School Committee Presents Possible "Hybrid" Plan to Reopen Schools
At their meeting on Thursday, July 23, the Winchendon School Committee presented details for a "hybrid" learning model, combining reduced hours in school with remote learning. This model would apply to all grade levels and schools, and is just one of three possible models (full reopening, hybrid, and all-remote) that school districts have been asked to devise.
More than 70 members of the public joined the meeting in Zoom to see the presentation and offer comments or questions.
Before the presentation, The School Committee discussed changing the scheduled date of their retreat to allow them to vote on the final versions of the reopening plans. The draft proposals must be turned in to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) by July 31. DESE will return recommendations, and final plans are due by August 10.
"Just so people in the community are aware, our guidance is still being rolled out by the [DESE]," Winchendon Schools Superintendant Joan Landers explained. "Last night two new guidances came out. So we have to incoporate all that information into our plans."
School Committee member Felicia Nurmsen asked, "Are we assuming that school is going to start late this year?"
"There is talk on the state level that we'll have five days to train staff and start school," Ms. Landers responded. "That has to be voted on by the School Committee...part of this process involves collective bargaining with our WTA members...the opening of school might change on a state level, and to be quite honest, the Winchendon community, we might decide, for whatever reason, to delay it and not start on time. That would be the Committee's decision."
Before the presentation began, Ms. Landers praised the long hours of hard work and the dedication of the many people who volunteered for the focus groups developing the reopening plans. She emphasized that the schools are looking at long term needs as well as immediate ones, and that a primary goal is to make sure students receive a good education and can succeed in the future.
The presentation began with the results of a brief survey on school reopening taken of the Winchendon school community.
65 percent of respondants said they would send their child to school in person; 32 percent preferred to continue remote learning; 3 percent said they would homeschool their child.
83 percent of respondants said their child would bring lunch from home (or eat at home). Only 17 percent indicated that their child would buy a school lunch. It is unknown whether this indicates a concern about the safety of the cafeteria.
58 percent of respondants said their child would take school transportation; 42 percent said they would not put their child on school buses.
Megan Weeks, Assistant Principal of Murdock High School, and Jessica Vezina, Principal of Murdock Middle School, presented the Hybrid School Model proposal. This model applies to all grade levels and schools.
The model divides students into four cohorts. Cohort A and Cohort B include the general student population. Cohort C includes students in Special Education, English Learners, and other High Needs students. Cohort C will be divided into two sections: C1 including ALL room students and students with intensive needs, and C2 including other students who need access to additional and/or specialized instruction on a consistent basis. Finally, Cohort D is a Remote Learning Parallel Track, to accommodate students whose parents don't feel safe sending them to school at all.
The school week is broken up into blocks, with Wednesday off for deep cleaning of the building, common planning time for teachers, synchronous remote sessions for all Cohorts, remote conferences and special education meetings. On Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, all Cohorts except Cohort D (which will have all-day remote learning) will alternate blocks of time in school with remote learning or independent work at home. Cohort C1 will be in school all day. Everyone else will go home for lunch and continue learning at home in the afternoon on an alternating schedule.
School breakfasts will be eaten in the classroom, for Cohorts A, B and C, and all students will get a "grab and go" lunch at noon dismissal time.
On this schedule, Cohorts A, B and C2 will be in school classrooms two mornings, or roughly eight hours, a week, and learning remotely or working independently four afternoons a week, plus Wednesday as scheduled.
Ms. Weeks explained that the Cohort sizes at the high school may be reduced considerably if a third of families opt for the all-remote learning model. About 40 percent of Murdock High School seniors will be taking advantage of the early enrollment program with Worcester State University this coming year, which will further reduce the number of in-person students at the high school.
Ms. Landers pointed out that class sizes are being calculated to allow a six-foot distance between students. Many specific decisions around teacher assignments and scheduling can't be made until the schools have more information about which plan will be implemented and what type of learning families choose to participate in.
Ms. Landers stated that she had met with the Town Manager and the Chairs of the Finance Committee and Board of Selectmen and been asked to draft an additional budget for FY21. One budget would adjust for a possible 5 percent cut in Chapter 70 and local aid funding. Ten staff members who were laid off in May have been recalled based on funding forecasts for the coming year. The state has not offered any guidance on funding to any school district so far. School Committee Chair Greg Vine stated that the state may not have a final budget until October.
Ms. Weeks explained, "I want to be clear that this remote instruction is not the same as the remote instruction we provided for students in the spring. In spring, those were non-school days, per DESE. These would be school days" with face-to-face remote instruction, not just one or two assignments a week. "These are robust, true lessons, we're expecting teachers to be adhering to all the same standards that they have been before." Teachers will be getting professional development training in creating remote learning lessons.
"We're trying to get a balance on keeping students safe, keeping staff safe," Ms. Landers said. "This is going to be very difficult on staff and students. It's a different way of life."
In a follow-up meeting on Wednesday, July 29, the School Committee affirmed that it is recommending re-opening with the hybrid plan. Although all districts were asked to submit three plans to DESE--for full re-opening, all remote, and a hybrid model combining both--Winchendon does not have enough space in its school buildings to safely reopen with full attendance while complying with DESE guidelines for distancing students in class. Even repurposing spaces like gyms and cafeterias to classroom space would be insufficient.
DESE will respond to the plans with recommendations, and final plans must be submitted by August 10.
Ashley Greene Earns Spring 2020 Dean's List Honors at Roger Williams University
BRISTOL, RI (07/30/2020)-- Ashley Greene, of Winchendon, MA, has been named to the Spring 2020 Dean's List at Roger Williams University, in Bristol, R.I. Full-time students who complete 12 or more credits per semester and earn a grade point average of 3.4 or higher are placed on the Dean's List that semester.
With campuses on the coast of Bristol and in the heart of Providence, R.I., Roger Williams University is a forward-thinking private university committed to strengthening society through engaged teaching and learning. At RWU, small classes, direct access to faculty and guaranteed opportunity for real-world projects ensure that its nearly 4,000 undergraduates - along with hundreds of law students, graduate students and adult learners - graduate with the ability to think critically along with the practical skills that today's employers demand. Roger Williams is leading the way in American higher education, confronting the most pressing issues facing students and families - increasing costs, rising debt and job readiness.