Things to keep in mind for Grades K - 5
- With the reduced number of students learning remotely, the District will be restructuring how remote instruction will be delivered. Teachers will no longer educate in-person and remote students at the same time. This will allow teachers to concentrate exclusively on just one group, thereby improving the quality of instruction. Remote learners will be taught in separate classes that combine students in the same grade level from multiple elementary schools.
- Some remote classes may have a different teacher for ELA and math lessons.
- In-person classes will no longer be broadcast via Zoom.
- For the time being, Wednesdays will continue as remote learning days for all students.
- Although we are moving to more in-person days, at any time we may be obligated to transition to fully remote learning due to weather events, quarantines, staff shortages, etc.
What is the status of our Middle and High School students going to 4 Days/Week of in-person instruction?
We continue to plan for four days/week of in-person instruction for our Vestal Middle and High School students. However, some impediments that we continue to work through include obtaining enough desktop barriers for each classroom, locating space for students to each lunch with a minimum of three-foot spacing with a barrier (especially with the high school closed to off-campus lunches), transportation issues, and more.
A survey was made available to our VMS/VHS families on March 18 to help us identify students and their needs, as well as their parents' expectations for what four days/week in-person will look like.
Why are Wednesdays currently planning days for staff and teachers?
During the elementary transition to four days/week, our classroom teachers will be collaborating with remote teachers and special area teachers on Wednesdays. With many students moving to new teachers and special area schedules changing, we want to ensure that all students and teachers are supported. This will require immediate use of Wednesdays to coordinate individual discussion and planning opportunities.