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superintendent's updates

School Reopening Update 8-26-2020

8/26/2020

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Dear North Smithfield Families and Staff, 

During the Tuesday, August 18th, School Committee Meeting (https://youtu.be/xDKkf7xOc3Y), I made a number of recommendations regarding school reopening.  I want to take this opportunity to reiterate and expand upon my recommendations. 

School Reopening Recommendations

Districts in the state have begun to announce a return to school under full Distance Learning as well as a variety of other models.  At this time, we firmly believe that some in-person learning is preferable to none.  At Tuesday’s School Committee Meeting, I recommended to the North Smithfield Schools that we conduct a “soft” reopening under the Hybrid Model for all students in PK-12. 

  • A full Distance Learning option will be available for students with pre-existing medical conditions and for families who choose it.
  • Students attend school on a Hybrid Schedule: 2 days in person, 3 days Distance Learning.
  • Monday is a Distance Learning day for all students with weekly planning and individualized or small group instruction/academic assistance.
    • Student Cohort 1 (A-L) - Tues/Wed in person, Thurs/Fri Distance Learning.
    • Student Cohort 2 (M-Z) - Tues/Wed Distance Learning, Thurs/Fri in-person.
    • Students with different last names within a household can be part of the same Cohort
  • Pre-Kindergarten special education/peer model students and students in self-contained special education classrooms may attend classes full-in person 4 days to week (even during the Hybrid Model phase-in) with a goal of attending 5 days per week.

With an anticipated 20% of our students choosing a full Distance Learning option and with 40% of our students in person between Tuesday - Friday we can:

  • Better ensure transportation to students who need to ride the bus as the bus capacity is capped at 36 students.
  • Maintain 6 feet of social distancing within classrooms.
  • Better manage breakfast and lunch services within reduced-occupancy cafeterias.
  • Better manage arrival and dismissals, passing times, bathroom breaks, and other group coordinated activities. 

Under a full reopening model, at this time, we cannot guarantee that everyone who needs a seat on the bus will have a seat. Under a full reopening model, we cannot maintain 6 feet of social distancing in classrooms, students will sit in rows with masks on, facing forward, with limited movement and conversation. 

We want the schools to be open and social, less restrictive and prison-like which will be difficult to achieve under a full reopening model. 

We will need the first few weeks to get everyone used to new processes and routines and to tune and refine.  After a few weeks, we will assess the conditions in the schools, community, and the state, and  ideally move towards a fuller opening, remain on hybrid, or shift towards Distance Learning. 

I understand the need to reopen fully and, virus permitting, that is definitely our goal, especially for our elementary students and students with special needs. 

Staffing Concerns and Early Student Dismissal

At the School Committee Meeting, I expressed concerns about staffing due to the Department of Health requirements for all employers in all industries to permit employees to stay home if they are sick.  Across the state, superintendents are anticipating that with general illnesses, staff going in and out of quarantine, and the general lack of substitute teachers, we will have difficulty keeping our classrooms fully staffed. 

North Smithfield has an option that many schools do not have. We have one of the longest school days among public schools in the state. Our school day is closer in length to private, parochial, and some charter schools. 

The school day will be reduced for students by 45 minutes. This move will allow our teachers to provide class coverage during the day to offset the anticipated lack of substitute teacher availability and create time at the end of the day to better support the mix of student in-person and Distance Learning needs.


I do understand the disruption in family schedules that reducing the student school day by 45 minutes will create for some. We have not committed to this solution but are strongly considering it. We will know more when the Governor makes her school reopening announcement on August 31st. 

Distance Learning

Whether families choose full Distance Learning, or Distance Learning as part of the Hybrid Model, or Distance Learning is necessitated due to quarantine, it will look different than it did last year.  Our Distance Learning delivery will be:

  • More structured. 
  • More rigorous and focused on mastery of core standards,
  • More social and connected where teachers can work simultaneously with students at home and in-person. Students at home can join lessons from the classroom and work on activities among each other and with classmates in-school. 
  • Technologically has improved through the purchase of new Chromebooks for all students at NSMS and NSHS, reallocation of additional Chromebooks to NSES, along with licensing a set of core online academic services and learning platforms for access by all students. 

A separate email/form will be going out allowing parents who indicated they were interested in a Distance Learning option to reconsider as well as families who did not sign up for Distance Learning to add their student’s names. 

Facilities Update

In addition to general summer cleaning and maintenance, our Facilities Department is preparing for school reopening. 

