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OVERVIEW OF THE PLAN
Beginning April 20, 2020 Burr Oak Community Schools will begin remote learning for the remainder of the school year. Our district has outlined guidance and expectations for all stakeholders in the district.
While creating this plan, we were mindful of the uncertainty that people are experiencing during this challenging time. Parents, guardians, and siblings will be providing assistance with at-home learning. Teachers are adjusting to a new norm of teaching and guiding from home. Administrators are trying to organize the details in manner to ensure smooth transitions to this new way of life. As a district, we feel confident that we can all work together through any struggles with grace, patience, and dignity as well as align our plan with our district beliefs.
Our goals for distance learning:
Keep the “whole” student at the center of our goals
Attend to families’ and students’ social emotional needs above all else
Help provide structure and routines to students’ days
Minimize learning loss
New list item
Provide students with opportunities to build on which essential standards they already know and reinforce what they have been taught
Student Engagement
OUR BELIEFS:
Grading and Assessing Learning
Administrator Expectations
Counselor/Behavioral Interventionists Expectations
K-12 Teacher Expectations
Business Office Expectations
Electives, Specials Expectations
Food Service Expectations
Special Education Expectations
Promote a sense of community

Keep students/families connected to the school community
Continue to accommodate emotional needs
Provide families with information and guidance for remote learning
Be available to assist with needs
Have a growth mindset

Provide meaningful learning activities to students
Provide feedback to students weekly about the learning
Encourage life lessons such as cooking, reading recipes, reading together, family games and activities that promote physical activity, culture, and the arts
Maintain positivity

Consider the needs of all students
Consider the needs of teachers and staff
Attend to the needs of all stakeholders to the best of our abilities
Be empathetic, compassionate, and helpful to the best of our abilities
Secretarial Staff Expectations
Maintenance/Transportation/Grounds Staff Expectations
Instructional Support Staff Expectations
Technology Department Expectations
GSRP Expectations
Communications From Branch Area Careers Center--Continuity of Learning COVID-19 Response Plan
Beginning the 2019-2020 School Year-- What to Expect
Distance Learning Additional Expenses
CONSIDERATIONS AND EXPECTATIONS OF ALL STAFF:
Provide students and families with a week to week schedule for learning
Track and log student engagement as assigned on the communication log provided and enter proper code into Synergy each Friday
Collaborate with colleagues in professional learning meetings to ensure consistency
Maintain communication with all internal stakeholders (teachers, administrative assistants, paraprofessionals, maintenance, coaches, administrators)
Follow tiered communication protocol: Tier 1 Teacher and Assigned Support Staff, Tier 2 Assigned Support Staff, Tier 3 Counselors and assigned support staff.
DISTANCE LEARNING PLAN COMPONENTS:
Modes of learning - Hybrid model: Choice made by families; hard copy learning materials and/or online (Google Classroom) for grades 5-11; Seniors will be dealt with on an individual basis; K-4 Hard copy and materials.
Engagement and Attendance - weekly
Hours of engagement - minimum instructional engagement and activity is provided with a recommended amount of time for learning and suggested weekly plans for elementary, middle school, and high school.
Grading - grading protections in place for all grades
STUDENT ENGAGEMENT:
Students are expected to engage in their assignments to the best of their ability. We are providing students with assignments that meet the minimum recommendations for remote learning.
Pre K | Grades K-2 | Grades 3-5 | Grades 6-8 | Grades 9-12 |
---|---|---|---|---|
30-45 minutes | 45 to 75 minutes | 45 to 105 minutes | 60 to 120 minutes | 90 to 150 minutes |
GRADING AND ASSESSING LEARNING:
Our main focus will be on communicating authentic feedback assessment about student learning. The primary purpose of the remote learning plan will be to provide 2-way communication so that when we start back up in the fall we will know where to fill in any gaps in learning from the previous grade level.
Third quarter grades will be used to determine semester grades. Students will have the opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to improve their third quarter grades by working with teachers to complete missing work, improve assessment scores, and continue to complete new assignments. Third quarter grades cannot go down but students are encouraged to improve grades by completing assignments and/or studying for and retaking assessments.
