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How is the 50 percent model being implemented?
In the 50 percent model students who opt for in-person learning attend school two-days a week in-person either Tuesday/Thursday or Wednesday/Friday. Those opting to be virtual attend completely remotely. Those students currently attending in-person four days a week in the first quarter will continue to do so. PWCS is using a phased-in return to buildings to allow for better implementation of safety and health mitigation strategies while factoring in the large size of our Division, available technology assets, and the complexity of student schedules and student transportation. Phase-in schedule for all grades.
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*Do public and private schools fall under the 25 person gathering limit in Governor Northam's amendment to Executive Order 67?
The gathering limit does not apply to “educational instructional settings.” This includes classrooms, buses, cafeterias and recess held on school grounds. The presence of 25 individuals for “performing functions of their employment” does not fall under the gathering limit either.
Per Executive Order 67, “a “gathering” includes, but is not limited to, parties, celebrations, or other social events, whether they occur indoors or outdoors.” Therefore, gatherings under this definition on school grounds are prohibited.
*Do child care settings such as AlphaBest and Next Generation fall under the 25 person gathering limit in Governor Northam's amendment to Executive Order 67?
The gathering limit does not apply to “educational instructional settings.” This includes child care settings.
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Will students have the same daily time schedules as in the first quarter under the 50 percent model?
No. All students attending in-person or virtual will have different times for classes than in the first quarter. The sequence of classes may stay the same, but the times will be adjusted to match the necessity of in-person learning (such as lunch schedules and bus times).
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Will high school start times change under the 50 percent model?
Yes, all high schools will revert to 7:30 a.m. start for all students (as opposed to some classes starting as late as 10 a.m. in virtual-only model) when in-person learning resumes for grades 9 through 12. Bus routing requirements necessitate the earlier start.
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What will a week look like for 50 percent model?
In School
Monday – Virtual day, asynchronous at-home learning for students using Canvas. Teacher planning/professional development, office hours, additional individual/small group learning support, and counseling support available and/or provided as appropriate.
Tuesday - House* A attends school in-person, identified vulnerable students attend school in-person.
Wednesday - House B attends school in-person, identified vulnerable students attend school in-person.
Thursday - House A attends school in-person, identified vulnerable students attend school in-person.
Friday - House B attends school in-person, identified vulnerable students attend school in-person.
*Students will be assigned to a “House" to determine the days they will attend in-person/virtually. House A attends in person T/Th. House B attends in person W/F. House C is all virtual.
At Home
Monday – Virtual day, asynchronous at-home learning for students using Canvas. Teacher planning/professional development, office hours, additional individual/small group learning support, and counseling support available and/or provided as appropriate.
Tuesday – House B learns synchronously with in-person students via live streaming of instruction, House C (all virtual) learns synchronously with and/or without in-person students as appropriate to the teacher/class assignment.
Wednesday - House A learns synchronously with in-person students via live streaming of instruction, House C (all virtual) learns synchronously with and/or without in-person students as appropriate to the teacher/class assignment.
Thursday - House B learns synchronously with in-person students via live streaming of instruction, House C (all virtual) learns synchronously with and/or without in-person students as appropriate to the teacher/class assignment.
Friday - House A learns synchronously with in-person students via live streaming of instruction, House C (all virtual) learns synchronously with and/or without in-person students as appropriate to the teacher/class assignment.
NOTE: Sample daily schedules by level/school are posted below. Daily live instructional time for each subject/class will be based on their daily assigned classes and students will not be live streaming with the teacher every minute of a 6.5-hour day.
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How do parents go about choosing hybrid or all-virtual option for their students?
Parents were provided another opportunity to review Return to Learn preferences in ParentVUE and updated their selection of virtual or in-person for their student, or students, in the second quarter. PWCS will provide another opportunity from January 4 through 8 to update their ParentVUE selection if they want to make a change for their student to attend in-person or virtually in the third quarter, should health conditions permit us to open per the dates the school board approved. Only those who plan to make a change would need to do so. If a parent/guardian does not complete the form, the student will default to attending in-person for planning purposes.
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Will high school athletics still take place this school year? Will students who select 100 percent virtual be able to participate in athletics and/or clubs and activities?
