-Masks- Families are asked to provide clean masks for their children each day. Your student will be expected to wear masks during transition periods, in communal spaces, and when unable to remain physically distanced. This would include entering and exiting the building; during hallway passing time; in breakfast and lunch lines; during group work; and when working directly with a teacher.
-Your student will be asked to clean their hands (hand washing or using hand sanitizer) when entering and exiting the classroom.
-Your student will be asked to sanitize / wipe their shared working spaces and materials throughout the day.
-Your student will keep personal supplies (paper, pencils, snacks, etc.) to themselves.
Elementary classroom groups / cohorts will be kept intact with minimal intermixing between groups / cohorts.
School Breakfast and Lunch:
-Breakfast and lunch will be served daily. Students will be physically distanced. Also, students may be assigned to rooms other than the cafeteria or commons area to allow physical distancing.
Students will be provided an iPad (grades K-2) or Chromebook grades (3-12) to use AND take home daily. This will allow students and teachers to transition smoothly between face to face and distance learning as needed. Device protection plans are available for $20 to cover repairs caused by accidental damage or wear and tear (families qualifying for free and reduced may pay on a sliding scale). If you do not purchase the protection plan, you will be held liable for up to the full replacement cost of your device if damage were to occur. Families who currently do not have high speed internet access will be supported in obtaining it at home.
District-wide teacher priorities include establishing strong student relationships / social-emotional learning; teaching students digital competency skills so they can effectively learn both at school and home; and academic priority standards. Additionally, each student will be assessed in reading and math within the first four weeks of school as required by the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction.
Grading: Rubrics and scales (4, 3, 2, 1) will be used to empower and guide learners for project-based work. Additional assignments and assessments may be scored based on the percentage of answers correct. Teachers will provide feedback to guide students towards mastery of priority standards. Rubrics and scales used at the secondary level will be converted to percentages to determine a student’s grade. Elementary teachers will report on academic progress through the use of the standards referenced reporting tool (report card). Grades will still be tracked and communicated to families via PowerSchool, SeeSaw, and other mechanisms. Note: Instruction during the spring of the 2019-2020 school year was disrupted by the Novel Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19) and to acknowledge the unique challenges that students, their families, and teachers experienced the decision was made to not assign grades at the elementary level and to add inflations or bonuses to secondary grades. During the 2020-2021 school year, grades will be assigned at all levels without distance learning-related bonuses or inflation.
After-school Kindergarten-6th grade clubs, intramurals, and activities are discontinued until further notice. The exceptions are ENCORE, which will continue as usual with additional safety precautions.
Please drop-off and pick-up your student(s) no earlier than 10 minutes before class begins in the morning, and no later than 10 minutes after the school day. The exception is for students riding the bus or eating breakfast. Our custodians need this extra time to thoroughly sanitize teaching and learning spaces.
Parents/Guardians are expected to keep your student(s) home if they are displaying any COVID-19 related symptoms as defined by the NDDoH, OR if a member of their household or a close contact has been quarantined or has tested positive for COVID-19. Please note: we anticipate receiving guidance from the North Dakota Department of Health regarding exclusion information during the week of August 3rd. Information may change based on that guidance. We will also add information about any current travel restrictions from the CDC at that time.
Parents/Guardians are expected to notify your student’s school immediately if your student has COVID-19-related symptoms, has been tested for COVID-19 and is awaiting results, or is in self-quarantine because of their household or close contact’s COVID-19 status.
Parents/Guardians are expected to pick your student(s) up from school immediately if contacted by school officials to do so due to COVID-19 symptoms, close contact, or emerging scenarios.
Statement of Best Intentions: Despite taking every reasonable precaution, there is no guarantee that our schools, students and employees will be without risk as it relates to COVID-19. The virus will potentially be present on our buses, in our classrooms, and at our activities. In certain situations physical distancing is not fully achievable in a school setting. Our actions, as outlined in the comprehensive plan, cannot guarantee that any student or staff member will not come in contact with the virus or contract the virus.
