New Elementary School Schedule Begins 10/20/10
October 16, 2020
Dear Elementary School Families,
We would like to write to you about the new elementary schedule that will begin on Tuesday, October 20th, where students will attend school every morning five days a week. Because of these major shifts with in-person schooling, Remote Learning Academy schedules will also shift slightly, particularly with specials blocks, such as art, music, and P.E. In the following sections we will describe in detail the schedules and student learning for students who are in school in the mornings and at home in the afternoons, and for Remote Learning Academy students who are learning from home all day. There is a lot of information here. To help you, we have developed a bulleted synopsis of the major points of information. Model schedules for each grade level and more detailed information can be found between pages 2-5 of this communication.
Synopsis:
In School Mornings / Remote Afternoons
- The in-school day is 8:00-12:00 for Country and Woodland Schools; 7:45-11:45 for Field School.
- The at-home learning time begins at 1:00 and ends at 3:15, including a mix of live remote instruction and independent learning activities for all students in grades 1-5.
- All afternoon live remote instruction for students who have long commutes, including those students living in Boston, will start at 2:10 at the earliest.
- There is an emphasis on core content instruction (reading, writing, math, science, and social studies) while students are in school in the mornings.
- While at home in the afternoons:
- Students take live remote classes in art, music, P.E., Spanish, library, band, strings, and chorus
- Students meet with their classroom teachers in small groups
- Some students receive extra support from interventionists; English learner educators, and special education teachers
- Students work on independent learning activities provided by their classroom teacher
Remote Learning Academy
- The general schedule remains very similar as before. Live sessions begin at 8:00 and end at 1:40.
- Some specials classes will shift. They could be on different days, different times, or with different teachers.
Transition to the New Schedule
- Monday October 19th will be an all-remote day for all students. Students will have a live remote morning meeting from their classroom teachers and receive asynchronous independent learning activities for the remainder of the morning. Students in Remote Learning Academy will have a regular school day.
- Tuesday October 20th will be the first day when all elementary students arrive at school.
- Thursday October 22nd will be the first day of afternoon live remote specials classes for grades 1-5.
- Please follow the same drop-off and pick-up procedures and remain patient with the increased traffic.
- Some bus routes have shifted and there will be increased ridership on each bus.
- Please continue to give your child a wellness check before sending him/her to school.
In-School Schedules and Descriptions:
Grades PK and K In-School Model Schedule
| Time | Class/Activity |
| 8:00 | Arrival, Morning Meeting |
| 8:30 | Academic Block 1 (Literacy) |
| 9:20 | Snack, recess |
| 9:50 | Academic Block 2 (Math) |
| 10:30 | Mask Break |
| 10:50 | Academic Block 3 (Science/Social Studies) |
| 11:20 | Specials Block (Art 1 day; Music 1 day; P.E. 1 day; Classroom 2 days) |
| 11:50 | Transition, Closing Circle |
| 12:00 | Dismissal |
Notes:
- Recess and mask breaks are staggered from class to class; thus times may be varied.
- Teachers have discretion when to teach reading, writing, math, science, and social studies.
- PK and K students have three ½ hour specials per week: art, music, and P.E.
- PK and K students do not have at-home instruction or independent learning activities in the afternoons.
Grades 1-3 In-School Model Schedule
| Time | Class/Activity |
| 8:00 | Arrival, Morning Meeting |
| 8:30 | Academic Block 1 (Literacy) |
| 9:20 | Snack, recess |
| 9:50 | Academic Block 2 (Math) |
| 10:40 | Mask Break |
| 11:00 | Academic Block 3 (Science/Social Studies) |
| 11:50 | Transition, Closing Circle |
| 12:00 | Dismissal |
| 1:00 | Afternoon Block 1: Live Specials, Independent Learning Activities |
| 1:35 | Afternoon Block 2: Live Specials, Independent Learning Activities |
| 2:10 | Afternoon Block 3: Live Specials, Small Group Instruction, Independent Learning Activities |
| 2:45 | Afternoon Block 4: Live Specials, Small Group Instruction, Independent Learning Activities |
Grades 4-5 In-School Model Schedule
| Time | Class/Activity |
| 7:45 | Arrival, Morning Meeting |
| 8:15 | Academic Block 1 (Literacy) |
| 9:05 | Snack, recess |
| 9:35 | Academic Block 2 (Math) |
| 10:25 | Mask Break |
| 10:40 | Academic Block 3 (Science/Social Studies) |
| 11:35 | Transition, Closing Circle |
| 11:45 | Dismissal |
| 1:00 | Afternoon Block 1: Live Specials, Independent Learning Activities |
| 1:35 | Afternoon Block 2: Live Specials, Independent Learning Activities |
| 2:10 | Afternoon Block 3: Live Specials, Small Group Instruction, Independent Learning Activities |
| 2:45 | Afternoon Block 4: Live Specials, Small Group Instruction, Independent Learning Activities |
Notes for both schedules:
- Recess and mask breaks are staggered from class to class; thus times may be varied.
- Teachers have discretion when to teach reading, writing, math, science, and social studies.
- On Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, all students will have at least one ½ hour specials class each day in one of the four afternoon blocks.
- Specials for grades 1 and 2 are art, music, library, Spanish, and P.E. Each class meets ½ hour per week.
- Specials for grade 3 are art, music, strings/chorus, Spanish, and P.E. Each class meets ½ hour per week.