Of note, the Rhode Island Departments of Education and Department of Health recommended at the beginning of the summer that schools install plexiglass student partitions in classrooms. Our focus instead was to tune, service, and upgrade our HVAC system controls and unit ventilators. Last week, new guidance to districts and schools advised not to spend money on plexiglas partitions and instead improve school and classroom ventilation. North Smithfield again was ahead of the game. 

Here is a brief list of some of our projects and purchases: 

  • All custodial and maintenance staff have been trained and certified for Covid-19 cleaning procedures
  • All high school, middle school and elementary school unit ventilators are operable and have been cleaned, serviced and filters changed (ongoing)
  • Every classroom will have hand sanitizer, disinfectant spray and a paper towel dispenser
  • Purchased 3 GenEon mist disinfectant sprayers
  • Purchased 1000 disposable children face masks and 1000 adult masks
  • Purchased 150 gallons of hand sanitizer
  • Purchased 225 disinfectant refillable spray bottles
  • Purchased 150 paper towel dispensers
  • Purchased 25 cases latex gloves
  • Purchased 100 teacher face shields
  • Proper signage (one way, 6 feet apart, hand washing, etc) will be installed before the opening of school
  • All classrooms and offices will go through another round of cleaning and disinfecting before opening of school
  • The new HVAC controls project for the elementary has begun and is expected to be completed by 9/14 or shortly after.
  • The unit vents are operable and will be operable for the 1st day of school.
  • The HVAC re-commissioning of the middle school began on 8/20 and will be completed by the end of September
  • All classrooms have operable windows 
  • An additional outdoor walking path has been installed at the elementary school for students to pass to the cafeteria and the gym to help ease crowding in halls
  • All classrooms in the elementary school have been painted, new ceiling tiles, new and renovated bookcases and new LED lighting throughout the entire building
  • All ceiling tiles in corridors have been replaced at the elementary school
  • New water bottle filler dispensers installed at the elementary, middle and high schools
  • High school kitchen has been renovated (paint and ceiling tiles) 
  • High school boys locker rooms are currently under renovation (completion by end of September)
  • High school girls locker room painted
  • High school window replacement phase to begin in September and completed by end of October

Our teachers and staff desperately want to reopen and welcome all students back, but given budgetary constraints, restrictions in busing and gatherings, taking extra health and safety precautions, accommodating the mix of in-person and Distance Learning needs, everything this year will be a balancing act like we have never seen before.  



Michael St. Jean,
Superintendent

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School Reopening Update 8-11-2020

8/12/2020

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Dear North Smithfield Families and Staff, 

We remain in a holding pattern as to the specifics of school reopening. Again I wish I could give you specific information, but I can’t. Many of you probably have heard by now that school opening in Rhode Island will be delayed. 

Message From Rhode Island’s Commissioner of Education: 
 
In addition to the standard educational preparation you do each year, there are a number of complex operational and logistical challenges we are all tackling this year. These include preparing our buildings for appropriate safety measures, developing and practicing all-new classroom practices for staff and students, pressure-testing our transportation plans, implementing COVID testing and response protocols, and more. In light of these challenges and after listening closely to your concerns, I am sharing the following 2020-21 school year calendar adjustments with you:
 
  • To ensure we are as ready as possible on day one, we are scheduling three days of professional development for our teachers from September 9-11.
  • We are adjusting the first day of classes for students to Monday, September 14.  We are adjusting the end of the school year to June 25, 2021, scheduling 177 days of instruction for students, while maintaining 180 school days for teachers. I am attaching a copy of the revised statewide calendar reflecting these changes.
  • As a result of these adjustments, our timeframe for making a decision on school reopening scenarios will move to the week of August 31.

Distance Learning

For those that filled out our Distance Learning Intent form, thank you. We know this decision depends on the timing, the state of infection, and the model under which we open. Everyone will be given the opportunity to add or remove students from the Distance Learning Intent List once we know what reopening will look like.

Here are the preliminary counts by grade:

KG - 15
01 - 16
02 - 31
03 - 29
04 - 36
05 - 24
06 - 39
07 - 29
08 - 42
09 - 26
10 - 21
11 - 33
12 - 18

For now we have an approximate count of students which will help immensely in shaping our instructional methods, busing, and the use of space in our schools and grounds. 

Last year, due to the suddenness of the change-over from in-person learning  to distance learning, we all experienced some inconsistencies and had to make adjustments. Our teachers have been reviewing their distance learning procedures from last year as well as taking input from students and parents and colleagues. 

