School district making adjustments
School district making adjustments
Alexis Barker
NLJ News Editor
With the continued increases in the number of COVID-19 cases in Wyoming over the past two weeks, Weston County School District No. 1’s teachers and staff have begun preparing for extended school closures
“Coming back is the easy situation,” Superintendent Brad LaCroix said. “The question is what education will look like if we have continued closures.”
At the time of the March 24 Weston County School District No. 1 board meeting, orders from Gov. Mark Gordon and Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow were to close school until April 6. According to a press release from the Wyoming Department of Education dated March 27, schools are to remain closed to students through April 17.
LaCroix told the board and the staff during the virtual meeting on March 24 that the state is suggesting that districts have a plan in place to provide education to students through the remainder of the 2019-20 school year.
“That could change at any time, but we need a plan to get through the end of May,” LaCroix told meeting attendees. “It will look different for each level and subject, but we will put some plans in front of you and get your feedback.”
Within the release from the department of education, it states that every Wyoming school district must have an Adapted Learning Plan approved by the department prior to April 6 to receive state funding.
“Once approved, Adapted Learning Plans are valid through the end of the 2019-20 school year,” the release says. “Status checks will be conducted by the WDE with each district at the end of April, and if necessary in May, to ensure adherence to their plans. Failure to adhere to plans may result in determination that full funding is not appropriate, or that missed school days need to be made up.”
The plans, LaCroix said, will continue to be adjusted and changed as the work-at-home school life progresses, depending on what is working and what is not.
“There are no answers that are wrong or right,” LaCroix said.
After the plan is developed, it will be sent to the Wyoming Department of Education for recognition.
“I can’t imagine we are coming back when we have over 30 cases now and they canceled school when there were none,” LaCroix said. “We have to play it smart.”
Thoughtfulness is key, according to LaCroix.
“Patience will go a long way, but kindness will go even further. This is going to be different for students and staff,” LaCroix said.
According to the press release from Balow and the department of education, at the expiration of the statewide school closure to students, or the end of the 2019-20 school year, she will make a determination to exercise her authority to hold all schools in a district harmless from daily proportional reduction of block grant funding due to building closures.
“That determination will be based on whether the district has followed through with its Adaptive Learning Plan,” she said. “A primary consideration when evaluating adherence to Adaptive Learning Plans will be the tracking of student attendance. The WDE will provide further guidance on general expectations on this topic.”
(See related stories about each of the WCSD#1 schools on this page, and on Page 16)
NMS to roll out continuous learning
Alexis Barker
NLJ News Editor
“Over the course of the next week, Newcastle Middle School will gradually roll out a continuous learning plan for all students focused on the essential learning targets in core subject areas,” Principal Tyler Bartlett said in a letter dated March 27.
According to Bartlett, the focus guiding the plan as staff make curricular decisions is what will best equip students for their return to school.
“Throughout the process, teachers will remain flexible and willing to adapt. We know we will encounter roadblocks during this endeavor,” Bartlett said in the letter. “My number one directive to teachers, students and families is this: be patient and kind to yourself and others. Do not expect a ‘normal’ educational experience; we’re well past normal now!”
Instruction from teachers will be given through remote resources, including Office 365 and Zoom. Traditional hard copies will be provided to students and families without resources to do the work at home, upon request.
Additionally, Bartlett said, students with individualized learning plans and 504s will receive accommodations and support, although that support will look different from normal.
“In this strange time, we will worry less about compliance and more about providing appropriate and reasonable support to all students,” Bartlett said in the letter. “I assure you every decision we make will be in good faith and represent our best effort to help all our students.”
These changes in the education model, according to Bartlett, may not include formal attendance or traditional grading policies. Teachers will monitor their students in a different manner throughout the extended school closure, and students will be asked to dedicate at least three hours a day to school work.
“Above all else though, please prioritize your family’s health and happiness during this difficult time. Please give yourself, your child(ren), and our teachers lots of grace and patience,” Bartlett said in the letter to parents. “Nobody is fully prepared for this and there will be mistakes made. That’s okay. We greatly value education and learning, but the bottom line is there are more important things in this world than reading, writing and arithmetic. As long as we all keep things in the proper perspective, we’ll get through this together and come out of this experience stronger and smarter.”
Bartlett encourages anyone with questions or concerns to contact him directly.
NES teachers preparing homework
Alexis Barker
NLJ News Editor
Students are to remain home, and teachers have begun preparing packets of work to mail to students, according to a letter from Principal Brandy Holmes .
