Dear Parents and Guardians,
Stephenville ISD is fortunate to have some of the very best educators who are committed to providing students with choices for the 2020-2021 school year. We know many of you were waiting for more clarification regarding the options for the school year before deciding if your child will be attending face-to-face or virtually.
Last week, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and our Governor released guidance for school districts. While this is a very fluid situation and changes may still occur, we would like to let you know our general plans as of today. As you can see below, we will be offering two options for your student.
Please login to Family Access by Wednesday, July 29th, to make a selection, or change a previous selection, regarding the learning platform you choose for each student. In addition, there will be a process in place for you to change how each student receives instruction at the end of each six weeks.
Option A: Face-to-Face Instruction
Principals and staff are working tirelessly to create a safe, in-person learning environment that is as similar to previous school years as possible. To ensure the safety of all students and staff, the measures described below will be in place:
Masks/Face Shields
Required for all students 4th grade and above
Some exceptions may apply during athletics, recess or some extra-curricular activities
Required for all staff members
Optional for students PreK-3rd grade
Masks may enable students that have been exposed to a confirmed case of COVID-19 to stay in school
Health Screening
Parents will be responsible for screening all students for COVID-19 symptoms each day prior to dropping them off at school
Recess
Recess will be offered at appropriate grade levels with organized games/play used to assist in maintaining social distancing
Lunch
Students will either eat in the classroom or in the cafeteria if social distancing is possible
Health and Hygiene practice
Students will be encouraged to use hand sanitizer that will be available
Scheduled hand washing will be encouraged
Extensive cleaning and sanitizing will be provided by SSC Janitorial Services
Social Distancing
Six foot social distancing will be practiced in classrooms and common areas to the extent possible
Visitors
Restricted to only those essential to school operations
Volunteers are extremely important to SISD and we will continue to monitor and make changes as the situation improves
Transportation
Transportation for all students will continue to be available
Hand sanitizer will be used upon entry to the bus
Social distancing will be encouraged to the maximum extent possible
Buses will be thoroughly cleaned after each trip
Masks will be required for students 4th grade and above and all staff; masks will be optional for PreK-3rd grade
Response to Confirmed COVID-19 Cases
Protocols will be in place with the goal of minimizing interruptions
Students that must stay home due to having COVID-19 or direct exposure will be able to switch to virtual instruction
Option B: Virtual Instruction
More rigorous and robust curriculum than Spring 2020, and will include a combination of scheduled, virtual instruction and recorded lessons
Teachers will need to see progress every day
Attendance will be taken
The state 90% compulsory attendance rule will be in effect
The district grading guidelines are the same as face-to-face
Proctored exams will be required in person with enhanced social distancing or online
A parent may choose to switch a student from virtual instruction to face-to-face instruction at the end of any six weeks
UIL and Extra-Curricular Activities
Students will be allowed to come to school to participate in the class period
Students will be allowed to participate in after-school activities and games
Some elective classes may only be offered in person; a list of virtual electives will be available upon request
Prior to the Wednesday, July 29th, deadline for the learning platform selection, we will be following up with a more comprehensive plan. If you have any specific questions or concerns, please reach out to your campus principal.
Thank you for your continued support as we work our way through this unexpected time together.
Sincerely,
Matt Underwood
SISD Superintendent
SISD Parents and Guardians,
Governor Greg Abbott just announced that all schools in Texas will be closed for the remainder of the school year. Please rest assured that while our buildings may be closed, our teachers, counselors, staff and administrators are still here for you! We want to thank you for the support and strength you have shown during this unprecedented time.
The overall health and well-being of the students of Stephenville ISD is always of the utmost importance to our district. The following opportunities for food support are available for all families:
Monday and Wednesday SISD Meal and Backpack Buddy Bag Pickup
7:30-8:30 a.m. curbside pickup behind Henderson Junior High
Bus stop pickup for bus riders 2 hours after normal morning stop time
Thursday Food Pantry Pickup
5:00-7:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 23rd at Chamberlin Elementary
This will occur weekly with the location being announced each week
While we may not be able to see our students in person for the remainder of the year, our students and families remain our top priority. Please reach out to your student’s teacher, counselor or administrator if you have questions or needs with which we can assist.