For the coming year we are retooling our distance learning approach, making it more structured and rigorous, with a focus on teaching new content instead of skills reinforcement. We are approaching distance learning as a means to improve instruction for the long term and not as a temporary stop-gap measure. Now that we have these preliminary counts we can revise and prepare for publication our distance learning instructional plan.

This will be a delicate balancing act mixing in-person with distance learning, with many variations depending on the grade level, content area, and individual student needs. It is a challenge North Smithfield accepts and will rise to, but it will require a considerable amount of coordination and cooperation among all of us. 

PPE and Facilities

Our facilities department continues to improve our schools and classrooms and prepare for reopening and beyond:

  • We have purchased additional cleaning supplies, hand hygiene stations, masks, and more. We will be picking up additional supplies provided by the RI Emergency Management Agency. 
  • NSES: Work will  begin next week on the new HVAC control system upgrades. 
  • NSMS: Classroom and rooftop ventilators have been cleaned and serviced. We are receiving additional proposals to further assess and tune the control system.
  • NSHS: All classroom and rooftop ventilation units are scheduled to be cleaned and serviced. 
  • Our maintenance staff continues with classroom renovations at NSES, opening up floor space, painting walls, installing new ceiling tiles and high efficiency lighting.
  • We are assessing school grounds for use as outdoor instructional spaces. 

We will keep you informed as information comes in and plans are finalized. Until then your continued patience and understanding is appreciated. 



Michael St. Jean,
Superintendent


NSPS School Opening Website: 
https://www.nsps.us/reopening.html

Rhode Island School Reopening FAQ
https://www.ride.ri.gov/Portals/0/Uploads/Documents/COVID19/ReopeningFAQs.pdf?ver=2020-07-31-095926-290

Rhode Island Response Protocols Playbook: Pre-K to 12:
https://health.ri.gov/publications/presentations/Outbreak-Response-Protocols-PreK-12.pdf

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Superintendent update - School Reopening 8/4/2020

8/4/2020

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Dear North Smithfield Families, 

I wanted to update everyone on our very fluid reopening plans. Since my last letter to you, there have been several updates at the State level:

  1. Families can start the year with a Distance Learning option for all students, and not just for those with pre-existing medical conditions.  WE NEED TO KNOW HOW MANY FAMILIES ARE CHOOSING DISTANCE LEARNING TO BEGIN THE 20-21 SCHOOL YEAR. IF YOU ARE REQUESTING THIS OPTION, PLEASE INDICATE SO FOR EACH STUDENT IN YOUR HOUSEHOLD BY FILLING OUT THIS FORM    https://forms.gle/e3xiTsrFpdfaXij48
  2. Staff and students will be required to wear face coverings. https://www.ride.ri.gov/Portals/0/Uploads/Documents/COVID19/ReopeningFAQs.pdf?ver=2020-07-31-095926-290. We will try to achieve six feet of social distancing where possible and give opportunities for “mask breaks”
  3. The State has defined metrics that will determine the shape and scale of school reopening.  https://www.back2schoolri.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/7.29.20_SchoolMetricsSlide_FINAL.pdf. 
The Governor and Commissioner should be making their reopening decision on August 17th. Even with a decision, the models below are also subject to change. 

Distance Learning: Pre-Existing Medical, Quarantine, and Option

NSPS will offer a full Distance Learning option for students with pre-existing medical conditions and try to accommodate families who request the Distance Learning option. For this option, NSPS will require a Quarterly commitment to Distance Learning. Distance Learning will be provided to students who must temporarily quarantine. 

Grades K-5
  • Some teachers will be assigned to provide dedicated distance learning instruction.
  • Other teachers will support in-person students along with students who must temporarily quarantine. 

Grades 6-8
  • Some teachers may be assigned to provide distance learning instruction.
  • Some teachers may broadcast live lessons directly from the classroom while recording others for later playback. 

Grades 9-12
  • Some teachers may be assigned to provide distance learning instruction.
  • Some teachers may broadcast live lessons directly from the classroom while recording others for later playback. 
  • Some courses will be offered through the Edgenuity virtual curriculum platform. 
  • CTE and some elective courses may not be available under a distance learning option.  

