November 13, 2020
Dear Parents:
In August 2020, we asked you to select a learning environment for your child(ren) that would be binding through the first trimester. As mid-November approaches and we prepare for the second trimester, we ask that you log in to the Genesis parent portal if you want to change your child's learning location. Second trimester selections will be effective from January 4- April 1, 2021. If you do not make a change, your child will remain in his/her current learning environment (in-person OR remote). The change form will be available as of today at 3:00 p.m. and all changes must be made by November 20 at 3:00 pm. No changes will be accepted after that.
It is our hope and preference that we continue to offer the programs consistent with the current structure and class assignments, and that minimal changes are necessary. However, if there are a large number of change requests, we may have to modify the in-person schedule to an alternating cohort schedule (hybrid). We also know that there is a possibility that teachers will have to be reassigned if there are significant population shifts. Please know that moving from remote to in-person, or from in-person to remote will almost certainly require a teacher change. Our target date to inform you of the schedule and assignments for the next trimester is December 9.
We understand that you would like to know the schedule for in-person instruction before you make a selection. Unfortunately, we cannot provide that because the schedule for in-person instruction is directly dependent upon the number of students selecting the option. Again, it is our preference to maintain 5 days of in-person instruction, but if the numbers do not allow that to happen, we will move to a cohort based schedule, with students attending in-person 2-3 days per week, and learning remotely the balance of the days. In this case, some higher need students would be prioritized for 5 days of in-person instruction. In either case, parents will still have the full remote program as an option for their child(ren).
If you do not make a change by logging in to Genesis by November 20th, your children will remain in the program in which they are currently enrolled.
Those families who are enrolled in in-person instruction for the second trimester will receive a separate survey specific to transportation needs. This survey target date is December 9.
We are pleased that we have been able to run our programs as planned since September. As the winter approaches and cases of COVID-19 in the region increase, we continuously monitor area conditions to assess if a change in plan is needed. Right now we are staying the course, and thank you for making choices outside of school that support the health of our entire school community. I would like to remind you, though, that conditions can change rapidly, and advise that you have a plan in place in case a short or long term transition to 100% remote for all becomes necessary.
As always, we appreciate your partnership.
Sincerely,
Helen Payne
Superintendent of Schools