Mansfield High School

Dear MHS Community,

In light of Governor Baker's announcement regarding school closure for the remainder of the academic year, I want to express- especially to the graduating Class of 2020- how sad I am that we will not be in school together again this year. We are committed to salvaging as many end-of-year events as possible, and we thank you for understanding that events this year will "look" and "feel" differently from what we are used to.

Teaching and learning remains our top priority and focus through the end of the academic year. Our teachers are working diligently to gain proficiency in the use of many new technologies while creating and delivering meaningful learning experiences to students. While we cannot recreate the fullest experience of school remotely, we are committed to advancing student learning during the closure.

The MHS Remote Learning Plan is posted below; it details our approach to teaching and learning remotely, our expectations for student engagement, our grading plan, and our guidance for organizing the academic day. In addition, the Remote Learning FAQs provide more detailed responses to your questions about remote learning and school events- we are regularly updating the FAQs as new information and questions present.

Please review the Principal's Newsletters below for all of the latest information. Newsletters are published weekly on Fridays and will provide updates on decisions made during the week. Additional resources, including communication from the School Counseling Office and communication to the Class of 2020, can be found in the left side navigation bar beneath Mansfield High School.

Students, I encourage you to engage fully with remote learning and give it your best effort- this is not a time to give up or give in.

We're MHS Hornets, and we Never Surrender!

Take care,
Mary Watkins, Principal

MHS Remote Learning Plan

• Our priorities:

  • • Maintaining awareness of the challenges faced by students and families during these uncertain times

    • Providing equity of access for all students

    • Providing incentive for all students to engage in learning

    • Honoring the work that students have already completed this year

    • Giving all students an opportunity to improve

    • Following the guidelines issued by the DESE (“Credit/No Credit”)

• Expectations for Participation

  • • All students are expected to participate. The MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) expects that all students are "attending" school remotely.

• Remote Learning School Day

  • • Guidance from DESE recommends approximately half the length of a regular day- for MHS, that’s a little over 3 hours. Expect about 20 minutes of work per class, daily. In some cases, teachers may provide a project-based assignment to be completed at your own pace throughout the week.

    • It will be important for you to develop a strong schedule to support your learning! For the purposes of planning your routine, we recommend that you reserve the hours of 9AM to 12:45PM for school (this includes some break time).

    • Any synchronous class activity will take place when the class would normally meet during 4th period (10:22-11:17AM) following the weekly schedule rotation. Teachers will notify individual classes of any scheduled meetings a day in advance, and send students instructions for accessing those meetings. The schedule rotation for the upcoming week will be sent out every Friday in the Principal's Newsletter.

    • Google Meet will be available for teachers to use with students starting April 13th. Please understand that the use of Google Meet is not a mandate for staff - it is one of several technology tools that some teachers may elect to use with students, when and if they feel it is beneficial to learning.

• Communication with Teachers

  • • Follow the instructions provided by your teacher for communication and support. Direct communication with your teacher regarding your workload is best- reach out to your teacher if you're struggling!

• Q3 grades will be provided to students by April 13th

  • • Q3 grade will be determined using the progress report average, plus whatever was collected, assigned, and/or graded the week of March 9th.

    • Students who are missing Q3 work assigned prior to school closure, and due to an excused absence, will have until April 24th to submit completed work for credit toward their Q3 grade.

    • In all cases, students should look for further direction from their teachers regarding Q3 grades.

• Q4 begins April 6th and will be graded as “Pass/Fail”

  • • A student must earn a “P” to be eligible for full credit on their transcript; if they don’t earn a “P”, credit for the course will be reduced.

    • Q4 presents another opportunity for students to boost their Q3 average.

      • If a student earns “Pass with Proficient,” 8 quality points will be added onto their Q3 grade

      • If a student earns “Pass,” 2 quality points will be added onto their Q3 grade

      • Please see the rubrics below to better understand “Pass with Proficient,” “Pass,” and “Fail”

      • Remote Learning Rubrics

    • Senior and Underclass final exams are cancelled.

• Grades will be calculated as follows:

  • • FULL YEAR COURSE

      • Q1, Q2, & Q3 (plus any quality points earned during Q4) will be averaged (⅓ each) to determine the final grade reported on the transcript

    • SEMESTER COURSE

      • Q3 (plus any quality points earned during Q4) will determine the final grade reported on the transcript