Learning at Home
Tips and tricks from Elyria City School District
Dear families...
I hope this message finds you safe and well and enjoying the crisp fall air and the beautiful colors of the season.
I would like to again thank you for all you are doing to support learning at home.
I also want to acknowledge the exceptional work of our teachers and staff.
Every day they are finding new and creative ways to connect with their students online and in-person. There is still magic happening in our schools despite the strangeness of the times.
It's been especially rewarding to me as superintendent to see first-hand the fantastic efforts of our teaching and support staff in both the hybrid and virtual educational models.
I've been doing a few virtual "pop-ins" as teachers are holding lessons online and I'm thoroughly impressed with the interaction and genuine fun I'm seeing in the day-to-day teacher-student interactions.
We're certainly aware, too, of the hurdles that come with learning online but we're finding our way and improving our strategies and processes every day.
We hope that through district and individual school mailings, you're feeling well informed and involved in the happenings of your school.
In the news lately is the increasing concern of medical experts with the COVID-19 pandemic.
This presents ongoing challenges in the school environment but I want to assure you we're taking many precautions to limit the spread of illness, including enforcing a face-covering policy and social distancing when possible.
As you know, our current structure offers both in-person and virtual learning. This model as is will continue at least through the first semester unless COVID-19 cases rise to a level that would require us to move to a full virtual model.
We will keep you apprised of any developments or changes to our current plan should that occur.
We continue to work daily with Lorain County Public Health to monitor the virus in our community and specifically, in our school community.
As you know, we were notified recently of two separate positive cases of COVID-19.
When this happens anywhere in the district, we notify all students and staff of the impacted schools.
If an individual is closely connected to a classroom that has a confirmed case of COVID-19 we will send a letter home to those individuals from the health department that explains the department's contact tracing process and next steps, if any. The health department will directly notify anyone who is determined to be a close contact.
We ask families to continue reinforcing good health practices at home and at school, and to monitor their child's overall health and wellness daily.
Families are asked to keep students home from school if they are experiencing any symptoms of illness and to notify their child's school as soon as possible if someone in the home tests positive for COVID-19 or is designated as a close contact.
Our highest priority is student and staff safety and our best avenue to ensuring this is open and honest communication.
As always we welcome your feedback and comments at mailto:ask@elyriaschools.org and we thank you again for your patience, partnership and support.
Sincerely,
Ann Schloss
Superintendent
School calendar changes adjust for days off
The 2020-21 school calendar is seeing some modifications to account for holidays and previously scheduled "no-school" days in November and December.
Please click on the calendar image to see a color-coded break-down of these changes. Cohort A is shown in red and Cohort B is shown in blue.
NOVEMBER 2020
On Monday, Nov 9, schools are closed for a staff professional day.
To make up for lost instruction time, students in the Monday-Tuesday Cohort A group will attend school on Tuesday, Nov. 10, and also on Wednesday, Nov. 11.
Students in the Thursday-Friday Cohort B group will see no changes that week.
Also in November, schools are closed for Thanksgiving on Wednesday, Nov. 25, through Friday, Nov. 27.
The week of Nov. 23, Cohort A students will attend school on Monday, Nov. 23, as Cohort B students learn from home.
They will switch schedules the next day so that Cohort B students attend school on Tuesday, Nov. 24, while Cohort A students learn from home.
DECEMBER 2020
All schools are closed for winter break on Dec. 24 through Jan. 1.
Cohort A will attend school on Monday, Dec. 21, and learn from home on Tuesday, Dec. 22.
Cohort B will learn from home on Monday, Dec. 21, and attend school on Tuesday, Dec. 22.
Wednesday, Dec. 23, remains a learn-at-home day for all students.
School resumes for students on Monday, January 4, 2021.
The district will continue to review the calendar and make adjustments where possible to accommodate additional learning opportunities in January and beyond if necessary.
Please be assured students and parents will be notified of any calendar changes as soon as possible so they can coordinate their schedules.
Finished work? Turn it in!
Whether learning in person or at home, assignments must be turned in to be counted.
All assignments in school and in Google Classroom are factored into what eventually is the grade earned and reflected on your child's report card. It's imperative that students turn their work in when it's complete.
Parents can regularly follow their student's progress through the parent portal of Powerschool. If you believe your student is missing assignments, please follow up with your student's teacher.
Google Classroom help and parent night
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
Parent Night
Academic Services is offering a parent night, Oct. 28, 6:15-7:15 p.m., for in-person training and help on the Google suite of tools students are using daily for home learning, including Google Classroom and Google Meet.
Registration for this event is required. Please click here to attend.
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.
News from LCPH: COVID-19 cases in children and teens
Lorain County Public Health (LCPH) has seen an increase in positive COVID-19 tests, including among children and teenagers.
The health department said this hasn't resulted in the virus spreading through schools because schools, teachers and coaches are doing a good job keeping barriers in place in the school setting.
Where individuals are letting their guard down, however, is before and after school, according to LCPH Commissioner Dave Covell.
Some recent cases in Lorain County have been attributed to sleepovers, unmasked carpooling, and sharing personal items, like water bottles, during social situations.
Parents are asked to remind children to keep as many barriers as possible between themselves and COVID-19.
For example, if children must carpool, have them wear masks during the drive and use hand sanitizer before and after to help reduce the spread of illness.
“It’s critical that parents talk to their children and together come up with ways on how to stay socially responsible,” said Covell. “Teenagers want to keep their friends, teammates and coworkers safe. They don’t want to miss out on sports and other favorite activities. Continuing safety measures will become even more important as we begin the winter months."
The health department reminds us that anyone in close contact with a positive case must stay home (quarantine) for 14 days to avoid the possibility of spreading the virus to others.
"Close contacts" always include people who live with a person who is positive for COVID-19.
For example, if a college student who tested positive for COVID-19 returns to the family home to recover, all persons staying in that home will need to quarantine for 14 days.
For local COVID-19 data, including school-related data, visit LorainCountyHealth.com/data.
Drivethrough Trick or Treat!
The event is sponsored by the Elyria High School Student Council and replaces the group's annual Trunk or Treat event.
The event is open to all elementary and middle school students.
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