Learning at Home
Tips and tricks from Elyria City School District
Dear families...
I hope this message finds you safe and well. Thank you for the many ways you’re working to support virtual and hybrid learning at home. Throughout these extraordinary times we’ve asked much of you—and we at Elyria Schools can’t express how grateful we are for your partnership.
As you know, the number of COVID-19 cases locally and nationally continues to escalate.
We’re working diligently to slow the spread of illness, using the safety measures we have in place. Our many teams are working to protect themselves from illness in their daily lives.
Despite this, staff and student absences are on the rise.
To be frank, it’s straining our workforce to where we cannot cover classes, nor count on reserve staffing to step in when absences occur.
To ensure that students continue learning, we will transition all students to the virtual learning education model after the Thanksgiving holiday and through the end of the first semester, which is Jan. 22, 2021.
(Please read through the end of this letter to the FAQs following for information on the schedule through Thanksgiving.)
We know there’s no way to replicate the actual school experience. Please know that we have done an exceptional job this year in the Elyria Schools Virtual Academy to create an online classroom for students learning at home.
In the virtual model, teachers teach and students learn in real-time.
The experience is deeply engaging and interactive.
Teachers in the hybrid model have also been working with students to learn the Google Classroom platform, allowing students to send and receive assignments online.
Remote learning (PK-8) will NOT change for students already enrolled in Virtual Academy.
Teachers, schedules and daily classroom log-ins and routines are the same.
Hybrid students (PK-8) will begin and end their school day as they do now, but they will attend class online four days a week: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
There are a few exceptions to this.
Elyria High School students will follow their established daily schedules and all instruction will be done virtually. This is because their classes are based on semesters (not quarters).
There are also nuances to the preschool and special education program that will be addressed in the Frequently Asked Questions below, which will also help address other topics that require further consideration (i.e., athletics and extracurricular programs).
We will continue to keep you informed through this process as decisions are made.
It’s our mission to get students back into classrooms in person as soon as it’s feasible. We will reassess circumstances before the start of second semester and communicate the plan accordingly.
Please note: The first semester ends Jan. 22, 2021. Second semester begins Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021.
Thank you,
Ann Schloss
Superintendent
Virtual learning FAQs
Q. Will in-person learning continue this week, Nov. 16-20?
Yes. Hybrid students will attend school this week according to their regular cohort schedule.
No changes for Virtual Academy students.
Q. Will students—hybrid and virtual—have classes on the two days prior to Thanksgiving: Nov. 23 and 24?
No. Students will not attend classes as originally planned on Nov. 23 and 24. Teachers and school staff use these days for transitioning to the virtual learning model.
Q. Will hybrid students attend in-person classes after Thanksgiving?
No. All students will begin learning from home using the district’s established virtual learning education model Nov. 30, 2020, through the remainder of the first semester, which ends January 22, 2021.
Q. My student already attends Virtual Academy. Will anything change for my student?
No. Students already enrolled in Virtual Academy will see no changes to their established schedules.
Q. What does this mean for students on the hybrid plan?
Students who are on the hybrid plan will learn from home using the Google Suite platform.
Teachers will provide students with the codes necessary to log-in to their virtual classrooms through Google Classroom.
Teaching and learning will take place remotely but in real-time by Elyria Schools teachers.
Attendance will be taken and assignments must be turned in using Google Classroom to receive grades.
Q. How will my hybrid student’s schedule change?
Hybrid students will start and end their school day the same times but PK-8 students will attend virtual classes four days per week: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. High school will continue to attend on their scheduled two days per week virtually.
Q. Why no classes on Wednesdays?
Wednesdays have been and will continue to be a day for “virtual office hours” with teachers as needed, and an opportunity for students to receive intervention and/or enrichment classes and to have Google meet-ups with teachers and classmates as necessary.
Q. What will the school day look like for hybrid students on the virtual learning plan?
- Elementary Cohort A and B combined: M, T, TH, F: 9:10 a.m. to 2:40 p.m.
- Middle School Cohort A and B combined: M, T, TH, F: 7:30 a.m. to 1:45 p.m.
- Elyria High School: 9 a.m. to 1:10 p.m. (core courses) NOTE: EHS students will attend virtually. Specific details will be sent later this week.
(Detailed schedules will be finalized and emailed to parents of all levels this week.)
Q. What about preschool?
Preschool students will attend virtually M, T, TH, F.
· AM classes will be held online from 9:10 to 11:40 a.m.
· PM classes will be held online from 12:40 to 3:10 p.m.
Q. How will special education services be delivered?
Students will attend virtual classes M, T, TH and F.
Special education services will be delivered virtually by your child’s intervention specialist. Your child’s intervention specialist will work with related services and classroom teachers on setting a schedule for services to be delivered.
Any questions regarding services should be directed to your child’s intervention specialist.
Q. Will the option be available to return to in-person learning second semester?
Our goal is to return to in-person learning in the second semester but this all hinges on the state of COVID-19 and our ability to staff classrooms appropriately. We will continue to assess the situation and communicate regularly with parents and caregivers.
Q. What about extracurricular activities?
We will provide further guidance on athletics this week.
Many club and other co-curricular programs will continue virtually and some in-person opportunities may be available but more information will come at a later date.
Q. What about school meals?
All students are eligible to receive free meals through the end of December.
Aramark foodservice distributes bagged meals on Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. from Elyria High School in the West Ave. parking lot. The bags of food have items to last multiple days, including snacks for breakfast, lunch and dinner items.
If you are unable to attend the pick-up time or have a transportation hardship, you can sign up to receive meals delivered to your home by emailing: elyriafoodservices@gmail.com. Please include your address, phone number and number of students under the age of 18 in the household.
Q. Will there be an opportunity to pick up my child’s personal items at school?
Yes. Information and details will be shared later this week.
Q. Who can we call if we have questions?
Please continue to communicate with your students’ teachers and with your school principal as needed through email. You can reach your staff members of Elyria Schools by emailing their last name first name at elyria schools dot org (for example: higginsamy@elyriaschools.org).
You can also contact us anytime with general inquiries at ask@elyriaschools.org.
Google Classroom help for parents
The Elyria Schools Academic Services team has created a library of online help tools for students and parents.
Check out these handy links:
Chromebooks: Log on, log off, troubleshoot
Google Classroom: how-to guide
Google Classroom slideshow and video
Tech Help
If you are experiencing technical issues with a Chromebook, the Elyria Schools IT department is here to help!
Please report the problem you're having to 440-253-0749. Be sure to leave a message describing the issue you're experiencing and your contact information for a return call.
Elyria City School District
Email: ask@elyriaschools.org
Website: www.elyriaschools.org
Location: 42101 Griswold Road, Elyria, OH, USA
Phone: 440-284-8000
Facebook: facebook.com/elyriacityschools
Twitter: @twitter_elyriaschools