October 9, 2020
Greetings Wildcat Families,
I hope this letter finds you enjoying the autumn weather and beautiful leaves. It’s been great to get outside with sweatshirts and jackets for recess as well as for outdoor learning and mask breaks. We continue to settle into the year that is unlike any other, and I’m very thankful that, so far, students and staff have not had any positive cases of COVID. It is possible that this will occur, and in light of that I need to provide you with our current distance learning plan, our fully remote learning plans should they be needed, and how attendance will happen in these situations.
FAMILIES - PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION APPLIES TO THE IN-PERSON STUDENTS, NOT THE 100% DISTANCE LEARNING STUDENTS
Current Hybrid Model and Distance Learning Days
As you know, the RSU 1 Board determined that we will continue the hybrid model in all grades across the district for the time being. At the elementary level, we had held off on distance learning expectations until the decision was made to remain hybrid. This past week, starting 10/1/20, students began having work expectations on their at-home learning days. It is important to note that these at-home learning days count as school days, and the distance learning assignments need to be worked on during these days. While retention is never something we want to consider, failure to participate in the DL portions of the hybrid model may result in your child having to repeat their grade.
We understand that flexibility is needed, as some children may be at home but others may be in varied care situations. Teachers will provide online and paper learning opportunities that can be completed flexibly in ways that fit your family’s schedule.
Families should log into Brightspace in order to view the work that has been assigned, as well as check students' take home folders for any paper items from teachers. The expectations for distance learning differ from grade to grade, and details can be found here. We also have a district resource page with all of our COVID-related documents and resources in one place, which can be found here.
Full Remote Plan
It is possible that at some point we may have to be fully remote once again this year. This could be due to an outbreak, quarantining part or all of the school or district, or because the cases rise high enough that we are designated to be “red.” If that occurs, the full remote plan is also outlined in the document linked above. While we hope not to have to use this plan, it is important that we are ready to do so if and when needed, as that notification could be very sudden.
Attendance on At-Home Learning Days
Student attendance and participation on their at-home learning days will be monitored and recorded by classroom teachers. Attendance and participation will be based on logging into Brightspace, completing assignments, and spending time in the online learning apps (Dreambox, IXL, Lexia, etc.). Teachers will be able to see if students are working through material at home, and mark them as participating. A lack of participation will be recorded as “NDP” - “Distance Participation Not Yet Recorded,” and is essentially the same as an unexcused absence. Teachers have a window of time each week to update those records, so if students work on paper packets at home and bring them back on their in-person days, their distance participation can be updated. Again, this attendance information applies to our in-person students on their home learning days, not our 100% distance learning students.
We appreciate your continued patience and flexibility as we make our way through the reopening of school. If there is anything we can do to assist your family, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Stay Safe,
Mr. Libby and Mrs. Dimbleby