Letter to SEEM Families – Free Internet/Virtual Learning

To:      SEEM Students and Families

From:  SEEM Technology Department

Date:   March 18, 2020

Re:      Free Internet Access and Virtual Learning Opportunities for SEEM students and families


Dear Families of SEEM students,

During this unprecedented time with the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) emergency, including school closures and cancelled community events, SEEM Collaborative is working hard to minimize the impact that it has on our students and their families. SEEM teachers and administrative staff work are actively looking for ways to provide learning opportunities that can be used at home using such online tools such as, Google Classroom, Zoom video conferencing and other virtual technologies.  However, these tools require that families have Internet access at home. 

During this COVID-19 emergency, Comcast is providing Internet access at a reduced speed to families who qualify.  This package is called Comcast Internet Essential andincludes two months of free Internet (see https://www.internetessentials.com/ or call Comcast at 1-800-COMCAST to apply.  You may qualify for Internet Essentials if:

  1. You are eligible for public assistance programs such as the National School Lunch Program, Housing Assistance, Medicaid, SNAP, SSI and others.
  2. You do not have outstanding debt to Comcast that is less than a year old. Families with outstanding debt more than one year old may still be eligible.
  3. You live in an area where Comcast Internet service is available.
  4. You are not an existing Xfinity Internet customer and have not subscribed to Xfinity Internet in the last 90 days.

SEEM Collaborative encourages families who qualify to take advantage of this opportunity.  You must sign up by April 30, 2020 to receive this promotion.  Internet access will enable teachers, students and families to stay connected while school is closed. 

In addition, selected SEEM Programs are also providing the opportunity for students to received SEEM provided Chromebooks and iPads for students to take home, who engage in the virtual classroom activities mentioned above.  Look for further communications from your school principal and/or teachers.     

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me below.

Sincerely,


Robert Ventura

SEEM Technology Department

rventura@seemcollaborative.org