As a parent, I felt like the district took a very thorough approach to this whole process.
Jennifer Creighton Parent and member of the NPS Task Force
Sisters Ellen and Katherine Gifford work on schoolwork earlier this year. It will be a familiar scene for Northville students in September. Photo by Bryan Mitchell
Schools Finalize Re-Entry Plans Amid COVID concerns students will have to make adjustments for learning By Lonnie Huhman
T
aking the lessons from the last couple months of the past school year and putting in a lot of time and effort over this summer to create a plan for all students come September 8, Northville Public Schools officials have now set a starting point for the 2020-2021 school year. With an ever-changing landscape in consideration due to the COVID pandemic, NPS issued its plans on Aug. 10 for students starting the new school year. THE PLAN The 2020-2021 Northville Public School year will begin with virtual learning for September followed by transitions throughout the
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month of September into inperson learning designed by grade level. There will be two educational options for students: Option 1: Virtual start through September, followed by a full in-person return for elementary and Cooke School students and a hybrid instruction return for middle and high school students. Option 2: A full semester Virtual option where students will receive all instruction through the district’s Learning Management System, Schoology, supported by NPS teachers. In a communication to parents, the district said the inperson scenario for elementary and Cooke School students
includes the option to attend full time, Monday through Friday; while the Middle and High School in-person scenario is a 50-50 Hybrid, with students rotating between in-person and virtual learning every other day. “The in-person scenarios approved at each level allow for implementation of each of the required safety protocols for Phase 4 of Michigan’s roadmap, along with maximizing implementation of the highly recommended safety protocols to the greatest extent possible in a school setting,” according to the district’s communication to district stakeholders. NEW LEARNING PLATFORM One helpful place for students and families to start in understanding what’s ahead is to explore Schoology. Knowing that virtual learning will most likely be something that all students will experience, it was key for NPS to put in place an online system that is user friendly and helpful. “The September Virtual Start will allow students and staff to develop competence around the new and robust Learning Management System (Schoology) that allows for smooth transitions between
virtual and in-person learning in the event that intermittent school closures become necessary or our region moves into different phases of Michigan’s Road Map,” NPS’s announcement said. Aaron Baughman, NPS’s Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Services, said Schoology is intended to be drastically different from the situation in spring when multiple virtual learning platforms were being used with situations where one family might have two or three different platforms to access and use. Baughman said Schoology is NPS’s online classroom. All students and parents will access this platform. He described it as an all in one place tool, where such things as Zoom meeting links will reside. It will “make things a lot easier,” Baughman said, noting it will streamline the virtual learning process. According to the parent’s guide issued by NPS, teachers will use Schoology to post their classroom materials online; provide a safe forum for students to discuss their ideas and collaborate on projects; and to assign and collect homework electronically. “It helps students stay organized and it keeps the class connected,” Baughman said. For parents, a Schoology account, which can be used through any device that has Internet access, gives them access to the classes their child is enrolled in, their child’s upcoming assignments as well as school and class announcements. Getting feedback and input from parents, families and the community has been essential
