Submitted by Holly Hageman, Superintendent.
(Sept. 3, 2020) — The Board of Education, administration, teachers and staff were very happy to welcome students to the 2020-21 school year. After a long period of in-person closure and remote learning, followed by summer, the time had finally come for the learning community to be back together. After months and months of intensive planning, acquisition of technology resources and personal protective equipment, human resource management, curriculum and professional development, we were ready to open up the doors and have students come streaming through.
These first few days have been a delight. Having students be able to return to the routine of school, meeting their teachers and classmates, and getting into their school work is just so natural. It is almost remarkable how wearing masks just doesn’t seem that unusual already. We are incredibly pleased that all students came prepared with their masks, and we are also grateful to community members that sewed cloth masks so that every student and staff member received a washable mask from the school district. The next batch of masks are expected any day now, so that each student will have a second mask provided.
The hybrid reopening has been designed and intended to allow schools to reopen in a controlled manner so that new safety routines could be effectively implemented and relationships could be formed quickly between teachers and students. The district is grateful to parents for their patience with this approach. This model is in place until September 25th, and we will re-evaluate during the month of September with the aim to reopen as fully as possible thereafter. The remote learning option will continue to be available to students in any model.
Approximately 87% of students are participating in the hybrid learning model and 11% are in the full remote option. There has been a larger than usual number of students who are homeschooling or opting for private school this year due to COVID-19. To start the year, fewer students are riding the school buses by parent choice and schools have implemented more expansive parent drop off procedures than is needed typically. Districts within our region appear to have similar statistics in all of these areas.
Some things are certainly different this year including mask wearing, social distancing, plexiglass barriers at reception areas and other spaces where advised, and signage as reminders. What is especially different is how teachers are coordinating the simultaneous teaching of students in-person and students learning from home. This has been one of the biggest changes, challenges and lifts for the district. RSD17 teachers have done an outstanding job taking advantage of the professional development provided and giving input to the leadership as to how to logistically make this possible. Students are adapting extremely well, engaging, self-advocating, and demonstrating great problem-solving skills. What is clear to see is that everyone is very happy to be back together and all are adjusting effectively to this new way of providing education.
Our staff has done an amazing job with having students feel welcomed back and ready to jump into learning. The following are quotes from each principal, summarizing their observations from this first week:
Brienne Whidden, BES: “The first week of school at Burr has been amazing! We were excited to welcome back all of our students both in person and virtually. Teachers did an incredible job of simultaneously teaching in person and remote students and making both groups feel equally included and welcome. The students have been equally as incredible at adapting to new routines and procedures in school and thinking flexibly when live streaming with teachers from home. We are excited to continue building our classroom communities and diving into new learning.”
Dennis Reed, KES: “I am incredibly impressed and amazed with how our school community has performed during this school reopening. Our staff has embraced the reality and challenge of having students in both physical and virtual environments; teaching across both domains simultaneously and engaging with all students. Whether they are at home or in the class, we are building a cohesive community. It is remarkable to witness! Our students are equally remarkable. They have adapted very effectively to mask wearing and have learned very quickly how to maintain social distance spacing while still enjoying each other’s company.”
Eric Larson, HKIS: “The fourth and fifth grade students were all ‘eye-smiles’ upon their return to Haddam-Killingworth Intermediate School. The HKIMS PTO set out blue and gold balloons and had bubble machines filling the air with soapy excitement. The kids have done an outstanding job learning the new safety procedures and finding new ways to play and interact together. Our teachers have welcomed the students that are at home and those within the classroom with daily meetings and lessons. We are all getting to know each other as we are building a community of learners.”
Dolores Bates, HKMS: “It has been exciting to have the HKMS building bustling with staff and students again! Students were welcomed back with balloons and bubbles provided by the HKIMS PTO. Students transitioned back to school in smaller cohorts, meeting their remote classmates through virtual live sessions. They are showing great independence and teachers are making connections with both in-school and remote learners. I am really impressed with how everyone is managing all of the new health and safety protocols, especially with mask-wearing and social distancing.”
Donna Hayward, HKHS: “The best part of the first days at HKHS has been how happy the school community is to see each other. Students have been incredibly positive about the safety measures in place to keep our school open. Despite the “distance,” Cougars are reconnecting and already settling in to learn.”
Here is the back to school 2020 Video of Reopening Photos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8nZUIHF5no&feature=youtu.be
