Newly Implemented Snow Day Learning
Effective Immediately - March 17, 2023
Happy sunny Friday. We hope you all have taken a moment to bask in the recent sunshine and blue skies after what has been a very challenging last few weeks. We recognize families and students have been impacted by the loss of classroom time, and of course, no one understands the importance of education more than the team here at TTUSD.
This week, a group of TTUSD administrators and a board member convened a meeting with the Tahoe Truckee Education Association (TTEA) leadership, our local teacher's union, to collaborate on a short-term solution to provide learning opportunities for our students if we have additional snow days this school year. We are thrilled to notify you that both sides were eager to find a solution, and a trial agreement is going into effect immediately.
For the remainder of the school year, snow days will be considered a required school day from home for all students. It will be an asynchronous work day, which means teachers will provide instruction for students either in advance or by 10am that morning, and students will be required to complete the work for grading when applicable. There will be no live instruction from teachers. Students with power or internet issues can treat their inability to complete the work as a regular absence and will be provided an opportunity to complete their assignments once they return to school.
Learning will look different depending on the grade level, which is outlined below.
TK - 5th Grades
Teachers will send home packets of learning materials specific to their grades this afternoon. These will only be used if we experience weather impacts next week and must call a snow day. Additionally, some teachers may utilize online platforms like Seesaw and Google Classroom. They will notify families if that is the case for next week.
Moving forward, teachers will prepare appropriate snow day work that best suits their class in the form of printed materials and/or online platforms.
6th - 12th Grades
Teachers will post assignments on Google Classroom by 10am for their students.
Students must complete the work by the assigned deadline for grading purposes.
Special Education - Preschool, Special Programs, and Related Services
Teachers and Service Providers are working to develop individualized activities and services that align with your child’s IEP.
Services not provided will be made up during a regular school day between now and the end of June.
We understand families have a lot going on during snow days and are trying to balance their own schedules impacted by the weather in addition to assisting their learners. Please know assignments should take no more than 50% of students’ regular class time and will be at the appropriate instructional difficulty level for students to complete independently.
As a reminder, we cannot officially offer distance learning as mandated by the state of California. The ability to offer virtual learning was discontinued in June 2021. However, due to the unusually large number of snow days this year, we feel it is crucial to continue engaging our students in meaningful learning, even if it won’t officially count as a school day by the state.
Please know this is our short-term trial solution. We will be gathering feedback from families, students, and teachers so we can refine and implement a long-term system for future years. Additionally, the District and TTEA Leadership will meet to discuss this feedback and explore long-term options to continue learning when a snow and smoke day is called. We will also research options to address learning loss for some of our students.
Once again, thank you for your patience, cooperation, and hard work over the past few weeks, as we’ve all experienced a difficult series of storms. Our community has certainly felt the effects and is still dealing with the aftermath. We will continue to provide TTUSD students with both academic and social-emotional support, as they are at the root of our mission every single day.