School Learning Model FAQs

Phase-in to Full In-Person Learning Parent Frequently Asked Questions 2/25/21

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On the four day weeks, what day is the distance learning day?

Wednesday will remain a distance learning day for all students until March 29th, when we return to 5 days a week.

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How many students will be in the classrooms and at what distance?

This will vary room to room in the district. All students PK-8 will have Plexiglass dividers.

When we cannot guarantee 6 feet, we will follow CT DPH and CDC guidelines. We will maximize social distancing to the fullest extent possible.

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Are we increasing the amount of Plexiglass?

Yes. Every student PK-8, will have an individual Plexiglass divider at his/her desk.

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Will the Wednesday enhanced cleaning still happen?

Our Wednesday cleaning will continue and will be performed on the night shift. All the cleaning protocols outlined in our reopening plan remain in place. We are not changing our cleaning protocols.

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What have been the total number of cases, etc. in the Waterford Schools?

All of our district data can be found at: https://data.ct.gov/stories/s/8aju-4ezf

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Is the school district addressing the mental health and well-being of our kids?

This is important and will continue to be a focus for each school’s leadership team to design activities and on-going strategies to continue to address the needs of students.

Below is what each school is doing with respect to SEL on a school wide basis.

Elementary Level: ● Second Step lessons are delivered over the course of the year. Lessons are taught weekly by teachers. If a teacher maintains adequate pacing, they will complete the program for their grade level by May. ● Behavior teams meet to discuss the progress of students demonstrating struggles related to social-emotional well-being. Faculty listens to the teacher’s presentation, reviews data, provides strategies, and determines timelines for next review. ● School social workers and psychologists tour each classroom in the building to deliver Zones of Regulation lessons as a paired team.

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Attendance and engagement meetings include a combination of administration, psychologists, social workers, classroom teachers, families, and students to address struggles as they relate to individual concerns. ● Principals make daily and/or weekly phone calls to families to check-in on well-being. ● Teachers are encouraged by principals to schedule play time outside of pre-established recess to build community. ● The School-based Equity Committee provides teachers with resources to navigate difficult conversations brought forth by students. ● School librarian emails staff lists of books that address social-emotional topics. There is a section in our library for students and staff related to identity, kindness, and social-emotional well-being. ● Re-entry messaging from principals emphasizes a focus on community re-building, routines, and class rules upon student return at least for the first week.

Middle School Level: ● All teachers have, as part of the actions steps of their SEL goal, attended the YALE SEL course and put into action recommended techniques from the content presented. Many regularly implement the Mood Meter and other calming activities. ● We have visited, reached out to, and created supports for struggling students and families (Administration, School Resource Officer, Counselors, Social Worker, Psychologist) and contacted outside agencies such as Waterford Youth and Family Service Bureau. ● Students have created self-care boxes for participating teachers. ● The School Counselors have sent Care Packages to many struggling students in group C. ● We have members of our staff working on the District Equity Understanding and Action Team which helps to create an in school resource for those with questions about equity in education. ● We have offered teachers the opportunity to host virtual clubs beginning this month – we have close to ten! ● We have expanded our homeroom to a much longer daily SEL period in which teachers can get to know their cohort better, implement relaxation activities or fun conversations. ● We have instructed our teachers to use at least half of all Wednesday classes to address SEL activities and lessons. ● School Counselors regularly teach in classes to implement SEL and other School Counseling related topics. ● Art and calming scenery displays have been greatly expanded throughout the school. ● Teacher are encouraged to use one of our three new outdoor learning areas. ● Two new gardens have been installed for the spring. ● We have expanded the therapeutic fish tank area in the front office and have added the ability to use our raised gardens as winter green houses High School Level: ● There is a school-wide initiative around SEL training and support. All teachers and paras were enrolled in the Yale Course where they are learning the skills to support students in the classroom. ● Administrators, counselors, and the SRO are making phone calls, home visits, and referrals to WYFSB (as needed) for students who need additional support. ● The CARE Team meets weekly to ensure that students are being monitored. Attention and support is provided to students and families who are struggling. ● Love and Logic training has taken place with paras and special education teachers. ● The School Climate Committee addresses teachers’ concerns around SEL issues and equity.

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Weekly Updates sent by the principal are designed to address concerns the community brings forward to the administration.

Advisory time is given daily for teachers to connect with a small group of students. When surveyed at the beginning of the year, teachers overwhelmingly wanted that time to be unstructured. The administration has honored that opinion.

Students are supported by the administration and encouraged to support each other through clubs like the GSA, the Women’s Empowerment Group, and the Student Diversity Club.

Focus groups have met to acknowledge and address issues of equity and inclusion. Plans are being made to use advisory next year as a time to address these issues.

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What are the lunch plans by school? How about arrival and dismissal changes?

Schools will be releasing any changes in procedures due to the increased capacity in the coming weeks. Please feel free to reach out to your child’s building administrator in the meantime.

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What is the procedure for hand washing prior to eating?

Students will wash hands prior to eating. See page 33 of our reopening plan on our website.

