Dr.
Walts
Pandemic
Update
-
In
my
pandemic
update
this
evening,
I
have
a
few
key
points
to
highlight,
I
will
then
turn
it
over
to
Associate
Superintendent
for
Student
Services
and
Special
Education,
Denise
Huebner,
and
Supervisor
of
Student
Health
Services,
Teresa
Polk,
to
provide
a
more
detailed
update.
-
I
would
like
to
begin
tonight
by
recognizing
the
significant
amount
of
work
that
has
been
accomplished
by
our
Office
of
Finance,
and
specifically
our
procurement
office
led
by
supervisor
Anthony
Crosby,
who
is
retiring
later
this
month.
-
I
received
the
following
from
Adam
Russo
our
Director,
Office
of
School
Food
&
Nutrition
Services,
regarding
the
support
of
this
office
-
and
I
quote,
"As
you
know,
our
team
has
served
more
than
7
Million
meals
to
meet
the
needs
of
our
community
during
this
pandemic.
There
have
been
some
challenges
and
recently
we
were
presented
with
a
new
one-
with
the
weather
turning
we
wanted
all-weather
jackets
to
increase
our
employee's
safety/comfort
during
distribution…
but
with
our
size,
all
purchases
take
time-
lots
of
time
usually!
Time
was
not
on
our
side
dealing
with
the
safety
and
comfort
of
our
employees
so
I
called
Tony
Crosby
and
told
him
the
problem
and
he
made
solutions.
His
words
-
quote
"I
love
what
the
team
is
accomplishing
for
our
kids
and
I
want
to
be
a
part
of
it…
I
got
this,
let
me
make
some
calls.
That
was
it
-
the
whole
call.
I
left
knowing
a
pro
cared
and
had
it
handled
and
I
don't
have
to
tell
you
what
a
relief
it
is
to
deal
with
pros!
I
cannot
articulate
how
much
it
means
to
have
so
many
people
working
in
our
Division
who
care
for
those
we
serve.
Big
shout
out
to
Tony
and
the
crew-
I
know
the
Division
will
surely
miss
his
servant
leadership
and
get-it-done
attitude!"
end
quote.
-
This
message
exemplifies
the
total
teamwork
approach
taken
by
all
our
employees
to
support
our
students,
teachers,
and
families
throughout
this
ongoing
pandemic.
-
Beyond
supporting
food
services,
our
procurement
office
has
helped
purchase
nearly
80,000
laptops,
tens
of
thousands
of
pieces
personal
protective
equipment,
and
ensured
it
has
all
been
done
according
to
the
state
and
federal
rules
and
regulations.
-
I
wish
Tony
well
in
his
retirement
and
thank
all
our
staff
for
their
continued
hard
work.
-
Next,
I'll
address
a
question
we
have
been
asked
regarding
what
can
be
done
to
enhance
the
gradebook
experience
for
teachers
using
Canvas
and
The
Hub.
-
For
the
past
couple
decades,
teachers
have
had
to
track
grades
independently
and
then
enter
into
an
online
gradebook.
This
year
is
the
same,
with
the
added
challenge
of
numerous
gradebooks
this
year
due
to
the
pandemic
impacts
and
the
various
learning
methods
that
must
be
accommodated
including
in-person
twice
a
week,
four-day
in-person,
and
all
virtual
instruction.
-
These
various
learning
methods
require
the
gradebook
within
The
Hub
to
incorporate
each
learning
mode
for
scheduling
purposes.
As
such,
The
Hub
gradebooks
are
currently
set
up
with
many
sections.
In
a
normal
school
year
with
typical
schedules,
teachers
will
see
their
normal
five
sections
by
class.
-
However,
IT
is
currently
working
on
the
grade
pass
back
from
Canvas
to
The
Hub
as
one
method
to
mitigate
this
difficulty.
It
is
important
to
note
that
this
sync
between
these
two
systems
is
very
complex
and
must
be
custom
coded
to
PWCS.
-
As
we
have
various
grading
structures,
at
different
grade
levels
in
PWCS,
it
is
a
highly
complicated
and
we
must
ensure
it
works
as
intended
in
order
to
not
create
more
problems.
-
We
are
working
with
both
vendors
on
the
build-out,
and
will
launch
the
solution
as
soon
as
proven
reliable,
this
will
likely
require
additional
weeks
of
work
and
testing.
-
While
the
sync
will
help,
it
will
not
solve
all
problems,
and
is
really
just
supplemental
to
the
work
teachers
have
traditionally
done
in
tracking
grades
and
then
entering
into
the
student
information
systems.
-
Teachers
have
been
provided
a
number
of
tips
to
help
with
managing
grades,
these
tips
and
other
technology
tool
tips
are
sent
weekly
to
all
staff
and
are
provided
by
Instructional
Technology
Coaches
or
as
they
are
better
known
-
ITCs
-
at
the
building
level.