Parents and students in grades 5-12 have access to student view and parent view in Synergy and based on feedback from stakeholder groups, we will document student work in the gradebook so that parents can track student learning but follow the hold harmless guidelines for the final grade. Grades will be equal to or above what the student’s third quarter grade was for the second semester.
All hard copy work will be delivered to students’ homes April 17, 2020 and picked up Monday, June 1, 2020. Time to be announced for pick up via mass messaging system.
HIGH SCHOOL
Maximum Instructional Minutes
Additional activities that might be assigned for the subject(s) of each day; ELA, math, science, or social studies, and are not to exceed 30 minutes per day. Independent reading expectations, art, and enrichment options are allowed beyond the 30 minutes of instruction and we encourage these.
Monday | 30 min Math | 30 min ELA | 30 min Elective | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tuesday | 30 min Science | 30 min History | 30 min Elective | 15-20 min social-emotional activity | |
Wednesday | 30 min Math | 30 min ELA | 30 min Elective | ||
Thursday | 30 min Science | 30 min History | 30 min Elective | ||
Friday | 30 min | 30 min | 30 min choice - (catch up where needed) | 15-20 min social-emotional activity |
MIDDLE SCHOOL
Maximum Instructional Minutes
Additional activities that might be assigned for the subject(s) of each day; ELA, math, science, or social studies, and are not to exceed 30 minutes per day. Independent reading expectations, art, and enrichment options are allowed beyond the 30 minutes of instruction and we encourage these.
Monday | 30 min Math | 30 min ELA | |
---|---|---|---|
Tuesday | 30 min Science | 30 min Social Studies | 15-20 min social-emotional activity |
Wednesday | 30 min Math | 30 min ELA | |
Thursday | 30 min Science | 30 min Social Studies | |
Friday | 30 min | 30 min | 15-20 min social-emotional activity |
ELEMENTARY
Maximum Instructional Minutes
Additional activities that might be assigned for the subject(s) of each day; ELA, math, science, or social studies are not to exceed 30 minutes per day. Independent reading expectations and enrichment options are allowed beyond the 30 minutes of instruction and we encourage these.
Monday | 30 min. ELA | 15 min Art | |
---|---|---|---|
Tuesday | 30 min Math | 15 min Music | 15 min social- |
Wednesday | 30 min ELA | 15 min PE | |
Thursday | 30 min Math | 15 min Tech | |
Friday | 20 min Science | 20 min Social Studies | 15 min social-emotional |
ADMINISTRATOR EXPECTATIONS:
Provide weekly communication to staff and families
Listen to staff and families feedback to continue improvements for differentiated learning on an ongoing basis
Monitor ALL staff for overall health both mental and physical
Consider and take into account feedback from teachers and support staff
Answer new questions and problem solve
Celebrate the positives
Provide assistance and/or online training as needed to improve remote teaching
Make sure all teachers are meeting weekly to discuss the positives and challenges of remote learning. Work as a team to improve.
Consider the possibility of providing summer school in August to help decrease any learning gaps
Assign tasks or delegate someone to assign tasks to hourly workers. This includes, but is not limited to: phone calls to check on families and students in addition to the teacher calls, delivering hard copies to homes, work to locate students who have not communicated or been reached in some way, online learning to prepare for upcoming year, etc.
Provide a spreadsheet to document communications for each grade level and provide access to all teachers and staff that are making contact with families/students. Contact with each family and/or student should be made weekly. Teachers weekly, if unaccounted for have support staff continue to try, if still unaccounted for have counselors reach out. All mediums of communication should be tried (messenger, phone, email, Dojo, Remind, etc.) We will attempt to ensure safety and well being in every way possible. Liaison for unaccounted students: Kathy Smith
COUNSELOR/BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONISTS EXPECTATIONS:
During the school closure, staff will be expected to create connections, foster relationships, and maintain engaged learning for each and every student. Collaborating with each other virtually, staff will create plans to provide routines and structure and to ensure that students and families' needs are being met.