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Do students wear masks at lunch and recess? If I don’t want my child to take off their mask during lunch and recess, who do I tell?

Students are not required to wear a mask while eating or while at recess. If lunch is in the classroom, all students will have a Plexiglass divider in front of them. At recess, we will do our best to maximize social distancing. If a parent wants his/her child to wear a mask while eating or at recess, please let your building administrator know.

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Will students stay in cohorts? How about for recess and lunch?

We will maintain classroom cohorts during full-in PK-8 throughout the day and maintain similar procedures for lunch and recess, as we have all year.

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Will students who have mask exemptions (if any) be in classrooms or in the halls with other students?

CT DPH and CDC guidelines do allow certain exceptions for some high needs and highly atrisk individuals. We will follow all CT DPH and CDC guidance. Please refer to page 27 of our Reopening Plan for further guidance. More information can be found in the CSDE’s Reopening Plan.

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Will there still be mask breaks? Where?

Yes. Please see pages 27, 33, and 34 of the reopening plan on our website.

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Should masks be changed as they become moist? Is this addressed in the schools?

Information on this topic from the CDC can be found here. We have a supply of extra masks for students who may not come to school with one or who need an extra/new one during the day.

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How will bathroom use be monitored?

Our bathroom procedures are outlined in the original reopening plan. Please see page 41 of our reopening plan for our procedures. For further information, please contact your child’s principal for each school’s individual procedures.

Question:

What are the guidelines or data that would have you make a decision to go back to the hybrid model from the phase in? Why is it safe?

Waterford’s numbers have drastically reduced and we are seeing numbers similar to November and early December.

Answer:

Please go to LLHD.ORG for more information on the significantly decreasing numbers in Waterford over the last 5 weeks.

At the February 17, 2021 Board meeting, Superintendent Giard presented data according to the CDC Guidelines that indicate that Waterford falls within the moderate transmission range which indicates full in-person learning can take place safely. This will be monitored closely and Ledge Light Health District will continue to be consulted on our learning model decisions.

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With an influx of students, how do you plan to maintain 6 ft. of distance in classrooms with all students in class?

Maintaining 6ft of distance was not guaranteed in our original reopening plan, and will not be going forward. Connecticut’s reopening plan along with CDC guidelines released on February 12, does not guarantee 6 feet of distance either. The language in the CT plan and the CDC guidance are similar: “Maximize social distancing between student workstations, achieving 6 feet when feasible, when determining the classroom layout. Desks should face in the same direction (rather than facing each other), or students should sit on only one side of tables, spaced apart. Where necessary, assess other space that may be repurposed for instruction in the school, in municipal or other community space, or if the school will require additional modular space. Maximize space between the teacher and students.” We have followed these same guidelines all year and will continue to do so.

For those that choose to stay distance learning in elementary school does anything in the way they are learning now change; i.e. the zoom schedule with the current teacher? If so how?

To answer this question let's recall what parents agree to by opting for full distance learning as stated on the distance learning form. ● ● ● ●

The nature of the voluntary remote learning programming may not result in matching instructional hours 1:1 with an on campus learning model.

We are striving for minimally a 50-50 synchronous model. This will require students to be on a set schedule all or much of the day to “log” into classes.

Students opting for temporary distance learning will be prohibited from participating in after-school activities including school sponsored interscholastic sports.

All districts will be expected to track attendance on a daily basis for students who opt in to distance learning.

Parents / Students will have the choice to be Full-in or Full-out. When the district was in a Hybrid Learning Model, the only method to provide 60% of a student’s education was online.

As we move to a Full-In Person Model, the only students online are by choice. This means that our focus learning model needs to adjust.

For PK- Grade 5 Each teacher will have the Lesson on SeeSaw / Google Classroom for the Remote Learning Students. There should be set times to check in with the Remote Learning Students for the main content areas (Reading, Writing, Math, Science, & Social Studies). There should also be a morning check in time (morning meeting) with all student’s In-Person and Remote Learners. This will be a less synchronous model but well within the set expectations for this parental option.

For Grades 6 - 8 Each teacher will have the Lesson on Google Classroom for the Remote Learning Students.

The students will view the lesson via Zoom and there will be a set time for each lesson for the teacher to check in with the remote learning students. This could occur while the In Person Learning Students are doing their Independent Practice work.

This means while the Remote Learning Students will be viewing the lesson, their microphone will be off until the teacher is ready for the Remote Learning Students questions. This will be a less synchronous model but well within the set expectations for this parental option.

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As you make a plan available for CLMS will those that choose distance learning follow the same schedule once phase in begins?

For Grades 6 - 8 Each teacher will have the Lesson on Google Classroom for the Remote Learning Students.

The students will view the lesson via Zoom and there will be a set time for each lesson for the teacher to check in with the Remote Learning Students. This could occur while the In Person Learning Students are doing their Independent Practice work.

This means while the Remote Learning Students will be viewing the lesson, their microphone will be off until the teacher is ready for the Remote Learning Students questions. This will be a less synchronous model but well within the set expectations for this parental option.

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How will bus seating be handled?

