Information on School Reopening
Dear Big Green Families:
Over the past two weeks, students, parents, faculty, and staff have been working hard on creating a school reopening plan for NCS. While the process has been challenging, it has also been an opportunity to see how much individuals care about school safety, connection, and learning in our corner of the world. For anyone who is interested, the complete NCS Reopening Plan can be accessed by clicking on this link. However, I have tried to provide key components of our proposal below, and I would invite you to attend one of our virtual sessions if you have questions or would like additional information.
Prioritizing Parent Preference:
Throughout the planning process, it has been clear that parents are in very different places when it comes to sending their sons or daughters back to school. While some would have them return to in-person learning tomorrow, others have indicated that they would likely withdraw their child from school if a remote option were not provided.
Because both positions are completely understandable, we have prioritized parent preference throughout the reopening planning process. At this point in time, our goal is to provide both a 100% in-person learning option for some students as well as a 100% remote learning option for others based on parent preference.
10 Week Learning Commitments:
In order to ensure, however, that we can safely welcome all interested students back to in-person learning, we need your help. At some point between now and next Friday (August 7), we are asking each family to fill out a separate learning preference survey for their child or children that can be used in creating class lists and master schedules. (Click here for survey.)
Because information regarding COVID-19 continues to evolve, we recognize that the comfort levels of families might change in the weeks and months ahead. However, we are asking that when parents submit their surveys, they are comfortable committing to their in-person or remote learning choices for at least the first 10 weeks of the school year. If at that point preferences have changed, we will provide opportunities for families to modify the preferred models of learning that they initially selected.
It should also be noted that throughout the scheduling process, the return of all interested students in grades UPK-6 to in-person learning will be prioritized. If we have to decrease the number of students we can welcome back to in-person learning because of limitations involving busing, staffing, or space, we will create a hybrid schedule in which grades 7-12 students only attend in-person classes 2-3 days a week.
Continuing the Conversation:
We know that decisions related to school reopening this fall are difficult, emotional, and complex. If students resume in-person learning, they will do so with daily symptom/temperature checks at home, physical distancing, and face coverings when 6 feet of space cannot be maintained. If they choose to participate in remote learning, they will be required to engage on a daily basis, and to meet the same levels of rigor experienced by their peers.
If you have questions or would like additional information before completing the parent preference survey, I would invite you to join us for a reopening presentation on Facebook Live this coming Monday (August 3) at 6:00 p.m. Additionally, if you would like to continue the conversation, I would ask that you register for an Elementary School Zoom meeting on Tuesday (August 4) at 3:00 p.m. or a High School Zoom meeting on Wednesday (August 5) at 3:00 p.m. by completing this brief form (click here). On Monday evening, I will send out Zoom links to anyone who registers for the conversations, and look forward to having a chance to connect.
Finally, despite our best efforts, we know that our reopening plans will continue to evolve as new information emerges. Throughout the process, however, we promise to communicate, to ask for feedback, and to make decisions with an understanding that each child at NCS is someone’s whole world.
Please know how much we value your partnership, and that we do not take for granted the trust and support you have shown us in recent months.
Looking forward to connecting soon.
Matt
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