-
One
of
the
keys
for
teachers
is
to
enter
grades
as
close
to
"real-time"
as
possible,
and
to
ensure
they
are
using
grading
as
effectively
as
possible
to
measure
progress
against
standards,
we
have
lowered
the
number
of
required
grades
to
provide
teachers
additional
flexibility.
-
We
also
know
that
some
teachers
have
asked
questions
regarding
concurrent
teaching
and
other
relevant
training.
In
order
to
meet
the
wide
range
of
professional
development
needs
and
various
skill
levels
of
our
teachers,
staff,
and
leaders,
we
continue
to
offer
a
large
menu
of
professional
learning
options
utilizing
national
experts
and
our
own
exemplar
practitioners
in
a
variety
of
delivery
platforms
such
as
asynchronous,
on-demand,
and
live
virtual,
to
name
a
few.
-
If
professional
educators
need
assistance
in
selecting
professional
learning
opportunities,
I
recommend
that
they
collaborate
with
their
supervising
administrators
and
the
appropriate
content
supervisor.
-
We
welcomed
back
about
2,740
first
graders
this
week.
This
brings
our
total
of
students
in
the
buildings
each
day
Tuesday-Friday
to
about
3,870
students,
or
approximately
7,750
weekly.
This
includes
PreK
through
1st
grade
who
have
opted
for
in-person
learning
along
with
our
most
vulnerable
learners
at
all
grades.
-
Additionally,
on
Monday's
advanced
coursework
for
five
career
and
technical
education
programs
have
returned
to
in-person
learning,
including
students
in
the
firefighting
academy
and
agriculture/horticulture
program.
Six
additional
CTE
programs
will
return
for
in-person
learning
on
December
7.
-
Moving
to
our
continuous
monitoring
of
COVID-19
in
the
county,
state,
and
country,
we
do
see
that
the
trend
is
one
of
increasing
transmission
of
the
virus.
-
We
continue
to
share
the
latest
COVID-19
information
on
PWCS.edu,
where
it
is
updated
daily.
Since
the
last
School
Board
meeting,
we
have
had
69
cases
of
COVID-19
of
either
students
or
staff
virtual
or
in-person,
reported
to
PWCS
for
November
15
-
November
21,
and
39
cases
reported
November
22-29.
This
brings
the
total
for
November
to
177
cases
as
of
Monday
November
30,
compared
to
84
in
October,
and
50
in
September.
-
At
this
time,
I
am
not
recommending
any
changes
to
our
operations,
which
is
due
in
large
part
to
the
limited
numbers
of
students
we
have
in
the
building
currently
coupled
with
our
extensive
mitigation
efforts.
This
includes
winter
sports
at
the
high
school
level
which
will
continue
as
planned
with
additional
mitigation
requirements.
-
However,
it
is
very
important
to
note,
as
I
mentioned
at
the
last
School
Board
meeting,
we
will
continue
to
monitor
the
situation
closely,
and
should
more
indicators
reach
the
highest
levels,
changes
to
operations
could
occur
that
could
include
recommendations
to
delay
further
return
of
students
or
other
mitigations.
-
I
also
want
to
clarify
a
media
report
from
yesterday
that
quoted
me
and
has
caused
some
confusion.
The
story
only
included
one
of
the
mandates
which
I
mentioned
would
close
schools
for
sure,
and
that
would
be
a
mandate
from
the
Governor.
However,
what
was
not
shared
is
the
fact
that
I
mentioned
that
in
absence
of
a
mandate
from
the
Governor,
this
is
a
school-division-based
decision
that
relies
on
several
local
factors,
that
Ms.
Huebner
will
go
through
in
detail
in
just
a
moment.
I
encourage
parents
to
rely
on
PWCS
official
communications
including
this
meeting,
SCOOP!,
and
website
for
the
most
accurate
information
as
media
stories
and
headlines
can
sometimes
contain
only
partial
or
out
of
context
information.
-
Staff
and
community
members
may
submit
questions
or
concerns
about
the
implementation
of
the
PWCS
Health
Plan
and
other
health
mitigation
strategies
in
school
buildings,
24
hours
a
day,
by
sending
an
email
to
HealthAndSafety@pwcs.edu.
-
Additionally,
Heather
Wines,
currently
Director
of
Counseling
at
Parkside
Middle
School
has
accepted
the
Pandemic
Coordinator
position
in
the
Office
of
Student
Services.
Heather
will
be
providing
support
to
our
Health
Leadership
Team
and
working
to
support
our
school
teams
with
pandemic
related
tasks.
Her
background
in
counseling
will
be
key
as
our
team
works
to
support
not
only
our
students
physical,
but
their
mental
health
as
well.
-
We
will
remain
vigilant
in
our
monitoring
of
the
situation
and
we
will
update
the
School
Board
and
public
should
our
operations
need
to
be
updated.
-
I
will
now
turn
it
over
to
Ms.
Huebner
for
an
update
on
the
latest
health
metrics….