9/28/2020
School Opening Fall 2020 - Superintendent's Bulletin #16 - Move to Hybrid for Grades K-4
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Per the School Committee request, and subsequent vote on September 22, we are moving to our hybrid in-person learning phase for grades K-4 the week of October 5. At this time we anticipate the first day of hybrid learning will be on Thursday, October 8. This start follows phase 2 of the Accelerated Phased Plan, as noted in the full Return to Learning Fall 2020 presentation submitted to the School Committee on September 22.
As noted in this presentation, the factors we are currently working on to achieve the accelerated start are cohort creation, transportation, scheduling, facilities/capacity, and hiring.
Part of planning for the hybrid start is the need for teachers to get their classrooms ready. Below are the dates elementary classroom teachers will set up their classrooms, and student schedules for those days:
- Wednesday, September 30 - All day set up for teachers; asynchronous learning for students who will be given work to complete at home (no live teaching will occur).
- Friday, October 2 – Early release for students; teachers set up classrooms in the afternoon; students will be dismissed for the weekend at lunch.
We thank our families, educators, and staff for their patience in adapting to this accelerated timeline, and for their flexibility in pivoting from remote learning to hybrid learning. You will receive further information regarding the start of hybrid, as well as information for our families who chose remote-only, as we near the start date. As we continue preparing for our hybrid start, we ask our families to help us by reminding children of social distancing practices, limiting the size of group gatherings, promoting good handwashing, and wearing a mask that covers the nose and mouth.
The next School Committee meeting is on Tuesday, September 29 at 6:30 p.m. Please see the agenda and access on the School Committee page of the BPS website.
Respectfully,
John P. Phelan
Superintendent of Schools
Town of Belmont