The Virginia High School League (VHSL) continues to provide guidance on high school athletic competitions. PWCS plans to move forward with the upcoming high school sports season as permitted by the Virginia High School League, however, due to the Governor’s restriction on gathering size, PWCS will not be allowing spectators. We will be offering on-demand live streaming of games via a contracted service for a small fee.
We recognize the importance of extracurricular activities not only to physical health, but to social, mental, and emotional well-being as well. It is important to note that the VHSL 2020-21 Guidance to Return to Participation, indicates that the more people a child or coach interacts with, the closer the physical interaction, the more sharing of equipment by multiple players, and the longer the interaction, the higher the risk of COVID-19 spread. Therefore, the risk of COVID-19 transmission can be different depending on the type of activity. In addition, recently the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) has cautioned that during times of substantial COVID-19 activity in a community, participating in recreational sports that involve close contact with others may increase the risk of COVID-19 transmission and is not advisable. This is especially true with large events, indoor activities, and higher risk sports. For these reasons, PWCS will continue to closely monitor the local health data and may postpone or suspend all or some activities during periods of substantial COVID-19 transmission in the community or schools.
Sports will be kept in the seasons where they are currently aligned, but will have a condensed season. Students are still eligible for sports or after-school clubs and activities if participating virtually. Transportation to the school for athletics or activities will be the responsibility of the parent/guardian and/or the student. Students should check their school websites for tryout information, including health and safety requirements necessary for participation.
Season Schedule
- Winter Sports - December 7 start for basketball and cheer -December 14 start for gymnastics, indoor track, swim/dive, wrestling;(First Contest Date-December 28)
- Fall Sports - February 15- May 1 (First Contest Date – March 1)
Cheer, cross country, field hockey, football, golf, volleyball
- Spring Sports- April 12 - June 26 (First Contest Date – April 26)
Baseball, lacrosse, soccer, softball, tennis, track and field
Middle school activities and athletics will begin after middle school students are phased back in for in-person instruction.
More information on PWCS HS Athletics for 2020-21
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Do school sports fall under the 25 person gathering limit in Governor Northam's Executive Order 67 update?
The 25 person limit applies to the total number of spectators at athletic competitions. It does not include athletes, staff, trainers or coaches on the field. Due to the Governor’s restriction on gathering size, PWCS will not be allowing spectators at high school competitions. We will be offering on-demand live streaming of games via a contracted service for a small fee. Read more about on-demand viewing.
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If I choose for my student to opt-out of in-person instruction for second quarter, can I change back to in-person?
Parents/guardians who chose to opt their student(s) out of in-person learning for the second quarter are asked to commit to the choice through the end of the semester due to in-person capacity requirements. Students who begin in-person but later need to be distance-learning-only can be accommodated. Parents were provided another opportunity in late September/early October to review Return to Learn preferences in ParentVUE and update their selection of virtual or in-person for their student, or students, in the second quarter. PWCS will provide another opportunity from January 4 through 8 to update their ParentVUE selection if they want to make a change for their student to attend in-person or virtually in the third quarter, should health conditions permit us to open per the dates the school board approved. Only those who plan to make a change would need to do so. If a parent/guardian does not complete the form, the student will default to attending in-person for planning purposes.
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Why can't every student who chooses to opt-out of in-person instruction just be assigned to a teacher who is only working from home?
Class scheduling, staffing, and funding are done school-by-school. Due to teacher class-load requirements under Virginia law remaining in effect, even for those teachers only teaching from home, as well the complexity involved in ensuring students receive the classes they need (700 across all levels), scheduling is done at the school-level. Additionally, there are likely to be "mismatches" where the number of students choosing to opt into 100 percent virtual will not align to the teachers that are working virtual. It is unlikely, especially at high school, that the seven classes required for a student not attending in-person would align to seven teachers that are only teaching from home. As such, all students will need to be assigned to classes from their base schools and schools will work to match distance-learning-only students to teachers working only from home to the extent practicable, and then assign distance-learning-only students to in-person teachers where needed, with the potential for a virtual co-teacher supporting distance-learning-only students at multiple schools for added support.
