.: Grades 6-8
There are some gaps in coverage, for example, in the West Memphis and Texarkana areas. However, all of the content is available online HERE and will be archived for the duration of the COVID-19 public health crisis.
Parents and students can also access all Arkansas AMI learning content through the Engage Arkansas PBS app for iPhone and Android. It can be downloaded HERE.
Five previous Arkansas Teacher of the Year winners will be hosting a segment of each AMI day via video. Arkansas PBS is working with these teachers to record instruction remotely throughout the state.
PreK – 2nd grade band host:
Randi House
Kindergarten Teacher, Conway Arkansas
2018 Arkansas teacher of the year
3rd – 5th grade band co-hosts:
Courtney Cochran
Principal in Cedarville, AR
2017 Teacher of the Year
AND
Meghan Ables
Teacher at Stuttgart High School
2016 Arkansas Teacher of the Year
6th – 8th grade band host:
Stacey McAdoo
9th-12th Communication/AVID Teacher, Little Rock Central High
2019-2020 Arkansas Teacher of the Year
Incorporated into ALL BANDS with MATH GAMES:
Joel Lookadoo
Math teacher in Springdale, AR
2020 AR Teacher of the Year
Department of Health School Hotline:
To effectively address concerns related to school closures and student-related concerns of potential positive COVID-19 cases, the Arkansas Department of Health has designated a hotline for school personnel to utilize to report concerns.
School Personnel Designated COVID-19 Hotline: 1-833-504-0155
Additionally, Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH) has designated a hotline number to address concerns related to the presumptive positive case of COVID-19 at ACH.
Arkansas Children’s Hospital Hotline: 1-800-743-3616
For all other concerns, individuals should use the main COVID-19 Hotline number at the Arkansas Department of Health.
MAIN COVID-19 Hotline: 1-800-803-7847
Additional Resources for Parents and Educators:
- The Smithsonian offers free, high-quality educational tools to keep students entertained and engaged. Access HERE.
- The Library of Congress provides resources to assist teachers in future lesson planning and provides families with free-books, author talks and more. Access HERE.
- The National Gallery of Art gives families ways to engage with the Gallery's features online. Access HERE.
- The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee has also released a guide with helpful STEM options to keep students engaged. Access HERE.
- The Space Foundation’s team of educators has created a new webinar series now available for free online to help teachers and parents keep students engaged in learning while at home. It covers information like how to use Zoom, write grants, create a scale Play-Doh solar system, map with LIDAR, the basics of telescopes, and making space-themed crafts. Access HERE.
- The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has created a comprehensive list of educational applications and platforms to help parents, teachers, and schools. Access HERE.
- The Barbara Bush Foundation for Literacy Educational Toolkit for At-Home Learning offers free online resources that can help children continue to build critical literacy skills while schools are closed. Access HERE.
Read With Your Children:
Reading is so important that I wanted to remind you of these excellent resources to help keep your kids reading daily, staying active, and sticking to a routine.
The U.S. Department of Education’s "Talk, Read, and Sing Together Every Day!" tip sheets provide families, caregivers and early educators with research-based tips for talking, reading, and singing with young children every day. Access those tip sheets HERE.
Please visit my webpage for students and educators HERE, for even more information and resources.
|
|
Social Security Benefits Will be Paid On Time
|
Treasury, Not Social Security Issuing CARES Act Checks |
The Commissioner of Social Security Andrew Saul reminded the public that Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefit payments will continue to be paid on time during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Also, please be aware that the Department of Treasury, not the Social Security Administration, will be making direct payments to eligible people.
To allow available agents to provide better phone coverage, the Social Security Administration is temporarily changing its call hours for (800) 772-1213 to 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. CT. The agency is experiencing longer than normal wait times for its phone services and asks the public to remain patient, use its online services HERE, or call their local office.
Local offices are closed to the public but are available by phone. To find your local field office phone number use the Field Office Locator HERE.
Please be aware of scammers who try to take advantage of the pandemic to trick people into providing personal information or payment via retail gift cards, wire transfers, internet currency, or by mailing cash, to maintain Social Security benefit payments or receive economic impact payments from the Department of the Treasury.
Report any incidents such as these to the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office at ArkansasAG.gov or (800) 482-8982.
To report fraud related to the COVID-19 public health crisis, you can also call the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) hotline (1-866-720-5721) or email the NCDF e-mail address disaster@leo.gov
|
ASSISTANCE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES
|
Paycheck Protection Program Loans |
The United States Treasury’s Paycheck Protection Program authorizes up to $349 billion toward job retention and other expenses for the millions of Americans employed by small businesses
Small businesses and eligible nonprofit organizations, veterans organizations, and tribal businesses described in the Small Business Act, as well as individuals who are self-employed or are independent contractors, are eligible if they also meet program size standards. Treasury issued the following information yesterday:
For a top-line overview of the program click HERE.
If you’re a lender, more information can be found HERE.
If you’re a borrower, more information can be found HERE.
The application for borrowers can be found HERE.
| Unemployment insurance benefits |
| Provisions From the CARES Act Are Underway |
As many businesses close to adhere to social distancing policies, employees and owners of those companies have lost income. To help those finding themselves without a job through no fault of their own, the CARES Act extends unemployment benefits to more employees, helps them for longer, and provides a greater cushion to help them get to the other side. This new federal unemployment benefit will help bridge the gap between what a worker would receive as a paycheck and the amount that states offer in unemployment benefits.
This means that if you are self-employed, an independent contractor or a sole proprietor, the CARES Act does ensure that you will be covered and paid back to the date you closed your business.
The state has been working extremely hard and is being as responsive as possible, but this situation is completely unprecedented. They are moving as quickly as they can in order to provide the needed relief.
The current Arkansas Unemployment Insurance program (UI) does not usually include several kinds of workers that need assistance during the COVID-19 public health and economic crisis, the Arkansas Division of Workforce Services (ADWS) is still working to process the huge influx of applications they have received and is awaiting direction from the U.S. Department of Labor on how to comply with the new guidelines.
I know it’s frustrating, but as my office and I learn more information, we will continue to keep you updated with information on how to apply for unemployment insurance. Please know that these resources will become available and help is on the way.
If you need assistance, please reach out at Hill.House.gov or call my office at (501) 324-5941.
Sincerely,
Representative French Hill
|
