Parent Letter Remote Learning

Dear Families of the Manchester School District,

As you are aware MSD buildings closed starting Mon. 3/16/2020, and will remain closed to students until at least Friday 4/3/2020. As we enter this phase of the roll-out of our Remote Learning plan our educators are at school planning and preparing for a positive transition to Remote Learning. Tonight, we wanted to take some time to share important information with you. Two aspects of our Remote Learning plan are Food Distribution and Materials for Remote Learning.

Food Distribution - Beginning March 17th our buses will be used to provide breakfast and lunch for our students. It is not required that students pick up either breakfast or lunch; however, we want to make sure all of our students have access to healthy meals when they are away from our schools. Families received information regarding food distribution via School Messenger. Also, the routes are currently posted on the school district website along with other closure information. We want to remind you to store perishable items in the refrigerator immediately. If you have any questions related to meals please contact your school via phone or email.

Materials for Remote Learning - Remote learning will begin in a staggered rollout (initial date to be announced). Our instructional teams have been meeting to frame out a remote learning plan for our district for some time now. Since last Friday when Governor Sununu declared NH in a state of emergency due to the coronavirus pandemic, we expanded our team to include a broader range of stakeholders so remote learning can move from plan to implementation for our 13,702 students. We will communicate plans to transition instruction from classrooms and buildings to an at-home learning model in line with our district’s mission “in partnership with the community, to inspire and empower all learners with the knowledge, skills, and experiences essential for them to reach their greatest potential:”

Managing Remote Learning in the Home - What will this look like for students? We will be sending various communications and updates from the district level, school level and most important, teacher level. We want to ensure that our students and teachers stay connected on a daily basis and the learning opportunities that students have engaged in this school year continue throughout the remote learning process.

Here are some of the major factors to be aware of:

• The students will be provided with a suggested daily schedule.

• The teachers will design/provide lessons and activities for learning.

• The teachers will assess student work for the development of skills, mastery of competency, or fulfillment of course credit depending on the grade level.

• The students will complete the work by the timeline the teacher has given the student to receive full credit for assignments.

• The teachers will be available via email, Google classroom, or other specified platforms to assist students in learning and answer questions relevant to the learning.

• Attendance will be recorded daily as this is not a school vacation nor a “snow day”. Teachers will be contacting students and families each day. It is important to respond to the call, email by teachers or show attendance through evidence of presence during any online lessons.

• Families are asked to support our students by encouraging them to reach their daily learning goals and to reach out to teachers when they need help.

Special Education and 504 and Remote Learning- What will this look like for students? The Manchester School District (local educational agency; LEA) has sought guidance and direction from the Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE), the US Department of Education, the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services (OSERS) and the Office of Special Education Program (OSEP) to address questions about the provision of services to children with disabilities in accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504).

As the district moves to the phase of remote learning, the goal is to allow ALL students continued access to learning opportunities. The District has initiated plans to ensure that students with disabilities are provided a free and appropriate education (FAPE) in accordance with IDEA and Section 504.

Will my child receive a FAPE in accordance with the IEP or Section 504 plan?

• Special education staff and therapists will offer a continuum of services based on individual needs of students.

• Service delivery may include but not be limited to remote learning, instructional work packets, instructional telephone calls or video conferencing with students or consults to caregivers, s and other curriculum-based instructional activities and resources.

• Individual and small group therapy sessions may be offered and delivered to students in their schools.

Talking with your student - You know your children best. Let their questions be your guide as to how much information to provide. However, don’t avoid giving them the information that health experts identify as critical to ensuring your children’s health. Be patient; children and youth do not always talk about their concerns readily. Watch for clues that they may want to talk, such as hovering around while you do the dishes or yard work. It is very typical for younger children to ask a few questions, return to playing, then come back to ask more questions.

When sharing information, it is important to make sure to provide facts without promoting a high level of stress, remind children that adults are working to address this concern, and give children actions they can take to protect themselves.

Here are a couple of resources from the Child Mind Institute and National Association of School Psychologists to help you engage in conversations with your child about the Coronavirus. https://childmind.org/article/talking-to-kids-about-the-coronavirus/ and (from the National Association of School Psychologists)

Keeping Communication Open in the Days Ahead - In efforts to keep communication open in the days ahead, we ask that you email your student’s school with any changes to phone numbers or email addresses.

Thank you to all our families for supporting the MSD.