Please see pages 8, 33, and 43 of our original reopening plan

Question:

With this anticipated reopening plan, we as a family need to have our children ride the bus some days during the week. Is there a form we fill out to change since we originally said they would not be riding the bus?

Yes there is a transportation form that can be found here for bus changes.

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How is distance maintained during passing time and boarding busses?

Elementary Grades: We have staff members responsible for lining students up and monitoring their distance as they transition between locations. In each classroom and all common areas, we have spacing reminders for students. Upon arrival and dismissal, the hallways are lined with staff members assisting in various ways and responsible for maintaining student distance. For example, students who are picked-up each day are dismissed to the gym, sit in designated areas appropriately distanced and are dismissed accordingly.

Secondary Grades: End-of-block dismissal is by EVEN classes first, then ODD classes second. Students leaving EVEN classes should report to the next class after a 5-minute break in the halls so that the students leaving ODD classrooms will also have time for a break. There are blue strips of tape that are placed 6' apart that line all hallways for students to stand at while waiting to enter a classroom. End-of-day dismissal is by grade, with students leaving their last block classes as boarding buses is done by staggering dismissal times by 2 minutes as well as having adult presence (security guards, SRO, administrators) in hallways.

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If one room has substantially more students than the other at the same grade level; what will be done about that?

If there are significant imbalances in class sizes at a grade level, mitigation options would include: ● Moving the larger class to a larger space in the building to spread out more ● Possibly using outdoor space depending on the weather ● Every student has Plexiglass ● Possible redistribution to even out class sizes Is there any consideration for the High School beyond alternating Wednesdays? Why or why not?

The high school inherently is set up differently than the other four schools. The most notable difference is there are no strict cohorts at the high school. There are different groups of students each period of the day. We will continue to follow the guidance of Ledge Light Health District on our learning model for all five of our schools. Our goal is to return all students, including high school, five days a week of in-person learning. If guidance changes, we will certainly let parents know.

What are the district’s plans for ventilation? What kind of filters do our schools have?

Ventilation - This is outlined in detail on page 40 in our plan. We have complied and will continue to comply with all DPH Guidance for Ventilation. https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/Coronavirus/20200622-DPH-Guidance-for-School-Systems-forthe-Operation-of-Central-and-nonCentral-Ventilation-Sys.pdf All schools currently have controlled systems that filter 100% of outside air entering the building. The system monitors CO2 levels and modulates outside air accordingly. Fresh air is continually brought into the building during occupied times. Ventilation and fresh air intake will be optimized during occupied times. Fans and blowers are modulated by Variable Frequency Drives that adjust air volume within the parameters of the Building Management System. Primary filters are MERV 8 and secondary filters are MERV 13 and 14. All five of our schools use at least MERV 13 filters. The MERV of a filter is determined with laboratory tests according to ASHRAE Standard 52.2. The test uses an aerosol generator and synthetic dust specified by ASHRAE, and particle counts are measured upstream and downstream from the filter. The testing procedure for the MERV rating uses 6 measurements and 12 particle sizes, which results in a total of 72 data points. To help prevent coronavirus infections in buildings, ASHRAE recommends air filters in HVAC systems to be at least MERV 13, which all five of our schools use.

MERV

Avg. Arrestance

Particle Size Range

Applications

MERV 13-16

>95-99%

0.30-1.0 microns

Smoke removal Hospital inpatient care General surgery Superior commercial buildings

Question:

If we keep our children home for symptoms/sick will they be able to log in for school as they can now? How will students who become direct contacts continue their education? Will remote learning still be available?

If a student is sick or needs to be out of school for being a close contact, they can participate in all classes remotely during the time of isolation/quarantine. Full remote learning/full distance learning will continue to be available throughout this school year.

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Can my child still do distance learning? Can I opt for distance learning at any time? Can I return from distance learning at any time?

Full Distance Learning will remain an option this entire school year per the State of CT. In our Fall Reopening Plan on page 17 it states:

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Families that select to continue distance learning during periods of on-campus learning will be asked to fill out the district’s Distance Learning Form. We will be sending more information to families in the near future who wish to opt for distance learning during the time of full in-person learning.

Students in Distance Learning may choose to return to campus at any time. School personnel will be available to determine a mutually agreed upon re-entry date. Parents are asked to provide a reasonable notification (up to 2 weeks) to the school office so that preparations may be made to accommodate all learners safely.

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If there is a positive case in my child’s class, will I be notified?

We will follow the same procedures we have all year. Close contacts of positive cases are notified according to CDC and CT DPH guidelines. We will continue to notify all families of all positive cases in schools as we have done all year. Individual parents are only notified of a positive case if their child has been identified as a close contact through the contact tracing process. This is in alignment with CSDE and CT DPH directions to districts.

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Do we have any information about the fall 2021 learning model? How will we return?

We do not have any official information from the State of CT about the 2021-2022 school year yet. With vaccinations and decreasing numbers, our goal is a full return to in-person learning for all students.

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How can we still ask questions?

The reopening schools email (reopening@waterfordschools.org) remains active and of course, please reach out directly to your child’s school administration at any time.