- Your child will be assigned to a specific specials section. Your child’s classroom teacher will notify you on Monday which group your child is in, and their weekly specials schedule. Specials groups may be composed of students from two different classes. Class sizes are balanced among all specials sections.
- METCO Students are scheduled into live classes that meet at 2:10 or 2:45. This will give Boston residents adequate time to arrive at home and eat lunch.
- On Wednesday afternoons, students will have no live remote instruction. Instead, students will have Wellness Wednesday activities in addition to their independent learning activities. This also allows our educators to have time for professional development and planning.
- Classroom teachers will be providing live small group supports, check-ins, and other activities during the afternoon. They will schedule students into these sessions as necessary, with the expectation that they work with each student at least once every two weeks.
- Some students will receive intervention, ELE, and special education services in the afternoons.
- When students don’t have a live session in the afternoon, they can work on their independent learning activities. Families can decide to schedule a student’s independent learning time at any time during the afternoon or early evening.
Remote Learning Academy Schedules and Descriptions
PK – 2 Remote Learning Academy Model Schedule
| Time | Class/Activity |
| 8:00 | Morning Meeting |
| 8:30 | Academic Block 1 (Literacy) |
| 9:30 | Break/Recess/Snack |
| 10:10 | Specials Block (Art, Music, Library, Spanish, P.E.) |
| 11:00 | Academic Block 2 (Math) |
| 11:50 | Lunch |
| 12:30 | Academic Block 3 (Science/Social Studies) |
| 1:30 | Closing Circle |
| 1:40 | Independent Learning Activities |
| 2:10 | End of RLA School Day |
Grades 3-5 Remote Learning Academy Model Schedule
| Time | Class/Activity |
| 8:00 | Morning Meeting |
| 8:20 | Academic Block 1 (Math) |
| 9:10 | Specials Block (Art, Music, Spanish, P.E.x2) |
| 10:00 | Break/Recess/Snack |
| 10:30 | Academic Block 2 (Literacy) |
| 11:50 | Lunch |
| 12:30 | Academic Block 3 (Science/Social Studies) |
| 1:30 | Closing Circle |
| 1:40 | Independent Learning Activities |
| 2:40 | End of RLA School Day |
Notes for both schedules:
- Teachers have discretion when to teach reading, writing, math, science, and social studies.
- PK does not have Session 3. The Pre-K RLA school day ends at lunch.
- On Wednesday afternoons, RLA students will not have the afternoon Session 3. Instead, students will have Wellness Wednesday activities in addition to their independent learning activities. This is so that educators have time for professional development and planning.
- Specials times have shifted a little. Times for specials are either 9:10-9:55 or 10:10-10:55.
- With the reconfiguration of the schedule, some RLA classrooms will have new specials teachers.
- Art, music, library, Spanish, and P.E. classes might be on different days of the week than in the previous schedule.
- RLA students in grades 3-5 will be enrolled in Band, Strings, or Chorus. These classes meet one day a week in the afternoons.
- Some RLA students will receive intervention, ELE, and special education services in the afternoons.
Transitioning to all-in-school mornings next week
We are working very hard to start everyday in-person schooling as soon as possible. With this in mind, we are holding an all-remote school day on Monday October 19th. No elementary school students will be attending school on Monday. This applies only to in-school elementary students. Elementary RLA students will have a regular school day. MIddle and high school students have a regular school day as well.
On Monday October 19th, elementary students will have a live morning meeting with their classroom teacher and work on three independent learning activities. We understand that this is a light learning day. However, the day will free up all educators to help with the big transition to having all students come in person on Tuesday. We apologize for giving you short notice and thank you for your flexibility.
Afternoon specials classes for grades 1-5 will begin on Thursday October 22nd. There will not be any specials classes on Tuesday October 20th, and students will have their Wellness Wednesday activities on October 21st. We need some time to finalize the sectioning and to notify students and families about their new afternoon specials schedules.
When dropping off and picking up your child next week, please follow the same procedures as before. We know that we will be experiencing heavier traffic and we will be on the lookout for bottlenecks and other areas of congestion. We will be working closely with the Weston Police Department to develop a traffic plan that is as smooth and as efficient as possible. That may necessitate a change in drop-off or pick-up times or locations. We will let you know if we decide to make further changes.
Buses will be more crowded when delivering students to and from school. We will continue to follow DESE bus distancing guidelines and require that students wear masks at all times and stay in their assigned seats. Some bus routes have shifted and families will receive communication if their child is riding on a different bus. Please note that pick up and drop off times may be affected by the increased ridership.
We expect that more families will want bus transportation now that students are attending school all five days per week. We are also noticing that some students who have signed up to ride the bus are not taking the bus. Please help us. If your child has a space on the bus and you are not using it, please let Sheri Matthews (matthewss@weston.org) know so that we can provide the space for another family.
Finally, we would like to remind you to continue to health-screen your children before they come to school. Our health screening application, Ruvna, provides an easy way for you to notify us that either your child is healthy and can come to school or that your child is exhibiting symptoms and needs to stay home.
There is a lot of information here. Thank you for reading this notice carefully and we hope that we have answered a number of your questions. We are very excited to have elementary children back in school everyday starting on Tuesday.
Yours in good health,
Dr. Midge Connolly, Superintendent
Dr. Kimo Carter, Assistant Superintendent, Teaching & Learning