Reopening Plan Revisions as 8/4/2020 

Splitting between in-person, full or partial models, accommodating distance learning for medical needs, or as an option, is going to seriously stretch our teachers and staff and resources, but we will do our best to accommodate the community’s needs and support our students as best as we can.  
Plan #1: Full In-Person
RIDE Definition:
  • Schools resume 100% in-person operations, with some social distancing protocols still required based on current health information
  • Distance learning is integrated with in-person programs & utilized as necessary

Summary
  • Grades PK-12 
    • A 100% Distance Learning option will be available for students with pre-existing medical conditions and to families who choose it.
    • In-person instruction will resume Monday - Friday.
 
  • Notes
    • Depending on DOH bus ridership restrictions and the number of students choosing Distance Learning, transportation could be a major obstacle.
    • Under this model, there will be limited capacity to socially distance in classrooms. 
    • The school day may be reduced for students by 45 minutes allowing teachers time to better support the mix of individual student in-person and distance learning needs and provide class coverage during the day to offset an anticipated lack of substitute teacher availability. 

Plan #2: Partial In-Person
RIDE Definition
  • Elementary and transition grades re-enter in-person (staggered entry preferred)
  • Prioritize in-person re-entry for vulnerable subpopulations
  • Remaining groups begin with Distance Learning

Summary

  • Grades PK-12 
    • A full Distance Learning option will be available for students with pre-existing medical conditions and for families who choose it.
 
  • Grades PK-5
    • Monday is a Distance Learning day for all students (individualized or small group instruction/academic assistance). 
    • Tuesday - Friday are in-person instruction days. 
    • Our goal will be to return to a 5-day in-person instructional schedule. 
 
  • Grades 6-12 
    • Students attend school on a Hybrid Schedule: 2 days in person, 3 days Distance Learning.
      • Monday is a Distance Learning day for all students (schools deep-cleaned, individualized or small group instruction/academic assistance).
      • Student Cohort 1 (A-L for example) - Tues/Wed in person, Thurs/Fri Distance Learning.
      • Student Cohort 2 (M-Z for example) - Tues/Wed Distance Learning, Thurs/Fri in-person.
      • Students with different last names within a household can be part of the same Cohort
  • Notes
    • RIDE prioritizes PK-5 students for in-person instruction but allows for hybrid A/B cohort schedules and Distance Learning at higher grade levels.  
    • The Hybrid A/B Cohort model will enable 6 feet of in-class social distancing for secondary grade levels. 
    • Under this model, depending on the number of families who choose a Distance Learning option, six feet of social distancing in K-5 classrooms may not be possible. 
    • 5th-grade students at the Middle School will be exposed to two cohorts of students. 
    • In this model bus transportation for NSES may be restricted. 
    • The school day may be reduced for students by 45 minutes allowing teachers time to better support the mix of individual student in-person and distance learning needs and provide class coverage during the day to offset an anticipated lack of substitute teacher availability. 

Plan #3: Limited In-Person
RIDE Definition
  • Elementary and transition grades re-enter in-person (staggered entry preferred)
  • Prioritize in-person re-entry for vulnerable subpopulations 
  • Remaining groups begin with Distance Learning

Summary
  • Grades PK-12 
    • A 100% Distance Learning option will be available for students with pre-existing medical conditions and families who choose it.
    • All students attend school on a Hybrid Schedule: 2 days in person, 3 days Distance Learning.
      • Monday is a Distance Learning day for all students (schools cleaned, individualized or small group instruction/academic assistance).
      • Student Cohort 1 (A-L, for example) - Tues/Wed in person, Thurs/Fri Distance Learning.
      • Student Cohort 2 (M-Z, for example) - Tues/Wed Distance Learning, Thurs/Fri in-person.
      • Students with different last names within a household can be part of the same Cohort
  • Notes
    • RIDE Limited In-Person guidance recommends that some grade levels will start the year and remain on 100% Distance Learning. NSPS believes that in-person interaction with teachers, even if limited, is preferable to 100% virtual and, unless community spread of the virus forces all schools into full Distance Learning, we will not put an entire grade level on Distance Learning.
    • Hybrid A/B Cohort model allows 6 feet of in-class social distancing at all elementary and secondary grade levels. 
    • Transportation issues alleviated.

As always, thank you all for your patience, understanding, and input as we try and pin down this moving target.



Michael St. Jean,
Superintendent

https://www.nsps.us/reopening.html
https://www.facebook.com/northsmithfieldschools/

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North Smithfield School Department
P.O. Box 72
​Slatersville, RI 02876 
P: (401) 769-5492      F: (401) 769-5493
Michael St. Jean, Superintendent
North Smithfield Middle School - ​Room 137
1850 Providence Pike
North Smithfield, RI  02896
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