Dear Glencoe Families,

I hope this email finds you safe and healthy as we roll into August. By now you have seen the email from PPS that all schools will utilize a Comprehensive Distance Learning Model this Fall.   At this time all students Pre-K through Grade 12 will participate in lessons online from September 2 (the first day of the 2020-21 school year for PPS) until at least November 5, which is the end of the first quarter.

My hope is that we have all of our students and families back with us this fall but I understand, each family needs to make decisions based on what is best for them. If you are thinking about other schooling options, I want you to know that a decrease in enrollment this year, will impact the funding for the 2021-22 school year. So, although withdrawing from Glencoe/PPS might be a temporary decision, it does have a longer-term impact on our school community and all school communities within the district. Granted, distance learning is not the same as being in our classrooms together, but being an active member in our learning communities will still allow for positive connections and relationships to be fostered within our school community.

I know this announcement brings about mixed feelings for many of you and another set of challenges as we head back into the school year. I can only imagine how many questions you have since there are still many unknowns.   As an aunty of a 4th grader and Grandma of a toddler, I know how anxious this can make one feel. I understand that some of you are considering other options for schooling for this fall and I appreciate you sharing your thoughts and concerns with me. As your principal, I want you to know that I am still committed to our school community and will do all that I can to make sure our students find success whether we are in our school building or not. We are fortunate to have a strong, dedicated staff who is equally committed and will do their part to make this year a success!

Building administrators are in district meetings (virtual of course) at the end of this week and we will hopefully have more information to share with you next week. However, there are a few things I do know, and can share with you as of now.

Our district is operating from the Oregon Department of Education’s (ODE’s) Comprehensive Distance Learning Guidelines.   Based on these guidelines, Teacher-Facilitated Learning must account for at least 50% of the learning and Applied Learning cannot account for more than 50% within the week. This means that the required minimum for teacher-facilitated learning in grades K-3 is 11 hours, 40 minutes per week and 12 hours, 30 minutes per week for grades 4-5.    Students will also have hours of applied learning (practice) that will be assigned to them. I have attached a table that breaks this down into days and includes other grade levels for those who are interested. 

PPS teams are currently working out instructional schedules to meet these guidelines. Within each daily schedule there will be time when students and teachers gather together, in a virtual setting, for live lessons and/or support. In addition, some students will have small group lessons within the week as needed. There will be some applied learning opportunities that students can work on/practice skills on their own for other parts of the day.   Lessons will be based on grade level standards and follow a scope and sequence provided by the district. Teachers will be working a full school day. Attendance will be taken daily, student work will be reviewed and some work will be graded as grades are to be given at the end of the quarter. All of this does create a structured and rigorous schedule of learning for students. If you are interested in the full guidelines from ODE, they can be found here.

Teacher assignment letters have been created and will go out next week. Lists were created so that cohorts are well-balanced and match with a teacher as best as possible. At this point, I do not plan to make changes to the class cohorts due to the balancing already completed and given that there is a chance we could return to the school building later in the year. Grade level teams will however, have similar schedules for their core content areas. There will be some variation in schedules for specials and students who need a small group or additional support services within their day/week. Schedules are still in the works. There are plenty of details being worked on right now at the district level and will continue to be worked on at the school level as we get closer to the start of the school year. I will continue to keep you informed as more information becomes available. 

Feel free to email me your questions and concerns. I miss you all and am back at work this week and will be checking email more regularly.  

Best,

Lori Clark

Glencoe Principal

PPS is interested in learning about your family’s child care needs starting this Fall. We are exploring ways to provide learning support and child care when children are being taught online. Please take a moment to complete a brief online survey. Please complete this survey by Sunday, August 9 at 9 p.m.

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