REGION – As area schools prepare to open their doors Sept. 8, surrounding supervisory unions have begun communicating with parents and community members on opening details. Each of the local supervisory union has created a unique hybrid educational plan based on input from local parents and administrators. Plan details are available on the supervisory union websites or sometimes from the schools themselves.
Two Rivers Supervisory Union, which governs Cavendish Town Elementary, Chester-Andover Elementary, Ludlow Elementary, Mount Holly Elementary, and Green Mountain Union High School has developed a plan for four in-person instructional days and one remote education day on Wednesdays with teachers via Zoom. The TRSU has released detailed Covid-19 handbooks for the elementary schools and GMUHS. The handbooks outline bussing procedures, face covering mandates, health check procedures, as well as detailed entry point and exit plans for each building. There are also specifics on procedures if a child is ill and other in-depth details for lunch, recess, cleaning, social distancing, and outdoor learning. Those handbooks can be found on the TRSU website page at www.trsu.org.
Windham Northeast Supervisory Union, which oversees Central Elementary, Grafton Elementary, Saxtons River Elementary, Westminster Center School, Bellows Falls Middle School, and Bellows Falls Union High School, has issued a Fall 2020 School Reentry Plan. The plan includes a hybrid schedule with half the student population attending in-person Monday and Tuesday, and the other half attending Thursday and Friday. Wednesdays will be a fully remote day in cooperation with Vermont Virtual Learning Cooperative. Their extensive Reentry Plan also outlines all health screening procedures, transportation, classroom and building sanitization expectations, meals, and details their full schedule and remote access details, and can be found at www.wnesu.org under “News.”
Springfield School District 56, which includes Elm Hill School, Union Street School, Riverside Middle School, and Springfield High School, is implementing a hybrid schedule with half their students attending on Monday and Tuesday and the other half attending Thursday and Friday, all remote on Wednesday. All remote learning is using their internal resources. The district has sent out communication directly to parents with their reopening procedures that include all health safety precautions including transportation, health check in, and all other health and safety details. Entry and pick up procedures were sent out by individual schools. New information including bus schedules is being sent out this week. Those details are not currently published on the district website. For specific information, contact the individual schools.
Windham Central Supervisory Union, which includes seven elementary schools as well as Leland & Gray Union High School, has several schools starting with remote instruction only including Leland & Gray. A few of their schools are starting Sept. 8 with a hybrid model. The Supervisory Union at www.windhamcentral.org has posted WCSU Family Handbook on the Covid-19 Response page, which outlines all the health and safety guidelines for reopening.
According to administrators at Leland & Gray, once remote instruction has begun initially, they will consider implementing a hybrid model in the future, date not determined, which will likely include half the student population attending on Monday and Tuesday, the other half on Thursday and Friday, with Wednesdays being completely remote. Those details will be communicated to parents once determined.
Fall Mountain Regional School District, overseeing Acworth Center School, Alstead Primary School, Sarah Porter School, Vilas Middle School, Charlestown Primary and Middle Schools, North Charlestown Community School, North Walpole School, and Walpole Elementary, and Fall Mountain Regional High School, has structured their hybrid-learning schedule into three different models for Pre-K through grade 4, grades 5-8, and grades 9-12. Students are split into two groups, with half attending in-person or remotely every other day and Friday being a personalized learning remote day for grades 5-12. Remote instruction may also include cooperation with Virtual Learning Academy Charter School, an online school available tuition-free to K-12 students in New Hampshire. For more details, including Covid-19 safety information, visit their website at www.sau60.org.