Remote Learning Starting September 9, 2020

September 8, 2020

Dear K-8 Parents,

We hope that you had an enjoyable holiday weekend. As you know, today was the first day of school for our third cohort of students. Over the course of the first three school days we were able to refine our arrival and dismissal procedures, provide pandemic education, and distribute technology and other instructional materials. For cohorts 1 and 3, we were also able to support students as they logged on and accessed our learning platforms such as zoom, google classroom and/or canvas. This was impossible for Cohort 2 as an off-site internet outage complicated our efforts. Students in Cohort 2 and our remote learners should follow the steps outlined in our Instructions for Student Technology Set-up as described in our Friday Letter.

Our first cohort will return to our schools tomorrow, Wednesday, September 9^th, as Cohorts 2, 3 and our remote students learn from home (see chart below). Please keep in mind that tomorrow, Wednesday, September 9^th, is a half-day for all of our learners. In the morning, students who are learning remotely will follow their regular half-day schedule as they join their Cohort 1 classmates who will be learning in school. Your child's schedule and zoom links will be created and shared by their teacher(s).

As we synchronously connect and teach in-class and at-home students together for the first time, we ask for your patience and flexibility. We are hopeful as we embark on this different model for teaching and learning, and we appreciate your patience as we face any challenges. There are many moving parts, which will require that we continually adjust our devices, systems, and network access. For our faculty, Wednesday afternoon will be dedicated to debriefing the morning’s experience and making instructional adjustments for Thursday. On Thursday, Cohort 2 will report to school while Cohorts 1 and 3 learn remotely. On Friday, Cohort 3 will report to school while Cohorts 1 and 2 learn remotely. Of course, our fully remote learners will join us for the first time on Wednesday and stay remote through the week.

As you prepare for remote learning, please consider reviewing our District Expectations for Learners with your child. Notably, remote learners should be dressed as they would if they were reporting to school, should have all necessary materials, should be stationed in a quiet location, and should be prepared to follow their daily schedule. We appreciate your effort to balance the support that you may be providing to your child when they are at home with each classroom’s autonomy and privacy.

Thank you for your patience and support as we launch hybrid instruction tomorrow.

Sincerely,

Adam S. Pease, EdD
Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction