We know this year will look and feel very different. In order to stay flexible and responsive to changing health conditions in our region, we are unable to publish a finalized calendar for this year. However, we can share a draft calendar with tentative dates based on what we know so far. In terms of schedules, all students will receive schedules for the fully-remote start of the school year. These schedules will be in use while we remain fully remote. As you’ll see below, we will revisit schedules on a termly basis as we begin phasing in in instruction.

Draft 2020-21 School Calendar

Below, please find a tentative calendar for the 2020-21 school year. Some of these dates, including the in-person start date, are contingent on the DOE’s plans. As the DOE shares new details of their return to in-person instruction, we will update the calendar and notify staff and families.

As the calendar indicates, students will receive 181 days of instruction. This includes both fully-remote instructional days as well as anticipated hybrid days of instruction. Instruction begins on 8/24 with fully-remote instruction for our Kindergarten students and on 8/26 with fully-remote instruction for grades 1–8 (the shaded pink squares on the calendar indicate the fully-remote start to the school year). If we are able to return to our building, and we have met all safety requirements, our intention is to start phasing in cohorts of students for in-person instruction starting Wednesday, October 14^th.

Please note, as we prepare to reopen the buildings, your school administration will make some of the days in the weeks leading up to reopening asynchronous (recorded) for students. This is to provide our teachers time in the building to prepare classrooms. For asynchronous days, your school will share specific instructions and expectations. Finally, we’ve made November 3^rd a holiday this year to allow our staff time to vote. As such, Monday, November 2^nd, will be an asynchronous learning day for students while staff attend training. Please note, though instruction will be asynchronous, students will be expected to attend morning meeting. Your school will share more details about the schedule as the date approaches.

We will begin by inviting all students whose families have selected hybrid learning to attend school for 1 day a week. This time will focus on building community and relationships, orienting students to new health and safety routines and procedures, and providing responsive instruction based on students’ needs from the initial weeks of school. As mentioned in the introduction, our intent is to phase into in-person instruction slowly, as outlined in the stages below:

All students will have the opportunity to participate, with the goal that students feel safe, comfortable, and welcomed, before increasing their in-person time in school. From there, we will begin implementing our hybrid instructional schedule. Ultimately, our goal is to offer a blend of in-person (2-3 days a week) and remote instruction to all students who opt into that model, while continuing to offer a fully-remote model.

We will revisit on a termly basis what we offer. Families will be able to opt into hybrid instruction, from remote learning, on a termly basis. However, families participating in hybrid instruction will be able to move to fully remote instruction at any time.

Daily Schedules

Families will receive schedules for the fully-remote start of the year from their schools directly. As a reminder, school starts on August 26^th remotely for all students with kindergarten students starting on August 24^th.

When we are able to begin in-person instruction, schedules will generally adhere to regular hours of operation for each school which fall between 7:30 am and 4:00 pm. In designing our hybrid schedules, our goal is to make the instruction as seamless as possible for students. While each school will approach scheduling differently, as a network, we are committed to providing all students a continuity in the hybrid model. Students will be taught by the same teacher on in-person days as they are on remote days, the only difference they’ll experience is where the class will be, whether in the building or online.

We know that our youngest students—especially our Kindergarten students – struggle the most with remote instruction. Additionally, we are taking extra steps in planning for our students with IEPs and ENL students. We are working to provide additional in-person instruction for Kindergarten students, 12:1:1 students, and for our students with IEPs and ENL students who struggled the most with remote instruction last year.

Attendance

Students are required to attend school each day class is in session, whether remote or in-person. Good attendance is a key lever of student achievement. As a school we track attendance each day and take attendance very seriously. School staff will contact you to discuss your child’s attendance if we see there is a need for improvement. When remote, teachers marking student attendance will consider a variety of ways to flag that a student is “present.” Those ways include:

• Login into/usage of online platforms

• Calls directly with students or families

• Submission of an Attendance Google Form

• Coaching Notes

• Work Submission

Student absences related to COVID-19 will be excused so long as families submit a note to the school’s Main Office staff.

When hybrid instruction begins, schools will take attendance as normal. The only difference will be that some students’ attendance will be a combination of in-person attendance and remote instruction attendance, given the hybrid nature we are planning for.

Extracurriculars

Whether our students opt to be fully remote or participate in our hybrid instructional model—all students will continue to receive extracurricular and enrichment opportunities. All in-person activities will follow social-distancing guidance including mask wearing and reduced group size. The specific enrichment and extracurricular offerings are unique to each of our schools, however, as a network we are encouraging our teachers to consider health and nutrition, technology, coding, Zumba, yoga, & calisthenics, in addition to physical education, art, and music. As much as possible, physically active enrichments will take place outside. When indoors, distancing requirements will increase to 12 feet if there is increased breathing with the activity (such as with PE.)

Before and After Care

Currently, we do not plan to offer before and after childcare opportunities on site for our staff or families. We will help them connect to other opportunities provided throughout the city, such as Learning Bridges.