• Dixson Re-opening Summary - September 2020

    Please review this document to help clarify the path moving forward with regards to your Kindergarten, Grade Pre-K or Grade 1 student scheduled to attend Dixson.

    1. The guidance we receive is constantly changing and thus requires that we make adjustments daily.  
    2. Our goal is to meet this guidance while providing parents with options that meet their needs in terms of both safety and education.  These needs are not the same for every family.
    3. Technology is going to play a larger role at our school than it ever has before and far earlier than normal. In all cases, parents will need to be partners in this effort.

     

    As of today, ALL students will be Virtual-ONLY from September 10 - September 18.  During this time, Our goal at Dixson is to get everybody on board during these 7 school days of Virtual ONLY.  Here are some details about these days…

      1. We will focus on making sure all students, with the help of their parents, are able to access our educational portals and resources.  This will include being provided a Chromebook if needed.
      2. Another focus will be on healthy habits including mask-wearing, social distancing, how to cough & sneeze, school-building-flow, and other building safety rules
      3. Initial activities during this time will feature introductions to the teachers and teaching assistants, as well as the physical spaces in Dixson.  This instruction will be made accessible, during this time, by phone, tablet, computer, Chromebook, etc.  
      4. Four orientations for each class are scheduled during these days.  The orientations are deliberately set up in small groups over multiple days.  This is designed to maximize safety and ensure the parents have the small-group support necessary to help your child access the technology.  The orientations are organized by cohort (A1, A2, B1, B2).

     

    We understand that some students and families may not acquire a Chromebook prior to the start of the first days of school (September 10). It is OK. It is our goal to have every student have access to the necessary technology by Friday, September 18. This will enable us to begin an instructional program in earnest on Monday, September 21 when the Hybrid model will start. In the meantime, the initial activities will be sent to parents directly through TalkingPoints, Email, or other methods.  TalkingPoints is our text messaging app through which we send much communication.

     

    1. As of September 21, those parents that opted for the hybrid model will begin sending their children to school on the days indicated by their cohort designation.
      1. All A Cohorts - AB, A1 and A2 - live instruction on Monday & Tuesday (Synchronous)
      2. All B Cohorts - AB, B1 and B2 - live instruction on Thursday and Fridays (Synchronous)
    2. Those parents opting for ‘Virtual-Only instruction’ will follow the same schedule of live instruction based on their child’s Cohort designations… except their child will access the instruction by live streaming from home.  The live streaming will only be available during times when their specific cohort is scheduled for live streaming.
    3. On days when your child’s cohort is not live, students will be assigned learning activities and resources to further their educational development.  We expect SeeSaw, our Educational Portal, to play an important role in this phase.
      1. Cohort A1 and A2 - NOT live instruction on Wednesdays, Thursdays & Fridays
      2. Cohort B1 and B2 - NOT live instruction on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays
      3. Cohort AB - NOT live instruction on Wednesdays
    4. The schedule for ‘LIVE’ sessions for your child’s cohort will be sent to you directly from your classroom teacher.