Below are the non-negotiables and guidelines for delivering social and emotional support during distance learning.
Behavior interventionists and counselors will be in contact with special and general education teachers to determine what students and families might be in need of social emotional support. They will be expected to check in on the log where notes from teachers and other staff that are contacting parents will be documented.
Monitor the well being of students in transition and homeless and share any essential information with staff working with that student
Continue to update all required reporting documents, i.e. homeless documents.
Inform special and general education teachers of accommodations and modifications that might need to be provided based on information learned during phone calls, emails, etc.
During the weeks of March 13 - April 6, check in with families to identify needs for students based on initial access to remote learning
Be sure to check in with identified families weekly to gain information on needs for access and resources for the remainder of the closure
Document all successful and unsuccessful contacts and contact time. Include notes regarding specific communication and instruction. If communication is void please reach out to others that might have ideas to reach the family
Communicate with families the times and days that you are available to answer questions and assist as needed - share this with your building administrator
Provide updated resources to send home to families who requested hard copy work and to update through social mediums
K-12 TEACHER EXPECTATIONS
During the extended school closure, teachers will be expected to create connections, foster relationships, and maintain engaged learning for each and every student. Teachers will be expected to maintain regular communication with parents and students throughout the closure. Teachers will be expected to collaborate with one another and with support staff to ensure students are able to improve prior quarter grades and work to complete assignments to continue learning.
Attend virtual professional team meetings to share ideas about distance learning and incorporating mental/physical health ideas
Plan for and provide staff and families with handouts and ideas of age/grade level appropriate Social/Emotional activities for each week of the closure
Collaborate with grade level teams to coordinate work and discuss student issues
Continually monitor and communicate with students and families to check on overall health
Assist families in need of social/emotional support as identified by classroom teachers by contacting them and providing instruction and/or connecting them to necessary resources
Reach out to support staff who serve as a resource to classroom teachers in locating and connecting with students who they may be having difficulty reaching.
Collaborate with administration and secretarial staff to develop 2020-21 schedule
Collaborate with Special Education teachers to support students with social/emotional needs and when having difficulty contacting students and families
If you have specific or preferred times you are available, communicate that with all collaborators and stakeholders
Check electronic communications daily be efficient in responding
Log communication on spreadsheet daily and on Fridays enter C or NC to document in Synergy (Mr. Greene created spreadsheet and shared with all people who are reaching out and making contact with students and families)
Maintain safe social distancing practices to ensure the safety of all employees when onsite
Homelessness/McKinney Vento Guidelines: Burr Oak Contact Person - Ms. Kathy Smith
BUSINESS OFFICE EXPECTATIONS:
Work with the administration and the fiscal services manager to assist employees as necessary and to keep the financial systems functioning properly and efficiently
Stay up to date on Covid 19 information at the state level as it applies to the district
Problem solve as unfamiliar situations come up
Attend staff meetings virtually as necessary
Assist administration in finding and providing professional, virtual learning opportunities
Maintain safe social distancing practices to ensure the safety of all employees if onsite
ELECTIVES, SPECIALS EXPECTATIONS:
The fine arts will be incorporated into the lessons provided by teachers in some cases. The art teacher, Ms. Heidi Wolfe, who is new to the district, will provide “opportunities” and ideas for art for all families weekly through a variety of mediums encouraging families/students to share their work electronically and promote community togetherness. In addition, she will work to get pictures from families, students, and staff to complete the yearbook and to improve public relations through all mediums available to the district stakeholders.
Living Skills - Will be sending home recipes that are economical and easy for families to make, encouraging students to be part of the food prep and cooking process while at home
Senior spotlights will be done daily until complete
Collaborate with all core teachers including special education as needed to communicate with families and students
Communicate with families and assist other teachers as needed in reaching out and document communications on the spreadsheet
Public relations via website and school social mediums
Third period/quarter grades will determine semester grades. Students will have an opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to improve their grades by working with teachers to complete missing work and continue to work on new assignments provided.
