On behalf of all of us at North, Happy Holidays! We hope you are able to enjoy the holiday break and time with family.

While navigating the next phase of this school year, we ask that secondary families/students be prepared to return to school with a potential change in the schedule. RPS has approved a hybrid model of instruction, which will provide an increase in face-to-face instruction and social/emotional benefits when compared to remote learning. Since you are familiar with the remote model, the purpose of this communication is to highlight what the hybrid schedule would look like for students. Please see the information below. Dr. Shibler will be communicating more information before we return to school in January. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at (616) 863-6300.

Rockford Public Schools prioritizes face-to-face instruction as the most advantageous educational setting to increase the academic and social/emotional learning of all students. After responding to the current COVID influence in our schools and community, we are adding a hybrid learning approach to our continuum of decision making to increase the level of face-to-face instruction when appropriate for our student population at the secondary level. Secondary student schedules include traveling from class to class which makes cohorting populations difficult. Hybrid scheduling does allow for a decrease of density in students in the classroom. Therefore, the secondary continuum is described below.

• Remote Learning –> Hybrid –> Face-to-Face (all students)

When using the hybrid instructional model as an alternative to remote learning and progressing toward full face-to-face learning, this arrangement offers educational benefits in the following areas:

• Personalized academic learning consistency and progression
• In-person socialization and interaction with peers and teachers
• Increased opportunity for academic and social/emotional assistance
• Predictability for school schedules/routines
• Increase social distancing to reduce close contacts and quarantine situations
• Student sense of belonging

It is the expectation that all students are learning for each of the five days in the week regardless of their physical environment.

Students are divided into two cohort groups (Black and Orange). Cohort Black will be composed of students with last names beginning with A-L. Cohort Orange will be composed of students with last names beginning with M-Z.

Cohort Black - Mon and Thu in person: Tue, Wed and Fri remote.

Cohort Orange - Tue and Fri in person: Mon, Wed and Thur remote.

All students will access Schoology, Google Drive and Microsoft One Drive for shared curriculum resources. Google Meet will be utilized for live-streaming between classroom and home. Students in sixth through eighth grade will utilize Chromebooks or laptops. Students in ninth through twelfth grade will utilize Chromebooks if a family is unable to provide their own device. Assistive technology will be provided to students who require it through identified IEPS/504’s. Textbooks and instructional materials that cannot be found online will be made available.

Teachers will use their identified intervention time within each hour every day to meet with students to differentiate learning, reteach content and support individual student academic and social/emotional needs.

Staff will reach out to students who are not participating to offer additional support and resources provided by the district. After connecting with a student, if a change is not seen, parents will be contacted via phone or email. Teachers will communicate with building support teams to further intervene as necessary.

Students will have 40 minutes of face to face intervention time throughout the week, in each class.

Students will be graded on classroom work using the standard grading scale and criteria communicated by the classroom teachers. Given that we are teaching and learning during a pandemic a balance of flexibility and accountability is encouraged.

Per past practice, buildings will use existing lists and/or continue to identify students that require assistance with connectivity issues.

studenthelp@rockfordschools.org