OPS RTL Update
July 28, 2020
Supt. Haase's Weekly Update
Good afternoon, Otsego families,
We are looking forward to welcoming our students and staff back in less than five weeks as our first day of school will be August 24th. On July 14th, we released Otsego’s Return to Learn plans, which provides families two options - the OPS Hybrid Learning Plan and a virtual learning option through Virtual Academy of Allegan County (VAAC).
We know you’ve had a lot to think about as we begin another unprecedented time in education. We want you to know that we have been working hard and been very thoughtful about our return to school. Our plans have been developed with stakeholders and guidance from Michigan’s Return to School Roadmap and Allegan County Health Department with student and staff safety at the forefront.
Our Hybrid Learning Plan allows students to attend in-person classes two days a week and learn remotely three days a week. This allows us to bring our students back to the classroom, while keeping the health and safety of our students as the top priority. As we form groups, households will be placed in the same group.
We know there are families that are not comfortable with sending their students back to school because of health concerns. Therefore, we will provide a virtual learning option, the Virtual Academy of Allegan County. This online platform will allow students to remain Otsego students and transition back at trimester, if needed. The Virtual Academy of Allegan County will be holding a virtual parent meeting in the near future. I have attached a link to their website, which will have the link to the meeting.
As we continue to plan for our first day, we need your assistance in selecting the best option for each student in your household. Please use the following link to complete the selection form. Please make your selection by next Tuesday. If for some reason your family needs to make a change prior to the start of the school year, Otsego Public Schools will work with you.
Currently, our region is in Phase 4, so our Hybrid Plan will be our learning plans during this phase. If our region moves into Phase 5, then we’ll transition back to full face-to-face learning by following the Highly Recommended protocols in Michigan’s Return to School Roadmap.
We are continuing to update our Return to Learn web page which contains the latest information we have on returning to school. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me or our Return to Learn email at returntolearn@otsegops.org. We will continue to provide an update each Tuesday afternoon. Thank you for your support.
Sincerely,
Jeffery S. Haase, Superintendent
Otsego Public Schools
Click on the form below to make your selection
Childcare Needs for Hybrid Learning Plan
We are launching a new program specifically for students to enroll into for their remote learning days on the Hybrid Learning Plan - CARES (Childcare Assistance Response and Enrichment Service). We anticipate being able to offer this day-long care to 50 students at each elementary building.
Knowing this is still a “school day”, this program aims to provide the supervision parents need, but the setting that students will need to perform their schoolwork and connect with their classroom. Costs will depend on the number of students who enroll, but we anticipate the cost being $35/day per child or $5/hour.
To help us plan staffing and space, please fill out the survey below.
Otsego Public Schools
Email: returntolearn@otsegops.org
Website: otsegops.org
Location: 400 Sherwood St, Otsego, MI, USA
Phone: 269-694-7900
Facebook: facebook.com/otsegops
Twitter: @otsegoschools