STAFF REPORT :::
Griffin-Spalding County School System Interim Superintendent Dr. Donald Warren has announced an alteration to the second semester of the 2020-2021 school year that will provide eight learning days for all in-person and remote learning students.
The eight days will be asynchronous – on alternating Fridays during the semester – on which all students in all grade levels will remain home rather than attending classes on campus. Students will participate in learning tasks at home on these days.
Teachers will communicate directly with students about their at-home tasks on these learning days that will occur Jan. 15, Jan. 29, Feb. 26, March 12, March 26, April 16, April 30 and May 14.
School officials cite challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic as the basis for this schedule change.
The purpose of this decision is to allow more planning time for teachers who will be teaching both in-person students and at-home remote students, simultaneously. The additional planning days will allow teachers to
work at school to prepare effective simultaneous lessons, give feedback on student assignments and create other teaching materials, with no students in the building.
These planning days will also be utilized for additional cleaning in schools’ common areas.
On every Thursday that precedes an asynchronous learning Friday, school nutrition staff will send home to-go meals with in-person learning students to be eaten for breakfast and lunch on Friday.
Meals for remote learning students will continue to be available for pickup from 1 to 2 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at each school’s bus ramp.
Additionally, there will be changes for the attendance requirements for our remote learners for the second semester, starting on January 6, 2021. Attendance and engagement are important for student success. These changes include attendance being taken daily for both remote and in-person learning; remote learners will be expected to participate in live instruction in each of their classes; and remote learners will be marked present if they attend the live Google Meets instructional sessions that are identified in their Remote Learning Schedule for their classes.
If a student is unable to participate in their live Google Meets instructional sessions, the parent or student must contact the child’s teacher to view the recordings and submit completed work for attendance Being marked present is tied to attendance, not grades.
Parents and guardians are asked to review the amended 2020-2021 calendar, the second semester attendance guidelines and the second semester COVID-19 prevention strategies and practices guidelines at the below links.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RkEfwBdyDg4IcYtHWLtzZ3xgql3ci5vd/view
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ITiZpwrBKeF7QTicVMZzm0sdUmr-PCiT/view
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jLyB5hnY1CxAoUZLRzAbSvIqFnEuRsEf/view
Please consider financially supporting The GRIP.
The news you find in The GRIP is free for all. You’ll never be hindered by a paywall or limited to only a few articles each month. That’s because knowledge CANNOT be a commodity available only to those with the ability to purchase it.
While the news will always be free for all, it is far from free to produce. That’s why The GRIP needs your support.
Your support will enable The GRIP to continue to provide relevant news in your community and beyond. It’s quick and painless. Just click this link: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=16902623
All support will be greatly appreciated, whether a small one-time donation or recurring monthly gift.
Thank you!
