State College Area School District Remote Learning If We Close

If schools must close, we will transition our in-school students to Remote Learning

• If/When we move to remote instruction, students will continue to participate with their current teacher and classmates, basically moving the in school students to a full remote experience along with their already remote classmates.

• Students will be a part of a remote classroom of students who participate in a daily 8:00 to 2:50 schedule that includes both synchronous and asynchronous activities as well as activities that are on screen and off screen, but mirroring the schedule that has already been established. We need to continue to follow the schedule we’ve created to make sure we can ensure continuous support offered through interventions and supports. There may be some tweaks to the schedule as teachers transition to a fully remote environment.

• Teachers will teach daily lessons (reading, writing, phonics, math) that will be recorded only when a student is absent and assignments that can be accessed at any time as well as class meetings that the class participates in together as they would in school, but just remotely. In addition there are specials, and other services such as special education, counseling, gifted, etc.

• Students use technology/resources and participate in a similar school day schedule from home. We are in the process of being able to record lessons to provide maximum flexibility for families whose children may not be able to participate at the designated time. We will only record lessons when a student is absent.

• Students will have access to our instructional technology tools.

• Teachers will plan their lessons and learning experiences to support our curriculum. This remote learning model is not connected to the virtual academy.

• Teachers will offer experiences in reading, writing, phonics/word study, and math while informally supporting science and social studies.

• Specials will continue to be scheduled during their regularly scheduled time consisting of on and off screen experiences. Specials will continue with their ten day rotation as we have done during the start of the year.

• Teachers collaborate at their grade level in their school and across the district to plan and create lessons. Students may participate in lessons taught by other teachers in the building/district.

• Teachers will be available for the entire time and teach using our current schedule during the 8:00-2:50 school day to provide direct instruction and follow up off-line experiences. If you need to touch base with your child’s teacher, please send an email so they can schedule a time. They may not be available for conferences during the day because of their work with students.

• Attendance: The portal will be located on their Clever page under “District Resources” and will be called “Remote Student Check-In.” Each day before 10PM the remote students will need to go to Clever and click this link. It will take them to a webpage and they can sign in with their district account (most will already be signed in if they are using a district chromebook). Then they will check a box for the day saying they are present and hit submit. Educational trips or pre-scheduled appointments should continue to be addressed through the school office via email.

• Wednesdays will continue to be a time for students to engage in asynchronous learning experiences that extend the learning from previous lessons.

• Wednesdays will provide time for district and building level collaboration for teachers as well as professional development.

• Please click on this site for additional information about remote learning tools.

State College Area School District

In-School Learning

In-school Learning: Students follow their typical school day schedule participating in their daily regularly scheduled classes, wearing masks, and physically distancing by 6 feet. Students will participate in specials classes remaining in their general education classroom, except for physical education, which will take place in the gym if available. All teachers will work to take students outside for classes as much as possible. We will include breaks during the day, provide time for hand washing, and check in with students about how they are doing with the safety expectations we are employing.

Students attend the brick and mortar school they would normally attend and will be assigned a teacher from their school. We are setting up our classrooms to support physical distancing and have created new routines and procedures for movement in our schools. Based on the recommendations from our Health and Safety committee, students will participate in all regular classes in their classroom to limit the number of transitions in and out of their room. We will be teaching new expectations about handwashing anytime students leave and enter their classroom. Students will engage in their regular curriculum including any support services they receive. When students do transition and are walking in the hallway, we will have decals on the floors showing students 6 feet distance. More specific details about procedures and expectations will be shared by each school building as some procedures will be site specific.

In School Expectations

• Students in grades K-5 will come to school every day for daily in-person instruction unless we are directed to return to remote instruction.

• Students and staff will wear masks all day.

• Student seating will be arranged to maintain 6 feet physical distancing.

• Each student will have their own learning box of individual materials.

• We are limiting transitions between learning spaces, but when students do transition between rooms/spaces, they will wash their hands before leaving and upon re-entering.

• Students will participate in specials classes each week. Art, library, music, and STEM will occur in the child's general education classroom to limit the number of transitions in a day. PE will occur in the gym abiding by 6 feet of physical distancing. We will work to schedule as many of these classes outside as possible where masks will not be needed.

• Students will have access to both print and electronic SCASD library books. The selection, circulation time, and quantity will not be at full capacity during this time.

• Students will participate in intervention and support services in both in-person and remote experiences.

• Teachers will use the first weeks of school to build relationships and develop the classroom community, train students on technology tools, and determine their students' skills.

• Students will eat lunch in their classroom. Water fountains will not be available, but water filling stations/sinks will be available for students to fill their water bottles. Students are encouraged to bring a water bottle, labeled with their name, to school with them each day.

• Students will go outside for recess with no masks following 6 feet physical distancing. At this time, playground equipment is off limits.

• Students who are participating in the in-school option and exhibit symptoms, become ill, or need to quarantine and will be sent home. They will be able to continue learning by communicating with their teacher who will provide work to be completed at home.

• Back to School Nights will be held virtually.

Community Building and Social Emotional Learning

• Our priority is keeping everyone safe which is why we will spend time focusing on these new procedures and expectations in the fall.

• We are equally focused on supporting students social and emotional health during this new way of participating in school. Students miss their friends, they miss their teachers, and they miss the way school used to be.

• We will have supports and lessons in place to support conversations around students social and emotional needs.

• Faculty will be trained in trauma-informed teaching practices - awareness of what trauma is, how it affects the brain (reason for behavior) and what self care can be implemented and taught, and our counselors at each school will continue to collaborate with teachers to support students.

Instructional Technology

• Students will need their Chromebooks everyday so please be sure to send it, fully charged, with them to school each day.

• We are planning to have students bring their Chromebooks and chargers to and from school everyday in case schools are closed again.

• We want students to have the technology they need as well as the knowledge about how to use all of the tools, which is why we are making teaching technology a priority when we return in the fall.

If we need to transition to remote learning, we will move to my school online where students continue to work with their assigned teacher and remain with their same classmates. Maintaining their community is critical to support students through a transition to remote learning. We have worked throughout the summer to include additional technology tools, increase the amount of direct teaching, and streamline communication based on the feedback we have received from families through the survey you completed in the spring.

Photo and Posters

The photograph below are examples of what classrooms across our district could look like to maintain 6 feet of physical distancing. The posters below are examples of what students will see in our halls and classrooms as reminders for things everyone is doing to stay safe.