The Middlesex Middle School Hybrid Plan functions on an alphabetical split, A-K and M-Z, similar to that of the elementary schools' plan. Students will either be in-school or remote based on this split, except on Friday. Each Friday, students will be fully remote and follow an abbreviated schedule, one that is designed not only to allow teacher collaboration and professional learning but also to permit increased building cleaning and sanitizing. Whenever students are learning from home, they will participate using Zoom, joining their peers in full-class activities or in smaller breakout sessions. While participating remotely, they may also engage in independent work when their in-school peers are doing the same.
The Darien High School Hybrid Plan follows an eight-day rotation with block periods. Mondays through Thursdays, the building will run at approximately 50% student capacity using an alphabetical split. Similar to the MMS plan, students with last names beginning with letters A-K will attend in-person for two consecutive days, while students with last names beginning with L-Z will attend in-person for two consecutive days. When students are not attending class in-person, they are attending school virtually via live streaming/Zoom classes with classroom teachers. All students will learn remotely on Fridays, which, similar to the MMS plan, features an abbreviated schedule to allow for teacher collaboration and professional learning.
It goes without saying that both students and teachers will be adjusting to a great deal over the course of this school year. Students and teachers will both need to adjust to new learning and communication technologies. They will both need to adjust to a learning environment where half of the participants are physically in the classroom while the other half is joining remotely. They will also both need to adjust to an instructional mode that strikes an appropriate balance between being personally engaging and safely distanced. Regardless of these adjustments, the focus of instruction will continue to be on the development of skills and discipline-specific content that students need to be successful in future classes and beyond. With this in mind, teachers and administrators will be continually evaluating instructional methods to ensure best practices.
Google Classroom will be the main mode of disseminating course material and information. On this resource, students will find links to their Zoom meetings, assignments, and other course materials. Parents wanting to receive progress reports through Google Classroom should email their student's teacher and request this feature.
Zoom will be the main mode of virtual learning. When students are learning from home, teachers will post links and other information for students so they can access their classes. Teachers will work with students to teach them how to use Zoom if they are not already familiar.
The district's comprehensive reopening plan can be found here. This plan was the result of a widespread collaboration to ensure the schools would be ready to open in the Fall and adjust throughout the year as needed.