E-Learning Message to Familiies
March 18, 2020
Dear District Families,
I hope your family is managing well as we move into this very difficult and unprecedented period. I would like to provide you with updates on three items at this time: parent/teacher conferences, kids’ social distancing, and remote learning opportunities to students during the shutdown.
1. Parent/teacher conferences: These were going to occur on March 19 and 20 and are now cancelled. Instead, teachers will be emailing or calling all parents between now and March 27th with information on how each student has been performing in their classes. If, for some reason, you do not hear from your student’s teachers, please feel free to inquire with them via their work email.
2. Health experts continue to ask school officials for assistance in getting the word out that kids need to maintain social distancing too, and playdates and group gathering of students should not be taking place at this time. Here is an interestng article that addresses this topic: This is Not a Snow Day
3. Student remote learning opportunities. A Question & Answer approach seems efficient:
What is being provided?
By Monday, March 23 all teachers will communicate with their students/families the learning opportunities they will provide during the school shutdown. The tasks and resource links provided will not be graded or treated as mandatory assignments. They are simply recommended activities to keep students engaged in learning during this interruption.
These materials should obviously be grade level and subject matter appropriate. They should provide options of tasks and resources to choose among where possible. Teachers will be providing activities and resources, mostly drawn from the internet, and they will come from sources such as the following:
- Dreambox.com
- I-Ready
- Newsela
- Lending Library
- Education Companies Offering Free Subscriptions due to School Closings
- Educational Resources from the Council for Exceptional Children
Are students required to participate?
These learning opportunities are not graded assignments and although strongly encouraged, are not mandatory. Also, work during this period does not count as days of school or meet the state’s time on learning requirements.
How will teachers and students/families communicate?
Teachers will contact students via their typical mode of communication; Email, Plusportals, Google Classroom, or Remind. Students/families should look for communications on a daily basis and teachers will check email at least twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon.
When will the program operate?
Teachers will be in communication by Monday morning, March 23 and learning opportunities will continue until the conclusion of the shutdown period, which is April 6th, at this time.
Will students be graded for their work?
No
What if students do not have internet access?
Before the closure started we surveyed students in grades 3-12 and learned that less than a dozen students lacked internet access at home. Unfortunately, while we do not have a district provided solution to this situation, we felt it would remain beneficial to provide these opportunities to the vast majority of our students.
What about MCAS and Advanced Placement exams?
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is working on what to do about this spring’s MCAS exams. When we receive this information we will share it with you. College Board, the organization that oversees AP programs is working to provide students with learning resources, through their teachers, during this period. It is possible that AP exams may be able to be taken from home later this spring. Additional information will be forthcoming and provided by AP teachers.
What about report cards?
Second trimester elementary report cards will be distributed when schools reopen. Third quarter report cards at the secondary level have been cancelled. Grades from the beginning of the term in January will be combined with whatever grades are possible this spring, into single semester grades at the end of the term.
We will provide updates as warranted. Flatten the curve!
Michael Sullivan, Superintendent of Schools
Gill-Montague Regional School District