O'Maley Planning

Update:
The School Committee voted on August 12 to move forward with the "Full In" Hybrid Model at O'Maley Middle School.

To read Gloucester's full submitted plan for school reopening, please click here.

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O’Maley Innovation Middle School

In-Person Learning - O'Maley

A full In-Person Model with all students attending for a full day is proving very difficult to plan and prepare for at O’Maley. The cohort sizes would be larger than desired, in-class physical distancing would prove difficult, and mask breaks with appropriate physical distancing would be disruptive because they would have to be outside or use the gymnasium. As in our other schools, serving lunch to all students would prove operationally challenging. With students at the expected six foot distance when eating, O’Maley can only seat 44 students in the cafeteria or 88 if we install plexiglass dividers that split tables down the middle.

Hybrid Learning - O'Maley

The O’Maley team and district leaders have been working on a “Full-In” Hybrid approach that would provide in school learning for all students four out of five days per week, personalizes learning by substantially reducing class size, includes a grab-and-go breakfast and lunch for all students, and adds 90 minutes of remote learning each of the four afternoons. On the fifth day, high needs students will attend school at the building while all others participate remotely.

The schedule includes an 8-block rotation over two days containing four core academic classes, a specialist class (art, music, health/PE, coding, library-media, performing arts), a remote learning assistance block and a flex block. Each block is one hour long.

In the “Full In” Hybrid, remote learning in the afternoons would integrate with the in-person instruction by following the flipped classroom model. Students will complete asynchronous lessons, and teachers will have the ability to monitor student participation and completion. High needs students will have paraprofessional staff available to facilitate learning.

The “Full-In” Hybrid approach would enhance the student learning experience by providing:

• Average class sizes of only 12 students that will significantly increase individual student support

• A daily homeroom advisory for social emotional learning and connection.

• Four days in the building with access to teachers, counselors and other support staff.

• An addition of a flex block during which high needs students will receive intervention support and other students will be provided remediation or enrichment.

• An addition of a learning assistance block during which organization, habits of mind, and technology skills instruction as well as other assistance will be provided by a special education teacher or paraprofessional.

Full Remote Learning

If required to close our buildings to students due to increased local community transmission and infection rates, O’Maley would move into a remote learning model. Since May, an O’Maley team has been working to strengthen our remote learning practices. Also, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has required more structures to make remote learning more accessible and more effective.

• Students and classes will follow a daily and weekly schedule just like they do when students are in our school buildings.

• The middle school will use Google Classroom and Google Meet to organize instruction and facilitate student-teacher interactions.

• Lessons and resources will be provided in both synchronous and asynchronous formats and teachers will interact with students throughout the scheduled school day.

• O’Maley teachers will use the Star 360 Assessment System to administer in-person or remote benchmark assessments and regularly monitor the progress of students in relation to state learning standards.

• Unless the school building is closed for health reasons, high needs students will continue to attend school in person and be instructed by teachers using the same lessons and resources prepared for those students who are working remotely and will also use remote learning platforms such as Freckle or Khan Academy.

• Live, daily lessons, regular check-ins, and small group support for all students will help maintain academic motivation and social connections

• Students with specific needs will have individual or small group support with related service providers

• Attendance will be taken in all classes and students will be expected to attend all classes just like they do when they are going to class in school

• Teachers would still work in and teach from their classrooms, thereby increasing their access to technology and teaching materials.

• Teacher planning time will be coordinated across each grade and subject area to allow for grade level teams of teachers to share lessons, expertise, and best practice.

Remote Learning Academy
Regardless of which learning model we are in at any time, GPS plans to create a Remote Academy to serve students whose parents have indicated a preference for fully remote learning. At the elementary level this may involve the creation of a districtwide instructional team that teaches single grade or subjects or multigrade instruction depending on enrollment.