HYBRID & remote learning FAQ
Dr. Elster's presentation from the February 22, 2021 Reopening Town Hall is now available. All changes will be in effect beginning Thursday, February 25, 2021. Further details are also provided below.
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HYBRID STUDENTS
COVID-19 TESTING CONSENT AND IN-PERSON DAY HEALTH SCREENING FORM
If a student does not consent to the random COVID-19 test at school, will he/she/they be moved to 100% remote? Yes, if families do not consent to testing, the student will be switched to 100% remote learning. Consent can be given by logging in to your mystudent.nyc account. The form is located under the Manage Account > Consent Forms menu option. PLEASE NOTE: If you have already provided consent, you must still click "Change Consent" and then re-select "Consent" and tick the box indicating you have read and agreed to the info on the testing web page. Consent must be on file before entering the building. If a student does not have consent on file prior to attending in-person classes, the student will be placed in the COVID-19 isolation room for the day. A percentage of students and staff who are in-person each week will be tested (20%). More detail can be found at the DOE's COVID-19 Testing for Students and Staff page. Students must also fill out a Health Screening Form before entering the building on their in-person day. This must be done the day they are entering the building either online or on paper. Paper forms will be available to students while they wait to enter the building. ATTENDANCE
How is attendance taken? Students must fill out and submit an attendance Google Form available from 8:30 - 11:30am every day, both in-person and remotely. The info submitted will be cross-referenced with attendance observed by the teachers in class. Hybrid students who consistently do not attend during their scheduled in-person day will be moved to 100% remote learning. If students cannot attend their scheduled in-person day, what should they do? If a student misses in-person school because he/she/they are not feeling well, please e-mail absent@ms54.org. Contact the school if your child is observing a quarantine period to see if he/she/they can attend classes remotely. If a holiday falls on a day other than a Monday or Friday, why aren’t kids coming into school for their in-person day on the Friday of the holiday week? Currently there is no plan to have in-person days shift to Fridays for holidays that fall on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. Since there are more Monday holidays, a plan was put in place to have the Monday in-person cohort shift to Fridays on a holiday week. COHORTS AND SCHEDULING
Will cohorts remain the same when students return to in-person learning? Students' previously scheduled in-person day and cohort code will remain the same. However, some very small in-person cohorts have been combined to create larger classes (maximum of 15 students), but students' teachers for those cohorts will not change. If a newly-combined cohort has students taking different languages, the students will separate into different classrooms for only their language period, i.e. a cohort of 10 students could split into 5 per classroom. How will schedules change? All students' in-person schedules, including 6th graders, are four 1-hour periods, 9am - 1pm. There will no longer be a scheduled Early Academy period. Teachers will notify students of office hours. Remote days for hybrid students will remain 9am - 2:40pm. 6th Grade
7th and 8th Grades
Meeting ID: 895 3854 9370 If the building experiences a temporary closure due to COVID-19 exposure, schedules will follow the new hybrid schedule, not revert back to the 100% remote schedule used during October 2020 - mid-February 2021.
IN BUILDINGS
Is double-masking required? As both the CDC and New York City are recommending double-masking, students are STRONGLY URGED to wear two masks - a medical procedure mask and a close-fitting cloth mask. Extra medical procedure masks will be available at the school if needed. More information about the efficacy of double-masking and how to improve the fit is provided by the CDC. What will the school do to keep classrooms warm when the temperature gets colder? The school now has air purifiers for each classroom so that some windows can be closed during very cold days and still maintain the required amount of air flow. Do students still need to bring laptops/Chromebooks/iPads? Yes, students will need to bring devices for in-person days and headphones. Teachers will also begin to provide books and/or paper-based work with caution. If the COVID-19 situation improves, would Booker T. consider expanding the number of in-person days for students, i.e., 2 or 3 days in-person. Given staffing and space constraints, Booker T. will continue for the rest of the 2020 - 2021 school year with the one-day-per-week in-person school days for those who have opted for the hybrid model (remote + in-person). One group of 9 students needing extra support will be able to attend in-person 5 days per week and will follow the hybrid schedule. The student group receiving services on Fridays will expand to provide support to more students in need. Students attending on Fridays should bring headphones. BREAKFAST/LUNCH/SNACK
Will meals be provided? Grab-and-Go breakfast bags will be available at 8:30am each morning at the flagpole at the West 107th Street entry, NOT at the West 108th Street entrance. Grab-and-Go lunch will also be available for students to pick up on the way out of the building at 1pm. Students may bring a small snack to eat at 11am, but MUST wear their own shield while eating. TRANSPORTATION
MetroCards will be distributed on the first in-person day for each student. |
100% REMOTE LEARNING STUDENTS
Can we have a list of 100% remote students? Legally, the school cannot give out information regarding who is remote vs. blended. If this is something that class parents want to ask their homeroom families to share with them and others in the homeroom, they can compile this list themselves by querying their homeroom families. Can 100% remote students use Zoom for lessons during teachers' in-building days? Many 100% remote students will be able to attend in-person classes via Zoom. Teachers will be providing this information directly to the students. Will there be another opt-in period for 100% remote students to choose hybrid? Currently, the DOE has not announced such a plan. VIRTUAL AFTER-SCHOOL
The Winter After-School program runs the weeks of January 11 - March 22, 2021 (Art Portfolio with The Jewish Museum began January 4, 2021). Confirmation e-mails were sent by Anne Pejovich to all registered students. Zoom links from the teachers were sent January 8 - 11, 2021. All classes for the winter session will be remote regardless of whether in-person school begins again or not. Note that parents/guardians are responsible for legal supervision of your child since the teacher cannot have eyes on your child at all times. Please reach out to Parent Coordinator, Anne Pejovich with any questions. Payment for the winter session is a pay-what-you-wish donation. If you are able, please help offset the cost of teachers' time by making a donation. HEALTH CARE & MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT
The Ryan Health Center at Booker T. remains open for appointments. Mental health resources and support are available from the school's psychologists and interns to all students and families. FOOD, SCHOOL SUPPLIES, TECH NEEDS
Meal distribution via the DOE is available 8am - 12pm at every school building each day. If you have any supply, tech or food needs, please contact Parent Coordinator, Anne Pejovich. |