Knights,
It has been quite a transition for students, staff, and parents to have some students on campus and the majority of students online. I am extremely proud of everyone for their patience and perseverance as there are challenges in both environments! Here are some brief updates.
Attendance continues to be a multistep process; we have a new set of codes as well as different procedures for determining if a student is present on a given day. For all students, we want you to know that Skyward is experiencing glitches where it counts an absence in any class as an absence for the entire day. For now, please do not use the "days absent" feature - you should review attendance by looking at each period. Here is an overview of how attendance is determined.
- Online students: attendance continues to be determined in one of three ways: 1) present in a zoom meeting/contact with the teacher through other means such as phone or email, 2) turning in assignments, and 3) making progress on course work. Only work completed on a particular day can count for attendance on that day. Additionally, teachers have to submit attendance by 4:15 each day which means that any work submitted between 4:15 and 11:59 would count for being present but will require the teacher to change the attendance coding the following day when they review evening work submissions. Examples of grading and attendance scenarios:
- An assignment is given Monday. The students works on the assignment and submits it Monday before midnight. The student is present Monday and has credit for turning in the assignment.
- An assignment is given Monday and it is due Tuesday.
- The students works on the assignment and submits it Monday before midnight. The student is present for Monday and has credit for turning in the assignment. The student will need to do a different assignment Tuesday for Tuesday's attendance.
- The student works on the assignment Tuesday and submits it Tuesday before the deadline. The student is absent Monday, present for Tuesday and receives credit for turning the assignment in on time.
- The student works on the assignment Monday but submits it Tuesday before the deadline. The student is present Monday and present Tuesday and has credit for turning in the assignment. The difficulty here is that the teacher has to be able to verify that the student worked on the assignment Monday to count for Mondays' attendance.
- On-campus students: attendance is taken during class, students must attend the class to be considered present. When a student is assigned to on-campus learning, work completion is not considered for determining attendance.
Athletics is ramping up for their seasons. Volleyball tryouts are almost done; students who make the team will continue to come to school early or after school for team practice. All off-season students will participate in athletics during the class period. All football players will continue in their current arrangements as there are not tryouts for football. Information about games and spectators will be shared by coaches in upcoming classes.
Face Coverings are required for students who attend on-campus learning. Masks should completely cover the nose and mouth and should be secured under the chin. The goal of the mask is to stop the spread of droplets released when a person is breathing or speaking; an open mask does not accomplish this goal (such as covering your face with a bandana that hangs free below the chin). The CDC has published guidelines found here about how to select and wear masks. The effectiveness of gaiters and face shields is unknown; it is best if students can wear a mask that is made of washable, breathable fabric. A student may wear a gaiter in lieu of a mask but they may not wear a face shield in lieu of a mask.
The 2nd Nine Weeks is quickly approaching. ALL parents will need to select their method of learning for the second nine weeks between September 28th and 30th. We will be pushing out information about the process when we get closer to the date, but please mark that date on your calendar. We will not have limited capacity for the second nine weeks which starts October 14th.
Thank you all - your dedication is what makes Kelly Lane Middle School a great community!
Dina Schaefer