Letter from the Publisher

Letter from the Editor

August is traditionally a significant “pivot” month for families with children inschool, along with teachers, administrators, and staff in the Moore Public School district. Summer vacation grinds to a stop in the middle of the month,and the yellow busses start rolling through city streets, a sign that school is back in session.

It’s usually an exciting time. But this year, there is a tremendous amount of uncertainty surrounding a return to the classroom. That’s why we visited with Moore Public School administrators about the “Return to Learn” plan for the 2020-2021 school year. How is it possible for the MPS team to create a plan like this when the landscape is, quite literally, shifting from day-to-day?

What we learned is that it is difficult. More difficult than most of us can imagine.

So, we hope that as you read this month’s cover story that you would keep inmind that the folks who work in Moore’s public schools, from the superintendent’s office down to the bus drivers (and everyone in between), have your child’s best interest at heart. These folks do what they do because they love kids. Please extend to them grace and support as they do their best to navigate tricky circumstances.

Editor

Moore Monthly

Publisher Brent Wheelbarger Writer/Editor Rob Morris Designer April Burgess For ad placement, specifications and rates: call 405.793.3338 or email Rebekah@mooremonthly.com

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Life in the middle of a pandemic is presenting new challenges each and every day. Nowhere is the problem of adjusting to the reality of COVID-19 more daunting than for administrators, teachers, staff, students, and parents in the Moore Public School (MPS) district. David Peak, Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Education and Instruction, and Michelle McNear, Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Education and Instruction, are helping lead the charge for the district’s “Return to Learn” plan. Both want to make sure that everyone in the district understands that there are no perfect solutions to resuming education in the current situation.

“There is so much about our situation that is constantly changing,” said Peak. “We’ve had tremendous support for our plan, but one of the criticisms is that it doesn’t go deep enough. The reason for that is that we’re still waiting on specific guidance. There’s more information coming from the CDC and more data coming from the state that we don’t have clarity on yet. That means the situation is going to be dynamic and fluid.”

McNear said that the dynamic and constant-change is challenging for MPS administrators as they work to create a plan for the 2020-2021 school year. She wants everyone to know that for this reason, the MPS team is committed to transparency at every step of the process.

“We’ve been very open with our community about this document being fluid as we receive more information,” said McNear. “I also think it’s crucial for people to understand that in addition to the constantly changing data, we have to deal with the fact that every one of our schools is different. There have different builds and different layouts. So, that’s where we’ve kind of gone back to our principals who will have a lot of input into what specifically works for those individual sites.” plan. This plan is subject to change…and will almost certainly change. That means you’ll want to stay updated by visiting www.mooreschools.com and clicking on the red “plus” button near the top of the page.)

Here are the essential elements of the plan as of the Moore Monthly’s print deadline for August:

• The school calendar will remain the same for the 2020-2021 year. • All students will report to school on Thursday, August 13. • The district will offer three learning options for students:

1. ALL ON-SITE Traditional Classroom Setting Learning Management System: Canvas

All students are automatically enrolled in Option 1.

• Remain an MPS student • In-person learning, conversations, and engagement • Social interaction with peers and staff for preparation of living in a connected world • Immediate access to libraries and materials • Canvas connects all teachers, students, and parents for seamless learning transitions, even during short-term routine absences. • 24-7 online access to submitted and/or graded assignments • Technology and Internet provided, as needed. Certain conditions must be met. Contact your school principal with technology and/or Internet needs. • Participate in school-sponsored athletic and fine arts programs (NCAA compliant)

2. ON-SITE AND ONLINE Distance Learning Learning Management System: Canvas Students are enrolled in Option 2 for intermittent health concerns lasting approximately 2-4 weeks. Contact your school principal for more information.

• Remain an MPS student • The same learning management system is used for “Distance Learning” and “Traditional Classroom Setting” for easy transition if needed for intermittent health concerns. • Canvas connects all teachers, students, and parents for seamless learning transitions • 24-7 online access to submitted and/or graded assignments • Technology and Internet provided, as needed. Certain conditions must be met. Contact your school principal with technology and/or Internet needs. • Participate in school-sponsored athletic and fine arts programs (NCAA compliant)

3. ALL ONLINE Virtual/Online Education Learning Management System: Canvas (Grades PreK-2) & Odysseyware (Grades 3-12)

To enroll in Virtual/Online Education, contact the MPS Virtual Education dept. at (405) 735-4640, on or by Friday, July 31, 2020.

• Remain an MPS student • Virtual/Online Education is a 9-week commitment for students in Grades PreK-2 and a semester commitment for students in Grades 3-12 • Flexible schedule, individualized plan, and accessible anywhere • 24-7 online access to submitted and/or graded assignments • Supervised by MPS certified teachers (Virtual Academy staff) • Communication between a virtual teacher and parent, with regular updates provided • Technology and Internet provided, as needed. Certain conditions must be met. Contact your school principal with technology and/or Internet needs. • APPLIES TO SECONDARY STUDENTS ONLY: Participate in school-sponsored athletic and fine arts programs, as long as a student is enrolled in one hour during regularly scheduled school days and physically on campus during that class period. This is not NCAA compliant. Additionally, this option does not support Advanced Placement (AP) courses.

Note: Students may continue to take supplemental courses while in Option 1 or 2.

Peak said the MPS administrative team has been hard at work on this plan for months and want to make sure that everyone understands that this will be significantly different than the plan schools operated on to finish up the 2019-2020 school year.

“This is a completely different challenge than what we were looking at in the spring,” said Peak. “We were in the crosshairs back in March and having to make decisions at such a fast past in that circumstance. It’s still been difficult to come up with a plan to make school happen for this coming year. Still, we’ve been working hard and collaborating with so many people to address the various challenges we face in executing a plan that meets everyone’s needs.”

This is a completely different challenge than “ what we were looking at in the spring. ”

The amount of data and information being processed by school officials is enormous, said McNear. In addition to the constant flow of information from sources like the Centers for Disease Control, the Oklahoma State Health Department, and other school districts, McNear said the MPS team was determined to hear from the districts’ stakeholders.