Post #1 Phasing In, Carter School, Resource Links, and Tasks

We successfully launched the year through an antiracist lens. We have a calendar to start remotely and students will phase into the hybrid model before Thanksgiving.  You have access to your A/B groups and survey results. Planning has begun in earnest with this concrete information. I've inserted the phase in dates below for our reference.

There is a lot to think about - I chunked time through the end of September to frame the work that needs to get done between now and then before we welcome back our high needs students into the hybrid model. It's easy to get overwhelmed; take small steps, one day at a time!

August 24 - September 4 2 weeks Prepare	September 8-18 2 weeks/9 days Professional Learning	September 21-September 30 2 weeks/9 days
Reopening/Ops Plan	Wk 1: Remote PD	Launch remote instruction (ALL)
Prepare for PD (more information to come)	Wk 2: Report to site 9/14 PD + prepare classrooms	Establish strong relationships and routines
Match family selections with teams of staff	Family Connect/Tech Check	Prepare to welcome students with high needs

Featuring Carter School

I met with Principal Mark O'Connor, Nurse Sharon, and Day Manager Mike DiAngelis last week to walk through the building since it is likely students whose families choose hybrid will start October 1st. It's remarkable to me how Mark uses the UDL lens for everything when planning. For example, he knows some of his students will not be able to wear a mask - thus, the school will plan ahead with that in mind - not wait until there is a problem. We looked at how to keep students socially distanced in the classroom, at entrances/exits and discussed traffic patterns to minimize contact. Carter students have underlying health conditions that could literally mean life or death if exposed to the virus (or any illness for that matter), so protocols will need to be developed and  followed carefully as many students require hands-on support. Mark is monitoring family responses and staff will need to think more broadly about teaming to share the remote and in-person responsibilities. On top of all this, Mark has been working 24/7 with architects, city and district facilities teams to complete the visioning of, and first phase, of the new Carter building, which is going before the School Building Committee for approval on Thursday. The new Carter will be a state of the art facility, the first of its kind in the country. #BPSProud #BostonStrong2020

Links to Resources

• BPS 20-21 Adjusted Assessment Calendar (Based on Sept 21 start)
• BPS 20-21 Professional Learning Template (Make a copy - template aligned to assessment cycles)
• Communicating with Families Toolkit (from Parabola Project)
• Learning Heroes Family Engagement Resources including the Parent Teacher Planning Tool (English, Spanish)
• How to Prepare and Care for Your Classroom Checklists
• EL Flex Curriculum for 20-21 (Access to Digital Expeditionary Learning Resources)
  
• School Leader Meetings Information (Optional Meetings Notes/Information)
  
• Partnership Fund Guide (Need to repurpose funds? Search for "Waiver" in doc to learn how.)

• Translated Reopening Plan

• ALI Resources (Decks)

• BPS School Leader Communication Hub (Under construction - one stop shop for information)

Access Family Survey Information

The team has produced a number of guides on how you can access information about your students:

• How to access a list of students who have completed the form
• How to access the unique link for a student
• How to fill out the form on behalf of a student
• How to get an access code for a student who is not on your completion list
• How to access student responses in Aspen

We will work collectively as a district to contact every family to document their selection. We have set August 28 as the deadline for submitting the form so that we can complete all preparation work. For families who do not reply, students will be assigned into the hybrid model and to school bus transportation if eligible.

Families with questions about the form can contact reopening@bostonpublicschools.org or the Transportation Hotline at 617-635-9520.

School Safety Plan Submission and Contact Information

This is a friendly reminder that your safety plans are due for submission by August 26, 2020. Your plans are in the following folders by school from last year: Grace's 19-20 Region, Welch's 19-20 Region, or Driscoll's 19-20 Region. If you need your plans shared with you please reach out to Rick Deraney, Director of Safety Services, at rderaney@bostonpublicschools.org or 617-212-2397. Please save your plans in this Safety Plans Folder for Region 6. Please submit your plans in a timely manner to allow for proper review and support by Director Deraney. All plans need to be reviewed by Safety Services prior to the DESE district submission deadline of September 1, 2020.

IMPORTANT NOTE:
When you are completing your plan please DO NOT COPY AND MAKE THE CHANGES. Make all changes in the original document using "suggesting mode" so Rick can see changes in the file. Please make sure you update section 4 student enrollment. After all your updates are complete, change the school year in the title section from SY19/20 to SY20/21 and put in this new Safety Plans Folder.

Reopening Plan Information (from M. Riddel)

First draft due Friday, August 28th. It's okay that some of the information is incomplete. You and your teams can continue to refine it through September.

Each school has a personalized version of the template, which can be found in the Shared Google Drive folder called *Shared School Reopening Plans SY20-21. Your school copy is where you should enter all responses and where your School Superintendent and central office teammates will be reviewing your responses. You can see all school plans, but only have permission to edit your school’s. Any input that you have already provided via the Facilities Questionnaire/Tracker is pre-populated into the relevant fields of your school’s reopening plan. You can find more information about the spreadsheet and the process here.

Backpack Distribution

Pick up backpacks through Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 pm at the John McCormack Middle School, located at 315 Mount Vernon Street in Dorchester backpacks allocated from Cradles to Crayons are available for pick up. 

Please enter the driveway on the OPPOSITE side of the school from the food pick up site, pull in, do a U turn and stop at the bottom of the handicap ramp. Please do not enter the building, as we have volunteers inside, someone will ask you your school name and wheel out your backpacks to you. 

The list for allocation is available here. Allocations of 100 or less should be able to fit into an empty sedan. Allocations of 200 or less should fit into an empty SUV and minivan. These guidelines are from Cradles to Crayons.

We ask everyone to sign up for a pick up time on this spreadsheet. Lisa Harvey from the office of OSFCA is on site, but will have limited ability to connect.