A few weeks back, we offered parents the opportunity to make a change from In-Person to Remote or Remote to In-Person learning, along with a caution of the impact that this may have on the teachers assigned to each section of students. Across the District, we have a total of 32 individual students making changes (4 at Ridge, 7 at Foster, 8 at Kerkstra, and 13 at Hille). While most requests were from Remote to Hybrid, we did have some from Hybrid to Remote and a few from Hybrid A to Hybrid B or vice versa. With that being said, we do not have to re-section any classes and unless a student has opted for a change, all other students will continue to have their currently assigned teacher. Thank you for your help and support in this work, we are relieved and excited to continue with the deep relationships built between our students and staff.
As for COVID and its impact on Forest Ridge School District 142, as I mentioned in the last correspondence, we have had cases in the District as well. To date, we have had 8 total positive COVID student cases, 2 staff positive COVID cases, 38 students quarantined as a close contact, and 14 staff quarantined as a close contact. The vast majority of our quarantines occurred due to exposure outside of school. Positivity rates in our area are rising and we all need to stay diligent in order to keep our children, their families, and our staff safe. We will continue to watch these numbers as well as take guidance from the IDPH, the CCDPH, and the Governor’s Office in regards to this. Our best chance to remain open for learning is to adhere to all safety guidelines, both in and out of school.
In moving to Phase Three, our In-Person Hybrid schedule will have a change. On Wednesdays, which was typically a fully remote day with our A and B students grouped together, will now be an alternating A or B Day, consisting of the same 4 hour schedule hybrid students experience on any other In-Person Day. The schedule for this through the end of the second quarter can be found here. We are also looking to correct a handful of items as we make these changes on Monday, November 2, including additional math and reading support in grades 1-5 on Hybrid Remote days, additional writing work, and other slight adjustments to our schedules to offer consistency to our families across the District. Individual building schedules will be shared with families directly from each of our building principals.
The State requirement for learning is set at 5 hours per day or 300 minutes. This includes all learning activities (both teacher-led and independent student work), which are estimated as teachers create lessons, Zooms, and activities for their students. In the event your child completes an activity in less time than what is estimated AND you would like additional learning activities, please reach out to your child’s teacher. In the event it is taking your child far more time than estimated, again, please reach out to the teacher to discuss this as accommodations can be made. The state also recommends within these 5 daily hours, that 150 minutes daily be teacher led or synchronously taught. As a District, we are meeting/surpassing this recommendation on each and every day of our instruction for students in Phase 3. This will look different across the district depending on age of child, grade, and teacher style. Due to our rigor and balance of instruction, the teacher-led number of minutes will fluctuate between Hybrid In-Person, Hybrid Remote, or Fully Remote, but will always surpass both the daily and the weekly recommendations suggested by the State.
Our sincere hope is to continue to offer the finest education available to our students, we know this is impossible without your assistance and support. Thank you for partnering with Forest Ridge School District 142 in service to our students, families, and community.