“Although we have no clear answer on how long this may last, we have been preparing for the possibility of an extended school closure,” Holmes said in the letter. “We are ready to continue working with you to provide the best education experience we can under the circumstances.
To help give the same opportunities to all students, Holmes said, the packets are meant to ensure that students without access to certain types of technology have the best option.
“These packets will include plans and activities to help build on what your child has already learned to continue development of critical skills,” Holmes said in the letter. “The focus will be primarily on language arts and math. However, extension activities may be provided for other subjects.
Teachers and staff will also work together to share suggestions for online opportunities and to ensure that each child has appropriate activities. Holmes said that this will hopefully provide options and the ability to best tailor the experience for each family.
Communication will be essential throughout the process, Holmes said, and staff will reach out to parents and guardians regularly to help monitor progress.
“We are here to help make sure your child’s education journey does not stop simply because we are not able to be in the school building,” Holmes said.
Formal attendance and traditional grading will not be used at the time, she said.
“Teachers will monitor and document student participation based on communication with caregivers, work completion, and other factors,” Holmes said in the letter. “While a student will not be penalized for not completing specific work, we are committed to helping ensure each child is making progress.”
Students who are not engaging in the provided activities will be viewed as needing more staff assistance, she said.
The fate of activities and events scheduled for the rest of the year is unknown, she said. The events include concerts, field trips and the kindergarten roundup.
“At this time, we do not have answers about whether they will be canceled or rescheduled. We will continue to communicate updates as we are able,” Holmes said in the letter to parents.
Holmes acknowledged the stressful situation the pandemic has put on both students and families and encouraged everyone to reach out to her and her staff for any kind of support.
Holmes said that the most important thing anyone can do is relax and be kind to yourself and others, adding that it is necessary to keep things in perspective.
“The health of your families and our community is the priority,” Holmes said in the letter. “So, give your child a hug and let them know they are loved. When it comes down to it, that is the most important thing we can do for one another. Together, we’ve got this.”
Holmes encouraged anyone with questions to contact her personally. She said that updates and information will be provided on Facebook and the district’s website, in emails and automated calls.
NHS staff makes home plans
Alexis Barker
NLJ News Editor
“The staff at Newcastle High School has actually been working on informal plans for a school shut down for a few weeks, and they are in the final stages of developing their plan,” Principal Tracy Ragland said in a letter to parents. “Please know that during these times, these is no expectation of perfection. The staff is working to give you all the resources to help try and create some normalcy for your kids.”
To begin the continued education of students through the extended school closure, Ragland said that teachers will begin reaching out to students, once student technology is securely in place.
“Teachers will be sharing the hours of the day they will be online and how they are going to manage this new educational environment,” Ragland said in the letter.
The most important thing to remember is that the situation will not be perfect and adjustments will have to be made, he advised.
For those without internet access, paper packets will be mailed to them, Ragland said. Affected families should reach out to the district office.
“Teachers will be designing some sessions so that all you will need to do is come to the high school parking lot and connect to the WIFI there and then download what is needed for class, this can also help with the lack of internet service,” Ragland said in the letter.
As far as grades and the impact of the shutdown on students’ grade point averages, Ragland said that the staff has looked closely at the situation and considered the “upheaval this crisis has had on all of you.”
“The fairest way to grade the work for this quarter will be done in a pass/fail model,” Ragland said in the letter. “We want to encourage all students to participate, but we also know many, many circumstances are out of your control. Please try and get as much of the work completed as you can, we will do our best to keep the education process for your student moving forward.”
The future of wood, ag and welding projects, as well as other elective projects, is under consideration. Ragland said that the staff is working to find a suitable and safe strategy to continue the work.
According to Ragland, who has been principal since 2005, the continued education at the secondary level has a lot of questions tied to it. These include scholarships, extracurricular programming and a wide variety of culminating events that are traditional in high schools.
“At this time, I have no answers for any of these questions. This is not a situation which any of us have complete control, so together we will wait and see what unfolds in the coming weeks,” the letter says. “I can tell you that absolutely no decisions about our culminating events have been discussed or decided upon.”
Tina Chick, who is chairman of the board of trustees said during the last board meeting that she felt it was important to keep these events in mind and that they should be held, even if at a later date.
Ragland said that the NHS staff will continue to work with parents and the community and will provide any help possible. The days ahead are going to be trying, he said in the letter, and he hopes everyone can find a way to get to the other side of the crisis.