Superintendent's Report to SC 11.18.20

 Superintendent’s Report to the School Committee

November 18, 2020

• Parent/Guardian/ Caregiver Technology Training

• Biweekly technology training will begin for parents, guardians, and caregivers on Wednesday, December 2nd beginning at 6:30 pm via Zoom. 

• Zoom links will be posted on the District Calendar: https://www.swampscottps.org/calendar/

• Evenings alternate in order to provide more opportunities for families.

• Topics to date include:

• Wednesday, December 2 - Managing Google Calendar

• Monday, December 14 - Tips & Challenges of Remote Learning

• Thursday, December 17th -  Google Classroom - The Guardian View

• Technology Help Flowchart

• Technology Help Flowchart (Webpage)

• Winter Sports

• Something we will need to consider moving forward.  

• Ask Ms. Wolff to bring forward to the Committee the modifications for each sport. 

• Health and facilities considerations 

• Thanksgiving Travel Plans Form

• The recommendation is NOT to travel 

• Must follow the state travel guidance: MA Travel Order

• Students who are traveling will need to plan to work remotely on Monday, November 30th, because they will need to provide proof of a negative PCR test and be cleared by the school nurse on Monday.  Therefore, their earliest return date would be Tuesday.

• The form is being emailed to families tomorrow. 

• We are asking for honesty and transparency to keep everyone safe and our schools open.

• Fully In-Person Learning Plan

• MASS Statement (if feasible)

• This School Committee voted to follow the CDC 

• Guidance of 6 ft. social distancing

• Change in guidance of a close contact being 15 minutes CUMULATIVE in a 24-hour period (DESE not acknowledging)

• Our elementary schools are older, which means the square footage in the classrooms is less than today’s standards, which limits our capacity to be fully in-person all the time.

• Hybrid Model Update

• I have mentioned moving to the 3:2 model following Thanksgiving

• We are staying the course for now

• Over the next 6 weeks, we only have 23 school days

• January is when our mid-year assessments are given and if changes are going to be made to our model, it really needs to occur with the data behind it.

• Will we see growth with the instruction we are delivering currently because 4 hours of in-person learning is intense compared to “normal times.”

• What can we do until that time?

• Look at capacity in each classroom (Cohorts A and B) and bring in high needs kids on more days to give more in-person instruction.

• More in-person time for the students that are really struggling with remote learning and identify students that are not meeting academic progress 

• Work toward extending the school day for high needs students into the afternoon (K-8) on Cohort A and B days

• Add interventions/tutoring/guidance check-ins for mental health

• Look at data in January - are we closing the gaps for most kids?

1. If yes, continue with the hybrid model

2. In no, radical reorganization to prioritize in-person learning for highest-needs students, and split staffing to support in-person or remote students.

• Facilities Update - Director of Facilities, Max Kasper