FOOD SERVICE EXPECTATIONS:
Staff assigned to buildings to complete tasks
Food service for Burr Oak Community Schools is contracted through Sturgis Community Schools. Food service director, Patti Miller, will coordinate all food service and communicate with district administration and local on site staff as necessary. Food delivery will continue through the regular calendar year and then go to the summer food program.List
Check your email daily for tasks assigned
Complete all assigned tasks
Document daily
Continue to monitor student/parent satisfaction.
Answer new questions and problem solve.
Reflect on what is working or what needs to be problem solved
Staff assigned to food service report to Patti Miller and coordinate with locals as needed
Maintain safe social distancing practices to ensure the safety of all employees when onsite
SPECIAL EDUCATION EXPECTATIONS:
For students with disabilities, per the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), students with disabilities are entitled to a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) with Specially Designed Instruction (SDI), including IEP goals and objectives/benchmarks and equal and alternate access to core curriculum (The Provision of Special Education Services During Emergency Closure Guidelines 4-8-20, MAISA Special Education Instructional Leadership Network).
During this suspension of in-person K-12 instruction for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year by Executive Order 2020-35 all identified students with disabilities will have a Contingency Learning Plan developed by members of their IEP team including input from the parent/guardian of the student. The offer of FAPE will not be altered and will be supported through the Contingency Learning Plan to the greatest extent possible. All IEPs will resume when the Executive Order is lifted.
SECRETARIAL STAFF EXPECTATIONS:
Check email throughout the day
Respond to messages left (forward through email)
Communicate efficiently with others as necessary to provide supports for all stakeholders
Be available to make copies for teachers to support remote learning if necessary to limit traffic in the buildings
Collaborate with all staff to ensure communications are shared with the correct individuals
Check Synergy attendance each Monday to ensure all teachers entered communication data on the previous Friday
Document daily on the online communication log when contact is made with any of our school families/students
Maintain safe social distancing practices to ensure the safety of all employees
MAINTENANCE/TRANSPORTATION/GROUNDS STAFF EXPECTATIONS:
Check email daily and check the building sign-in log to know which rooms to sanitize after a staff member was in the building
Collaborate with administrators and problem solve regarding any issues that come up
Complete all assigned tasks
Punch in and out as normal
Share any communications with families/students on the daily learning log or with administration
Maintain safe social distancing practices to ensure the safety of all employees when onsite
INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT STAFF EXPECTATIONS:
At Risk/Title/Special Education paraprofessionals
Collaborate with the general education and Title teachers and building principal to determine which students and families need support
Contact via email, mail, phone at risk/Title students to support their assigned academics and to provide emotional support
Help deliver materials etc to students
Run copies of materials for teachers for students that do not have Internet and organize for delivery
Help families understand the resources shared with them
Assist teachers in creating materials to deliver to those that need them (i.e. math flashcards, sight words)
Collaborate with administration in locating and connecting with students who teachers may be having difficulty reaching
TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT EXPECTATIONS:
Establish and publish a system for students/parents to bring Chromebooks in for repair or replacement1
• If a repair is needed, please call the school number and leave a message at 269-489-5181 or email tgreene@burroakcs.org or send a message via the school’s Facebook page to make arrangements. Somebody will get back to you as quickly as possible, appointment times will be Monday through Friday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Chromebooks will be collected on June 1 beginning at 9 a.m. when we pick up hard copy work for grades 5-11. Chromebooks assigned to seniors will be gathered when they complete any outstanding work, online courses, scholarship essay, etc. and/or when we deliver caps/gowns, pictures, etc. Date TBD and will send out messages to seniors. The goal date for seniors to complete things is May 1 and pickups and delivery can begin the week after.
Monitor student use daily using GoGuardian and notify parents when necessary regarding concerns
Provide an online resource list and/or tip sheet for parents that will provide them with information related to Internet safety, how the district monitors usage, and who to contact with issues or questions
Parents as monitors of their children’s activity when using Internet
Encourage safe use, limit to school applications, limit screen time
Screen Time Recommendations
PK (ages 3-5) up to 1 hour per day
Elementary (ages 6-10) up to 1.5 hours per day
Middle School (ages 11-13) up to 2 hours per day
High School (ages 14-18) up to 3 hours per day
GSRP EXPECTATIONS:
Play and connection are the focus of GSRP learning. Children learn through play.
