Dear Parents/Guardians:
As we approach the beginning of the 20/21 school year, I want to thank you for your patience and understanding as we continue to work on safety and health plans that allow our schools to reopen consistent with the standards established by the PA Department of Health, PA Department of Education, and the Centers for Disease Control. The health and wellbeing of your children stay our focused priority. We are confident that returning to the traditional school setting will provide students with the skills that allow them to flourish both academically and emotionally.
As we prepare for a variety of scenarios that may require the district to pivot to online remote learning we have enhanced our curriculum resource this year to a learning management system that is different from what you experienced in April and May last year. This system has been specifically designed with the complexity of learning during this type of pandemic. All students will be utilizing their iPads to access curriculum resources and instructional content. These devices will continue to play a supporting role for teachers as they conduct in-person instruction in the traditional classroom setting.
If we must close school down this school year at any time because of this pandemic, we will be supplying instruction using the iPads. Students will be required to log-in daily for attendance purposes completing all their assignments as though they were in the classroom. Students will be receiving grades and will be communicating with their teachers through email or video conferencing.
The district will be setting up hot spots around the area for students without internet access. We will make you aware of these locations. If you do not have internet access, please contact your building administrator. We will work with you to provide your student with the instructional support they need to be successful.
Students will be required to wear a face covering consistent with the requirements of the PA Department of Health anytime 6’ of distance is not able to be consistently maintained. Some classrooms depending upon course enrollment will be able to achieve 6’ of distance while other classrooms will not. In cases where the 6’ of distance cannot be kept in the classroom, students will need to be wearing a face covering.
For parents that do not wish to send their students back to school during this pandemic, the student will be enrolled in our online program. We have enhanced our online program this year by supplying our own teachers to check and provide support just like being in the traditional classroom. Students will be logging in daily and checking in with their classroom teacher about their progress. Students will need to complete their coursework following the marking periods on the school calendar.
Unfortunately, because of the pandemic situation this year, we will not be holding open house or any other back to school events in person. The building administrators and teachers will be posting videos on the website about these events.
As a district we are focusing on promoting three goals for the upcoming school year. I bulleted the goals below.
- Open lines of communication
- Teamwork
- Promoting 21st Century Educational Opportunities
Again, I would like to welcome you to the 20/21 school year. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Dr. Eric T. Stair
[email protected]
Superintendent