As a reminder, the website below has tools and help for your digital learning needs as well as other important information during the closure.
https://sites.google.com/sville.us/sisd-covid-19-faq/home
We are proud to partner with you.
Stay well,
Matt Underwood
SISD Superintendent
SISD Parents and Guardians,
As we continue to grow and evolve in the process of providing the best delivery of Home-Based Instructional Delivery, Stephenville ISD continues to seek ways to support the education of our students. Please see the latest resources below that we feel will enhance access, and enable a more organized approach for families.
Outdoor WiFi
To help our students with access to school work and resources, outdoor wifi access points are installed at several locations around Stephenville. Stephenville ISD has access points in the Admin Building parking lot and the Lem Brock Field parking lot. Totelcom has access points installed at the Texas Bank Motor Bank on Graham Street and the north parking lot of First Baptist Church.
Lessons @ Home
For a one-stop shop for parents, please visit www.sville.us/COVID19/ and view the newly added Lessons @ Home. Parents are able to see what students need to complete for the week, what standards are being taught, and where to turn in the assignments. Click on your student’s campus, and then select the grade level or classes to see the weekly lessons.
Food Pantry Pick-Up
We have expanded our weekend food resources by partnering with the Tarrant Area Food Bank. This Thursday, pick up will be available from 5-7 P.M. at the First Baptist Church. Last Thursday, over 308 families participated, and over 1500 people were fed at Chamberlin Elementary School. We’ll send more information out next week regarding pick up times and locations.
Hope You and Your Family are Well,
Matt Underwood
Parents and Guardians,
Governor Greg Abbott just announced that all schools in Texas will be closed until at least May the 4th. We will continue to follow our “wait and see” policy in regards to reopening our schools. I also want to take this opportunity to thank the parents, guardians and caregivers of all of our SISD students for the new role you are playing in the education of your child. In Stephenville ISD, we’ve always enjoyed strong support from our parents and for that we are grateful. During this time of school closure, we want you to know we stand ready to assist YOU and support YOU just like you have done for us.
In Stephenville ISD, we are fully aware that this global pandemic has affected everyone in one way or another. Many of you are working full time from home, providing educational support for your school age students, caring for younger children and trying to tend to all of the tasks of keeping your household running. Instead of having one or two full time jobs, you now have MANY. Others, find themselves out of work and are experiencing an added financial burden as well. The stress of this situation is daunting.
Our teachers and administrators as well as other school staff are here for you. Please reach out to them and let them know what questions you have or if there are ways SISD can help.
As a reminder, the website below has tools and help for your digital learning needs as well as other important information during the closure surrounding COVID-19.
https://sites.google.com/sville.us/sisd-covid-19-faq/home
We are proud to partner with you.
Stay well,
Matt Underwood
Good afternoon! The health and well-being of the students of Stephenville ISD will continue to be of utmost importance to our district and we want to make sure that all students have access to food resources.
In order to increase convenience for families and limit person to person contact, we will begin providing multiple meals on Mondays and Wednesdays. This improved plan will begin tomorrow, March 25th. Food service on Mondays will include breakfast and lunch for Monday and Tuesday and the Wednesday food service will include breakfast and lunch for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
We will continue the curbside pick-up option on Mondays and Wednesdays from 7:30-8:30 a.m. at Henderson Junior High in the bus lane behind the building. This service is available for students ages 18 or younger from any community. We will also continue to run routes on Mondays and Wednesdays for our bus riders beginning at 8:00 a.m.
Our child nutrition team is working diligently at expanding the menu and preparing these items for our students. In addition, we are very thankful for our transportation and maintenance teams who have joined in the effort to make these services available.
As always, thank you for your continued support.
SISD Parents/Guardians,
I want to thank you for your continued patience regarding communicating information related to the coronavirus pandemic. In response to Governor Abbott's press conference today, students are asked to remain in their homes until April 3. At this point, the first students will return to the campus on Monday, April 6.
The deployment of educational materials and devices will continue today and tomorrow as communicated by each campus. If you have any need to track school resources, please contact your child's campus.
The current situation remains extremely fluid, and the goal of SISD is to return students to a safe learning environment. We will keep you informed if anything changes.
Sincerely,
Matt Underwood
Superintendent, SISD