Reopening Communications
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Hybrid Learning Update 10-16-20
Hybrid Learning Update 10.16.20
Dear Coatesville Area School Community,
On Wednesday, October 13, 2020 our School Board of Directors approved a new plan for hybrid learning that will allow us to safely accommodate all our students in-person in a hybrid format. With 73% of our families selecting in-person instruction for our students, our district must divide our students into thirds by cohort groups to accommodate the social distancing guidelines of 6 feet. This means that our students will come to school in either an A, B, or C cohort group. Students will be divided alphabetically by last name, and siblings will be kept together to the extent possible. More information will come directly from principals in the coming weeks.
Beginning November 9, our students will attend school in-person in the following ways, with every other Wednesday becoming an asynchronous, remote day for all students:
Week 1:
Monday, November 9
- Cohort A will be in-person
- Cohort B and C students will Zoom into the classroom
Tuesday, November 10
- Cohort A will be in-person
- Cohort B and C students will Zoom into the classroom
Wednesday, November 11 - Asynchronous, remote day for all students
Thursday, November 12
- Cohort B will be in-person
- Cohort A and C students will Zoom into the classroom
Friday, November 13
- Cohort B will be in-person
- Cohort A and C students will Zoom into the classroom
Week 2:
Monday, November 16
- Cohort C will be in-person
- Cohort A and B students will Zoom into the classroom
Tuesday, November 17
- Cohort C will be in-person
- Cohort A and B students will Zoom into the classroom
Wednesday, November 18
- Cohort A will be in-person
- Cohort B and C students will Zoom into the classroom
Thursday, November 19
- Cohort A will be in-person
- Cohort B and C students will Zoom into the classroom
Friday, November 20
- Cohort B will be in-person
- Cohort A and C students will Zoom into the classroom
The weeks will repeat in this manner. You can access the November through January calendar here.
While students are not in person, they will access classroom instruction via Zoom and through a variety of synchronous and asynchronous lessons. Students will be able to see and interact with teachers and in some cases, with their classmates.
Our principals will distribute calendars and daily schedules for our students and families to follow that include details of this information. I know this schedule can be confusing and we will do our best to communicate with clarity to facilitate the transition.
Beginning on Nov. 9th, special education students and English language learners who present with the most complex needs will attend 4 days per week during Asynchronous Wednesday weeks and 5 days per week on alternating weeks. Complex learners include those students who receive a supplemental or full-time level of special education services and those English language learners who receive the most intensive level of support services. These families will be contacted directly by the district and provided with a calendar which outlines the Asynchronous Wednesdays.
For the duration of remote learning, Wednesdays will become an asynchronous full day for all students (non-live instruction) so that our teachers can engage in professional development and have adequate planning time for hybrid instruction. These remaining dates are October 21, October 28, and November 4.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to your school administrators with any questions. Answers to frequently asked questions can be viewed here. You can also email questions to: CASDReturns@CASDSchools.org.
Together we will ensure our schools reopen safely so our students and staff can begin to reengage in the setting we know works best for our students.
Respectfully,
Tomás Hanna, Superintendent
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Virtual Learning Survey Responses - 9-2020
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Canvas Communication to Teachers 8-5-2020
8-5-2020
Good afternoon teachers. As you know the Coatesville Area School District will be opening the 2020-2021 school year through virtual instruction. To accomplish this task CASD will be using CANVAS as its Learning Management System.
To prepare for the school year, training for CANVAS is being offered on Thursday, August 13th. This is an optional training and not a requirement. If you are interested in participating in the training please register on mylearningplan by Tuesday, August 11th. Once the technology department has all the registrations a Zoom link for the training will be sent to the participants.
Participants will receive a welcome email prior to training which will include a Zoom link. Participants will also be provided instructions to set a password. This password will be used for the training, however anything that a teacher creates will be transferred to their actual CANVAS account. This training will be 5 hours and those that participate will be compensated their usual rate. Attendance will be taken to ensure teachers are compensated.Thank you and we look forward to seeing you soon.
Jason Palaia
Director of Educational Services -
District Reopening Information 7-17-2020
Dear Coatesville Area School District Families and Staff,
I hope you are having a restful summer so far and staying healthy and safe. I am writing today to share an update about our planning for the start of the 2020-2021 school year.
Our commitment to health and safety drives everything that we do. It drove the transition to remote learning this past March, when closing school buildings was essential to flattening the curve of COVID-19 infection across Pennsylvania. As you know, it was profoundly challenging, but you and your children handled it with effort, patience and flexibility, and school communities came together to make it work. As we have reflected on our practice, we are in the process of making needed adjustments to ensure we meet the needs of our students for the upcoming school year.
Now, almost four months later, our commitment to health and safety will drive us into the new school year. We have been through so much together, and as we look to September; we see a continuing rise in cases across the country. As the pandemic has continued to evolve, so has guidance from County, State, and Federal health authorities and agencies.
I would like to thank you for responding to our survey asking about preferences and concerns for the upcoming year. Your input has been critical in our planning. What is clear is that this is much bigger than an education issue; it is a health and safety issue, and we must be prepared to adapt. What is also clear is we will begin the 2020-21 school year in an unprecedented way—including new health protocols, physical distancing, and more.
Our re-opening plan is in the process of being drafted and it has changed numerous times given the shift in guidance. Just yesterday, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) issued guidance to schools, and we are reviewing it to see what additional changes we much consider. At the bottom of this note you will see a timeline of our decision-making process.
Our primary goal is to bring students and staff back to school five days a week. Many families want as much in-person instruction as is safely possible, however, the more we see what is happening across the country, the more I believe this goal is becoming less realistic under rapidly changing guidance. A key component of our plan will include the opportunities for any family to choose all-remote learning, for any reason. A model we are exploring is a hybrid model in which some students are taught on-site in school for part of the week, and attend school remotely on the other days of the week. I have been in conversations with my colleagues throughout Chester County about this model as well as others. It requires detailed planning and as plans emerge, I will communicate the feasibility of them to you.
Our plans must be flexible so we can adjust and update as needed, as the public health landscape continues to evolve. Please remember that this guidance may change as public health conditions evolve. Our administrative team understands the anxiety surrounding this issue. We feel it, as well. We will work with you every step of the way to answer questions around scheduling, transportation, what happens if there is a confirmed case in a school, and much more. I am committed to doing everything I can to thoroughly communicate and try to make the school year as positive and supportive as possible - and I will not compromise on health and safety.
Thank you for your patience and support as we move forward to try to best serve our students in this challenging time. As shared at the board meeting, this coming Tuesday, July 21st at 5:00 PM, we will hold a virtual community forum, at which time we will share our current re-opening strategy. A link for viewing the meeting will be posted to the homepage of the District website.
Sincerely,
Tomas Hanna, Superintendent