PIRATE PRESS
PHS Fall Update #1
Phoenix High School
Principal Walker
Greetings PHS Students and Families,
I hope you and your family are well and looking forward to the upcoming school year. Although this year will be starting much differently, I find myself just as excited to take the new journey with all of you.
The last few months have been challenging and unchartered waters for many of us. We sincerely appreciate your patience and support as we have had to drastically change how we conduct our regular business of educating students. The Oregon Department of Education and Oregon Health Authority continues to work with school districts to develop school plans for September.
Phoenix High School has had a team of 17 staff members working on our plan. Although we still have many details to get worked out and there will likely be changes between now and September, we wanted to provide students and families with an update. As the district shared in a previous communication, 9th-12th grade will be full Comprehensive Distance Learning for the first quarter (until November 9th). Once we can bring students back on-campus, we will be a Hybrid Model with students being on-campus at PHS for two days and off-campus for three days participating in distance learning.
One of the biggest challenges we are working through is creating a schedule that will allow us to transition between two different models once Jackson County meets the threshold/metric set in place by Governor Brown. We are also faced with the maximum cohort size of no more than 100 students once we can go to the Hybrid Model. This means that during the in-person school days, students can’t come into contact with more than 100 different students. With a school of almost 700 and our traditional schedule of seven different class periods, this creates some challenges, but none that we can’t overcome. Our team has done a fantastic job and created a plan that overcomes these challenges and many others.
School will look different in the fall, but the Pirates are prepared for unchartered waters, and we know that we can create a system that is the best possible solution for the situation we are facing. There are probably still many questions and concerns, but please rest assured that we will continue to communicate with you as we get more information and guidance for ODE and OHA. Our next communication with students and families will be no later than Wednesday, August 19th.
Below you will find other pertinent information that I hope will provide more clarity.
Thanks so much for your support and patience!
It’s a Great Day to Be A Pirate!
Student Schedules
This year we will need to transition to a 4x4 block schedule to accommodate the Comprehensive Distance Learning and the Hybrid Model.
Students will take two (2) core/required classes and two (2) elective classes.
Students will also have an Advisory Class period that meets on Wednesdays.
Students can earn .50 credits for each class every 9-weeks--(this is due to the increased time/longer class periods spent on fewer classes). Advisory is .25 per 9-weeks
Semester courses will be awarded 1.0 credits
Example-- (1) Semester of English equals 1.0 credits
Students will change elective courses at the quarter (9 weeks).
Students will change core/required courses at the semester (18 weeks).
Due to the cohort size of a maximum of 100 and staffing restrictions, unfortunately, students will not have access to all of our electives.
Soon we will send out a survey to all students and families asking students to select up to (4) electives so we can try and get them (2) that they have requested. From this information, we will be able to rebuild student schedules and share that information.
Student Schedule Example
9th Grade- We have moved the PE requirement for 9th Grade to the next school year or second semester this year at the earliest.
Frequently Asked Questions
When will we get more details about the Comprehensive Distance Learning Plan?
We are still in the planning process of the Distance Learning Plan and we are working to finalize details. Our goal is to have this plan communicated to students and families no later than Friday, August 28th.
What about Registration?
We will not hold an in-person registration event this year. We will create student schedules based on their requests, cohort requirements, and available staffing.
All families need to online register ASAP.
When will students get their schedules?
Students will need to complete a Google Survey ranking their top elective choices. These surveys will go out soon.
Students will receive their individual schedules no later than Friday, August 28th.
How will students be graded this school year?
We will utilize our traditional grading system of A-F
If students do not earn an A, B, C, or D, they will not receive credit and will have to make it up.
What about AP Courses?
We are committed to offering the full menu of AP courses for our students. Our AP teachers will be working with the colleges to ensure that we are meeting the requirements.
What about Sports and Other Extra-Curricular Activities?
Last week the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA) released guidance for the 2020-2021 school year. Fall sports have been moved to March and April. Winter sports will begin in late December, followed by the fall season and then spring sports in May and June. We’ll utilize the fall months to help prepare our student-athletes for their upcoming seasons, either through in-person sessions or virtually (based off of state requirements). We’ll also work with our various activities and clubs to have opportunities during the fall and throughout the school year. The OSAA’s press release can be found here