The Core
August 14, 2020, Volume 11, Summer Edition 3
Principal's Notes
Dear Parents,
Budget - Yay, the budget passed! We are so excited and relieved. Hiring two teachers will bring down all class size in grades K-4 to under 20 students (4th & 5th grades: approximately 20-22). We will also have a literacy teacher and instructional coach. We're off and running looking for just-right teaching candidates for Orchard School. If you check the voting results you will see that District 7-1 (Orchard neighborhoods) carried the day! Special thank you to our families for supporting our schools.
Re-Opening - We are moving forward to school re-opening, and please know we are making exceptional health and safety steps to get us prepped safely, healthy and ready to go. I am sure more information will be coming forward very soon from the superintendent's office. Please look for information regarding the hybrid model, the school calendar and schedule for the first week of school. Also look out for information on regional childcare options.
Update: We are planning a Town Hall Meeting for early next week. The details are being worked through but most likely be pre-taped. If you are interested in watching/participating, please feel fee to submit a question. Here is a link to the a survey to ask a question: https://forms.gle/WQ1v4sEV4roeW8xMA.
Our team will do our best to respond. We will answer questions Monday afternoon and send the video link out Tuesday!
Kindergarten parents - hold on! We are reaching out and working on ways to welcome our newest learners to Orchard School.
Don't forget to complete the Options Survey, especially if you are pursuing the Remote Learning with the Vermont Virtual Learning Collaborative. Enrollment for VTVLC closes this weekend. See the options below and here is the link: https://forms.gle/sSFQkHTYzs2Tn44SA.
We are finalizing the hardships requests asap and then will begin looking at class lists. Though we are still hiring, we hope to announce our teaching staff to you very soon.
Agh! It's already mid-August! Stay safe, stay well, and take some time to read with your child.
Mark Trifilio
The Below is a Draft of the Weekly Schedule
Option 1: The Hybrid Model
South Burlington students attend school in person at our elementary schools, on either Monday & Tuesday or Thursday & Friday, and engage with remote learning during the rest of the week from home. The first letter of the youngest child's last name (A-K on Monday-Tuesday and L-Z on Thursday-Friday) indicates which cohort all students in the family will attend.
Remote lessons will be prepared by teachers and the work reviewed when students are class. By dividing each class into two cohorts, all schools will be able to conduct in-person learning with physical distancing. Other pro-active steps are being taken to maximize everyone's health and safety.
Wednesday mornings will be the time that teachers follow up with students with targeted support for online learning and to check in as needed. On Wednesday afternoons, teachers will be engaged in professional learning, collaboration, and planning for online instruction.
During Hybrid Learning, students who need special accommodations in order to access their education will continue through our IEP or 504 Plan processes. Through this process, a team will meet to identify the supports and accommodations needed for the student to be successful in this model.
There is a hardship waiver request for all families who may need to change their cohort due to work and childcare. Here is a link to the hardship request: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfcC200eF6GJKhA71v9H9sSaJPQlQN8vsDK0YozR2KIzy10kQ/viewform
Option 2: Remote Learning with the Vermont Virtual Learning Cooperative (VTVLC)
For families who cannot send their children to school during the pandemic, students would participate in this 5-day, online option. Students are assigned to a virtual class that may include students from South Burlington as well as neighboring districts. VTVLC prioritizes assigning students to an online teacher from their local district whenever possible; however, students may be in classes with a teacher and students who are not from South Burlington (though all teachers and students are from Vermont). Students participating in this fully remote program are still enrolled as students in South Burlington School District and can access support from our staff (e.g., guidance counselors and special educators) and co-curricular opportunities.
VTVLC is a well established online program where many Vermont high school students have taken high-quality online courses for over a decade. With the coronavirus crisis, VTVLC has partnered with the Vermont Agency of Education to provide a full-time online option for students of all ages with instruction from licensed Vermont teachers who already have or are working towards their Online Teaching endorsement. The program is a combination of asynchronous and synchronous learning offered through Canvas, an online learning platform. The k-5 curriculum is designed to be engaging for online learning and is based on online elementary program from Florida.
Students participating in VTVLC will be enrolled for a MINIMUM OF ONE SEMESTER with the option of returning to the Hybrid Model, if they choose to, at that time.
Students who need special accommodations in order to access their education will continue through our IEP or 504 Plan processes and work with South Burlington special educators from their school. Through this process, a team will meet to identify the supports and accommodations needed for the student to be successful in this model.
Option 3: Home Study
Families also have the option of homeschooling their child, however, this removes the child from enrollment in the South Burlington School District. The homeschooling option also requires parents & guardians to file an application to change their child’s enrollment status and follow related guidelines from the VT Agency of Education. Parents should contact the Agency of Education if they want to explore teaching their children. Here is a link to the Vermont AoE's website on Home Study:
https://education.vermont.gov/vermont-schools/school-operations/home-study Update from the PTO
Please respond to the following three question survey about whether your family would like to be included in the Orchard directory this year.
Here is the link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2L8ZWMV
