Dear Sprague Families,
Hello. Wishing everyone a wonderful summer weekend!
Time waits for no one. So, as a result, it continues to pass quickly. Health and safety for students, staff, and families are paramount to our reopening so the active planning continues. The slow and steady result of this ongoing planning is unveiled answers to specific questions. However, with the planning still active, it also results in additional questions, which require answers. Your continued patience is appreciated.
As stated in Dr. David Lussier’s communication Friday, the School Committee has approved a hybrid model as the WPS reopening model. The hybrid model includes both in-person and remote learning each week with approximately 50 percent of our students in schools at any one time. If you have not yet done so, please review the district’s reopening plan along with the additional information shared during the School Committee meeting on Thursday evening. Both documents can be found on the Wellesley Public Schools webpage and are attached here.
WPS-Reopening-Plan_8.13.2020-SC-Presentation.pdf
WPS-Reopening-Plan-2020-2021_Aug13_DRAFT.pdf
School Committee Meeting Video – 8/13/2020
Part of the active planning involves creating the cohorts referred to as Cohort A and Cohort B. In the hybrid model, Cohort A would attend in-person school on Mondays and Thursdays while Cohort B would attend in-person school on Tuesdays and Fridays. All students would work remotely during the ½ day Wednesdays. The development of the cohorts will be primarily based on the alphabet – a split of the alphabet. Having said this, this alphabet model is not fully feasible for a variety of reasons. For example, our continued goal is balanced classrooms of males and females and class size numbers. To ensure balanced classrooms, the alphabet split will be used to determine cohorts but adjustments will be needed to ensure balanced classrooms and to adhere to the 50 percent of students in the room at a time.
An annual summer ritual is running to the computer to access the PowerSchool Parent Portal, which reveals the teacher assignment. Unlike other years, this year the Parent Portal will reveal the teacher assignment, but it will also reveal identified cohorts. As with all other topics, this original Parent Portal access date was scheduled for August 19th. Due to pending parent intent data collection along with the later school start, the original August 19th access date is being delayed. This newly identified date is currently being determined. I recognize that the absence of these dates poses planning challenges. For that, I apologize and appreciate your understanding of the planning complexities. Once these newly revised dates are determined, I look forward to sharing.
Newly Proposed School Start Dates:
Tuesday, September 15th – Cohort A First In-Person Day of School (½ day)
Wednesday, September 16th – Cohort B First In-Person Day of School (½ day)
Thursday, September 17th – Cohort A Hybrid Begins with In-Person Instruction
Friday, September 18th – Cohort B Hybrid Begins with In-Person Instruction
Wednesday, September 23rd – ½ day Wednesdays Begin
You are deeply respected, missed, and thought of daily. I look forward to further communication. Until then, please continue to enjoy these fleeting summer days.
Respectfully,
Leigh