- This week, I restarted my "school visit" engine- I visited Fonseca, Stone, RPA, Silvia and Letourneau. Thank you for having me over! I am not observing, unless you want me to do an unannounced. I am just coming by to check in and see if you need anything.
- Next week, I will be at HLCS, Doran, Morton and Viveiros.
- We will be ending Trimester 2 on Friday March 19th, and Term 3 ends April 9th! This CRAZY year is flying by.
- Please remind families that they can visit WinterBridge this weekend! Check out the flyers above!
- They can also vote for the best window ART! See flyer below!
- LESSON PLANS: Thank you to those who share lesson plans with me! Those who have not been sharing, could you could please share these plans with me on Mondays? Lessons are my way of knowing what everyone is doing, and how your planning aligns with each other's across grade levels.
- SUB PLANS- Durfee: If you are going to be out, can you please send me the plans that the sub will need in order to run the class (for both virtual and in person kids)? In this plan, please leave the Google Class codes- they may need them.
- So, you have probably heard that the state has released new amendments to student learning time regulations. Be mindful that I am sharing info (pulled from the 3/9 Guidance on In Person Learning and Student Learning Time Requirements) from the state below, but we will get additional FRPS info as it is completed from central office. I just want to keep you informed.
- The current guidance (released Tuesday evening to all districts) is as follows:
• Elementary school phase (grades K-5): For elementary schools, hybrid and remote learning models will no longer count towards meeting the required student learning time hours as of Monday, April 5, 2021. As a result, districts and schools are required to shift their learning model for elementary school grade levels to full-time, in-person instruction five days per week effective Monday, April 5, 2021.
• Middle school phase (grades 6-8): For middle schools, hybrid and remote learning models will no longer count towards meeting the required student learning time hours as of Wednesday, April 28, 2021. As a result, districts and schools will be required to shift their learning model for middle school grade levels to full-time, in-person instruction five days per week, effective Wednesday, April 28, 2021.
• High school phase (grades 9-12): We will announce the details and timing of the high school phase of the plan in April. Districts will be provided with at least two weeks in advance of the date for high school students to return to full-time, in-person instruction, but should start making such plans now.
Since June 2020, DESE guidance has consistently noted that three feet in classrooms is a safe standard for physical distancing when masks are worn and other mitigation strategies are in place, based on guidelines from the World Health Organization10 and the American Academy of Pediatrics
We encourage schools and districts to bring back students at each grade level as quickly as possible. With pooled testing in place and improvement in COVID-19 heath metrics across the state, many districts and schools are already moving to bring back all students K-12 for full-time, in-person learning in the coming weeks.
Definition of full-time in-person learning. The requirement for “full-time” in-person learning means that all structured learning time hours31 (on average 5 hours per day of structured learning time at the elementary level and 5.5 hours per day at the secondary level) are required to be delivered in person, five days per week. This will generally mean that students are attending a full school day equivalent to the length of their school day pre-pandemic. Any deviation from offering full-time, in person instruction five days a week to all students requires a waiver.
Students can still learn remotely and have their hours count towards SLT in two “exception cases.” First, as noted above, parents/guardians may choose to have their students learn remotely through the end of this school year, and the learning hours for these students will continue to count towards structured learning time. Second, following DESE COVID-19 health protocols,32 individual students may need to isolate or quarantine and therefore learn remotely if they are symptomatic, diagnosed with COVID-19, or are a close contact of someone who tests positive. In these cases, where the district is following the DESE COVID-19 health protocols and students are learning remotely due to a COVID-19-related issue, learning hours will also continue to count towards structured learning time.
In general, districts and schools should review a wide range of options for serving all students full time, in-person with physical distancing constraints:
• Classroom capacity should be assessed first, followed by other spaces in the school that could be repurposed at different times of the day, including the cafeteria, gym, art and music rooms, and other spaces. Classroom configurations including layout and furniture may need to be altered to accommodate all students.
• Some teachers, including specialist teachers, may be able to utilize carts and deliver lessons in students’ homerooms, thereby freeing up additional classroom space and allowing students to remain in cohorts. In some cases, shifts in teacher assignments may also be required.
• Use of outdoor spaces at the school should be maximized, including putting up tents so these spaces can be used in rainy weather.
Classroom set-up and required physical distancing:
• As a reminder, our guidance is to set up classrooms with desks at least three feet apart, with students facing the same direction. The three feet distance is measured “seat edge to seat edge” front to back and side to side.
o Having students face the same direction should be the default desk set-up in the classroom.
o However, for short periods of time (e.g. 15-20 minutes several times per day), students may face each other for a “turn and talk” or other group activity. During these short periods, students should refrain from singing or engaging in activities that involve increased respiration. Appropriate mask use should be verified before these short periods.
Teacher and staff spaces and protocols:
• In many studies, adult-to-adult transmission has been more common than transmission between adults and students in schools.43,44,45,46 While teachers and other adults should always remain vigilant implementing the health and safety mitigation strategies, they should be especially careful not to relax their mitigation measures during duty-free periods or other times students may not be present (e.g., preparation periods, common planning time, professional development, etc.). Consider the following strategies for these circumstances: o Ensure strict use of masks when adults are present together.
o Reconfigure staff furniture to support physical distancing.
o Consider adjusting staff schedules or creating adult occupancy thresholds to limit the number of adults in a room at one time.
o Encourage the use of virtual staff meetings where feasible, as opposed to gathering in person. For in-person staff meetings or gatherings, do not provide food which can lead to the removal of masks.
o During duty-free lunch periods, encourage staff to eat outside or individually in their classrooms.
• Teachers and staff should maintain six feet of distance from students and other staff when feasible. For short periods of time (e.g., helping a student individually, walking between desks, etc.), teachers and other staff may be less than six feet away from others.
Looking Ahead:
• Fall: DESE anticipates a full in-person return across all grade levels. We will work with districts and schools to ensure a focus on teaching grade level content, with appropriate scaffolds for all learners. We will also support districts in meeting the needs of the whole child, including mental and physical health, in addition to accelerated instruction and extra help in core academic subjects. More guidance on fall planning will be forthcoming.
o As we stated last spring heading into the 2020-21 school year, DESE discourages retaining students at the prior grade level. This includes students of first grade age whose parents/guardians may have kept them home from kindergarten this year; these students should be placed in the first grade in the fall, even if they chose to remain unenrolled for kindergarten.
Thank you,
Jackie
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