Wildcat Weekly
August 10, 2020
Our Promise
Every student in Dallas School District is known by name, strength, and need, and graduates ready for career, college, and community.
Yup! Another Great Opportunity!!!
Good people, I hope this finds you well!
I wanted to give you a quick update on the work we have been doing to prepare for our upcoming school year. As you probably know we will start out the school year using a comprehensive distance learning model. This will be different than it was in the spring with increased expectations for both students and teachers. Not only do we need to prepare for distance learning but also need to be prepared to quickly adjust when our metrics allow us to offer a hybrid system in which we begin to welcome kids back into the building and hopefully at some point for a full return to school.
I have relied upon a couple of teams this summer as we problem-solve and plan for this coming year. I love the creativity that our groups have and know one thing is for sure - it was obvious that whatever we did this past spring needed an overhaul for kids, staff, and community as a whole. Our greatest strength as a staff has been how we creatively work within the "the box" while ensuring our vision of creating thoughtful thinkers and doers.
Our work will obviously look different this fall. The rich experiences we are able to offer to our kids in a regular school year though not impossible will be difficult to provide due to access to one another as well as materials, equipment, and technologies students don't have access to at home. Instead, our energies will be most effective geared toward finding ways to bolster connection and give them a reason to continue to tune in to what we have to offer day after day until we get to have them back with us. Change is inevitable and we will take advantage of finding ways to provide meaningful experiences first through connecting with kids and by challenging them to learn at deeper levels.
We could get down and look at all that is lost this year and I feel it! We all take pride in watching our kids grow in the opportunities you offer and it’s sad that we, most likely, won’t be able to provide those soon. What we do have are creative people and an opportunity to try some things that will aid in our connections with kids, raise engagement and provide staff an opportunity to work together in teams creating amazing experiences for our kids. I challenge each of us to look past what we are familiar with and what we have always done, the classes you have taught, the resources you would rely upon. Your creativity and skill will be your greatest asset, and feel as though this might be a fun opportunity for us all!
I wish I could be more definitive about what role all of you will play this fall, but I suppose that is part of the excitement! What I can tell you is that it will stretch us and challenge us, it will require us to plan and prepare differently and it will require us to work closer in teams than perhaps we ever have before. I have a great deal of faith in our team and am looking forward to beginning our work together this year.
I am sure there will be a lot of questions and will field those as they come up. I appreciate you all and hope you have a restful break.
Take care!
Jamie
Canvas Learning Management System
Latest District Update
Update From Andy
7-28-20
Dear Dallas Students, Families, Staff and Community,
This letter contains very important information regarding the start of the school year. On July 27, 2020 The Oregon Department of Education responded to the threat of the virus with updated metrics regarding how we open our schools in the fall. We are continuing to see increased cases of COVID-19 in Polk County and the Dallas Community. The updated ODE guidance will require that all students across the state start school in the fall with Comprehensive Distance Learning, meaning that students will not attend school in person. While we know this is a tremendous loss for our students, staff, and community we believe this direction from ODE will help protect the safety and welfare of our students, educators and community. Rest assured, our plan for Comprehensive Distance Learning this fall will far surpass what you experienced this spring.
What to expect this fall:
Students will begin the school year in an online Comprehensive Distance Learning model that includes the Canvas learning management system. This enhanced method of lesson delivery will give our teachers the ability to create engaging lessons and interact more actively with students. When it is safe to do so, we will return to a hybrid system where students attend school for two days per week and access distance learning methods on the other three days. We must remain flexible and could be required to return to Comprehensive Distance Learning at any time in the school year by the Oregon Health Authority or Oregon Department of Education to help lower the spread of the virus.
When will we start hybrid learning in the building?
Following the guidance of OHA and ODE, we will begin evaluating transitioning to a hybrid learning model throughout the fall. You can expect the first quarter of learning through November 13th to be online comprehensive distance learning for all grades.
How will Comprehensive Distance Learning Be Different?
Our Comprehensive Distance Learning model will differ in many ways from what you experienced in the spring. Teachers and students will use Canvas learning management system to deliver online instruction, collaborate with students, and provide engaging lessons that are designed by Dallas School District teachers. Attendance will be taken this fall and grades will be assigned to students, as well as credits issued to high school students. We are committed to providing teacher facilitated rigorous instruction that will ensure our students have a defined path to graduation.
What about athletics and extra-curricular activities:
We will continue to follow the guidance from OSAA regarding activities for our students. For the latest updates from OSAA please go to the following website:
Support for students who need additional help:
Our hope is that we can offer students in addition to comprehensive distance learning targeted additional support when they need it. We understand that this support is critical for students who struggle with distance learning and for our youngest students who are learning to read and write. We will work collaboratively with ODE, OHA and local public health authorities following their guidance to support our students while maintaining a safe environment for our staff and students.
Upcoming dates to remember:
- August 6 – Community Zoom Forum to Update Families 6:00 pm. Use the following link for access: Community Forum Zoom Meeting Link
- September 8-11 – Guidance for families and training on the Canvas LMS
- September 14 – Comprehensive Distance Learning Begins K-12
- On-Going Fall 2020– Review guidance and metrics for transition to Hybrid system
- November 13 – End of Nine Week Grading Period. Letter grades issued 6-12.
Our Commitment to You:
We are all struggling with this news and want you to know that we are saddened that we will not return to school as anticipated. We know there are many unanswered questions and are updating the district website regularly. Please visit Dallas School District COVID-19 Updates for more information.
We miss our students and value the in-person learning experience that we will try to return to as soon as possible. Our goal is to communicate with you frequently as we move through the process with weekly updates by email and information posted to our Facebook account and website. Please feel free to reach out to us if you need assistance with anything at all.
Sincerely,
Andy Bellando
Interim Superintendent