Parent Forum Q and A on Weedsport Elementary

Where to find information from the submitted questions:

  • This presentation will answer questions submitted regarding Weedsport Elementary School;
  • Questions regarding health, safety, and transportation can be found in the presentation from the previous night as they are consistent across the district
  • Questions regarding virtual and hybrid learning can be found in the presentation from the previous night as these are consistent across the district
  • Questions regarding the middle school, high school, and interscholastic sports will be answered in the next night’s presentation

Key Thoughts:

  • Many excellent questions have been asked over the summer
  • Understand that this is an evolving situation and answers provided by district officials may have changed over time due to new information from the state or local governments
  • The district continues to seek the best possible solutions for our students and families
  • The overall goal has constantly been to bring the students into school as much as possible considering the regulations, staffing, physical space, and transportation

Schedule Rotation:

Q. How is the A/B Day rotation handled in the case of a snow day or a holiday?
A. In the past, we rotated days. However we are looking to see if that will continue based on day care needs of students. More information will come out later in the fall.

Q. Why can’t students in grades 3, 4, 5, and 6 come to school every day?
A. Students in grades Pre-K to 2 were prioritized to come to school every day. Therefore staff that were appropriately certified were assigned to teach and support these grade levels. Restrictions on social distancing, transportation, and staffing do not currently make it feasible for students in grades 3, 4, 5, and 6 to come to school every day. The hope is that social distancing regulations will be relaxed and more grade levels can come to school daily in the near future.

Q. Will students miss out on material when they are not in school every day?
A. Students in the A/B schedule will have a great deal of direct instruction on days they are in school. This will focus on key standards in that grade level. Then on days that they are not in school, work will be assigned based on direction instruction from the prior day. This work is what would be typically done in school after a lesson.

Special Areas:

Q. Will the students have special area classes?
A. Elementary school students will have specials on a four day cycle.

Q. Will the students go to the special area classes or will they be virtual?
A. Students will go to their special area classes.

Q. Will the special area rooms be cleaned between classes?
A. In a meeting with the Cayuga County Health Department, they noted that it was not a requirement that all surfaces be wiped down between uses by students. Their recommendation was to focus on social distancing and masks when less than six feet.

Q. Will students who are taught virtually have specials?
A. Yes, all students have virtual lessons. The virtual students will have similar lessons based on the same standards. Students will also have the same number of special area lessons as students in school, which is about one a week based on a four day cycle

Special Education:

Q. How will the district meet the needs of special education students if the family chooses virtual learning?
A. Students will be provided services as per their Individualized Education Plan to the extent possible. Special education Teachers and related Service providers will use Google Classroom and Zoom to post lessons and assignments to those students. This includes, but not limited to teleptheray and recorded lessons.

Q. What are the plans for the students if they have Occupational Therapy or Speech if the family chooses virtual learning?
A. Parents will have the option to have therapies provided through teletherapy or activities posted on google classroom.

Physical Layout:

Q. What will the classrooms look like?
A. To begin the year, students will have their own desk. There also will be a teacher’s desk and a Smart Board in the classrooms. There will be posters and decorations in classrooms but other high touch surfaces have been removed.

Q. How will shared surfaces be limited?
A. Extra tables, chairs, rugs, and seats have been removed from the classrooms. The goal of this is to limit the high touch areas and allow for thorough sanitation of the surfaces in the classroom.

Q. Will students have lockers?
A. Students will not be using the lockers in the classrooms or hallways to start the year. Students will hang their backpacks and coats on their chairs. The back pack then can be accessed as needed by the student for their materials
Will the playground be opened? Will students have recess?
The playground will be opened in September and regularly cleaned. Students will have recess but only one class will be allowed on the playground at a time.

Procedures:

Q. What will the hallways look like when the students move through the building?
A. At arrival and dismissal, there will be one way traffic as the students enter or exit the building. During the day, students will move to specials or recess in lines that are six feet apart, with masks on. The hallways are ten feet wide and allow for two way traffic with social distancing.

Q. How will arrival and dismissal work?
A. Due to the recent adjustment back to one arrival and dismissal time for the elementary school, this is being revised. Specifics will be shared in the coming weeks regarding this. It can be said that there will be stations in the morning where student temperatures will be taken before they are allowed to enter the building. There also will be a change in parent drop off and pick up times, as well as location, where parents will drop off students in the back parking lot.

Q. If I need to pick my child up from school during the school day, what is the procedure?
A. Parents will come to the main entrance to meet their child if a note was sent in prior. If a note was not sent in, the child will be called down to the main entrance. Parents will have to wait in the receiving area until the child comes down.

Breakfast, Lunch, and Snacks:

Q. Will breakfast and lunch be available?
A. Both breakfast and lunch will be available to students on a ‘grab and go’ basis. The exact procedures for this are still being worked out.

Q. Where will the students eat breakfast and lunch?
A. Students will need to eat breakfast and lunch in their classrooms.

Q. Will students be able to bring in birthday or holiday treats?
A. Students will be able to bring in treats, but they must be store bought and individually packaged treats. Homemade treats will not be allowed.

Supplies:

Q. Will students need their own supplies and materials?
A. Each student will need their own supplies. Students are not allowed to share supplies. Students may need to bring supplies to art or music class.

Q. Will students who are learning virtually need the same supplies and materials?
A. For the most part yes. Teachers will have the in school and virtual learners working on the same standards in similar lessons. Therefore, they will need the same supplies. If the social distancing regulations are relaxed, those supplies will be needed when the students come back to school.

Pre-K:

Q. The state recently released funding for Pre-K programs, will Weedsport host its Pre-K Program?
A. Yes, we will again host the Pre-K program. Phone calls will be made to Pre-K families that have filled out paperwork in the near future to again gage interest and complete the registration process.