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Will my students have the same teachers as in first quarter?
It is possible that a student may be assigned different teacher(s) in the second quarter depending on the choice of in-person or virtual and staffing needs at the school (see answer above).
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Can parents who work complete distance learning tasks/classes with their students on weekends and evenings?
Similar to other virtual programs, the lesson activities will consist of mostly recorded/uploaded (asynchronous) material to provide as much flexibility as possible. Distance learning by its very nature is intended to be flexible to meet the unique scheduling needs of each learner.
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Will classes be recorded and then put into Canvas to view at a later time?
Lessons may be recorded and uploaded to canvas. It will vary. The combined in-person/distance learning model includes recorded content from Canvas. The virtual-only option, by definition, includes less face-to-face time than in-person models. This is similar to other online learning opportunities such as Virtual Virginia and the PWCS Virtual High School.
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How Will Elective/Specialty/ Hands-On Classes Be Taught In 50 Percent Model? (PE, Band, Music, Art, Sign Language, Foreign Language, Welding, Cosmetology, Etc.)
As during the first quarter, students learning virtually on at-home days can expect a combination of live and recorded presentations, instructional videos, demonstrations; and various assigned readings, tasks, assignments, papers, etc. For example, a PE teacher may demonstrate a fitness exercise (either live or in a recorded video), followed by students replicating the activity, logging their activity, and perhaps reading about the muscles used and the aerobic impact of those exercises. Similar approach would be used in the other content areas.
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When/ how often/under what circumstances will the school schedule/model be re-evaluated/ changed throughout the 2020-21 school year?
As needed, depending on the conditions that exist such as Virginia’s phase of reopening and any updated health information.
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Does live “streaming” for virtual students (in-person not in school and all virtual) in the 50 percent model mean that students will be asked to passively watch videos of teacher(s) instructing in-person students?
No, our use of the term live “streaming” is only to indicate that the Division will be able to have concurrent instruction with virtual and in-person students by utilizing the recently funded increase in bandwidth to transmit video and audio from every classroom for virtual students at home as appropriate. Our instructional model looks to maintain the use of Zoom for virtual students at home and the ability for students to receive live virtual instruction and have live interaction daily with their teacher(s), to be able to ask questions, and have dialogue about their learning in real time during each class.
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Is there a name for the instructional model involving both virtual and in-person students learning simultaneously?
Yes, this model is called concurrent learning/teaching.
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Are there other school divisions successfully implementing concurrent learning/teaching?
Yes, other school divisions in Virginia, in other states, as well as schools in other countries are currently implementing a model of concurrent learning/teaching. In fact, we have sent several school and Division leaders to see this model in action in two other school divisions in Virginia.
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Will teachers receive professional development to support the successful implementation of this model?
Yes, PWCS is providing all teachers and school administrators training regarding the management and implementation of this model including concurrent teaching. Additionally, teachers will be offered ongoing professional learning opportunities as well as onsite support.
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Will all teachers be provided the equipment to implement this model?
Yes, see Technology section in FAQ.
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Will teachers and students have to stop using the technology they have been implementing during the first quarter?
No, teachers and students will continue to use Canvas and Zoom as a part of the concurrent learning/teaching model. Maintaining these central elements will enable PWCS to quickly change models should the pandemic health conditions change.
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Will in-person students work on computers all day with little to no direct instruction from the teacher(s)?
No, while in-person students will utilize technology and Canvas during the school day, our teachers will provide direct whole group, small group, and individual instruction as appropriate to the learning needs of the students and the curriculum content.
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Will virtual students be asked to be on Zoom for 6.5 hours every day in the 50 percent model?
No, while virtual students will utilize Zoom to receive daily live virtual instruction and interaction with their teacher(s). They will continue to utilize Canvas asynchronously to access other recorded content and complete assignments.
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Will virtual students continue to get learning breaks during the day?
Yes, virtual students will continue to get learning breaks each day.
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Are school board meetings impacted by the 25 person gathering limit in Executive Order 67?
No, these meetings are not considered gatherings under EO 67 but rather, are operations of government and fall under the exemption found in 4 (e).