Focus on supporting families’ and students’ social and emotional needs by making weekly connections
Document communications on a log sheet
Provide a calendar of daily play based ideas to encourage families and students to engage in
COMMUNICATIONS FROM BRANCH AREA CAREERS CENTER - CONTINUITY OF LEARNING COVID-19 RESPONSE PLAN
Teachers at the Branch Area Careers Center will use the following that fits the unique structure of the program and technology already in place.
The teachers of the BACC will survey students to see what access students have to the internet. If the internet is not available or limited, printed assignments and/ or textbooks will be sent to the student for completion of tasks.
For students who have access to the internet, virtual instruction using Google Classroom and Hangout/Meet, Microsoft Teams, along with course specific online curriculum, resources and certifications.
For students who DO NOT have access to the internet, packets of course specific instruction will be made available.
To keep students at the center of educational activities and to help students feel safe and valued, teachers will contact students virtually through Google Classroom and Hangout, Microsoft Teams, the Remind App, phone call, text messaging, e-mail, or through program specific Facebook accounts through the BISD school account.
Teachers will have a set schedule to allow students and teachers to communicate either virtually, by phone or text. Teachers will reach out to the students to check for understanding and encourage social, emotional and physical health activities.
Plan for evaluation of participation by students:
a. Seniors: Those students who attained a passing achievement grade up to March 11 will be considered a completer of the BACC and will earn full credit. Those students who did not attain a passing grade will be allowed to complete online or written coursework as determined by the teacher to attain credit. Communication of the coursework will include the BACC teacher, counselor, principal, student, parent/guardian.
b. Juniors or other underclass: Students will continue learning as stated by this plan.
The Director and/or Principal of the BACC will contact students and parents or guardians of the BACC plan by mail, robo-call, and Facebook to inform them of the plan.
Burr Oak’s school counselor will act as a liaison between students and BACC to ensure communications are made and documented on Burr Oak’s communication log
BEGINNING THE 20/21 SCHOOL YEAR - WHAT TO EXPECT:
Staff will meet to review the needs of students and align curriculum expectations to best meet the individualized needs of students.
Benchmark assessments, which are done at the beginning of every school year will help us determine student needs
Face to face summer learning will be determined based information we receive from public health officials and the safety of such activity
Enrollment forms are being developed to complete online
Emergency forms are being made into a template to be filled out online
DISTANCE LEARNING ADDITIONAL EXPENSES
Burr Oak Community Schools is committed to paying all staff for their normal work hours from the start of the mandated school closure through the end of the school year. Staff will be reassigned to duties that support the distance learning when their normal duties are not possible during the Stay Safe, Stay Home Executive Order. Normal staffing costs are not included in the additional expenses budget. Any of the costs listed below are in addition to what was in our 2019-20 budget.
Delivery of instructional packets using three vans and 2 buses with 1 driver and 1 helper each for approximately 3 hours per day. Estimated cost for 1 day is $1,000
Covered by General FundTotal: $1,000
Summer School:
Elementary - includes teacher and assistant wages/benefits, curriculum, supplies, & transportation - doubling 2019 expenses for 2020 supports
Covered by Early Literacy Targeted Instruction Grants & General Fund Total: $14,000
Secondary - includes teacher wages/benefits, curriculum, supplies, & transportation - doubling 2019 expenses for 2020 supports
Covered by 31a & General Fund Total: $12,000
Estimate for a 20% loss of Chromebooks that are checked out for distance learning. Our hope is to recoup some of this by collecting fees for lost Chromebooks and the rest will be absorbed by general funds.
Total: $8,400
Estimated repair costs for Chromebooks damaged parts that are checked out for distance learning.
Covered by General Fund Total: $3,500
Estimated replacement costs for Reading Street textbooks
Covered by General Fund Total: $900
Grand Total: $39,800