Video Transcript
We want to ensure our families know that while we hope to make the On-Campus experience as normal as possible, the truth is, On-Campus instruction will look different than it has in the past.
While we remain committed to providing our students with exceptional Lovejoy educators, the opportunity to participate in world-class student experiences and receive the very best education; social distancing requirements, limiting gathering of students, as well as health / safety protocols will shift the way the on-campus experience is delivered this fall.
A more detailed look into each learning scenario will be provided to our families in order to better inform them regarding what they can expect as they make their instructional environment choice for the first nine weeks.
Elementary
Students attending On-Campus or Leopard Virtual Learning will have a very similar experience. The main difference between On-Campus and Leopard Virtual Learning is the additional time required for On-Campus regarding transition times, required restroom/ hand washing breaks, and extended lunch and specials transitions times. Our elementary Principals have worked hard to ensure all of our students have exciting first day experiences and are provided a similar educational experience regardless of their learning environment choice of On-Campus or Virtual.
Intermediate and Middle School
Students attending either On-Campus or Virtually will have identical schedules that will follow a “block” method of scheduling. A “block” schedule takes the traditional 8 period day and breaks it into two blocks of learning “A” Day and “B” Day with each containing 4 longer periods of instruction. The benefit of a “block” schedule is to reduce the number of times students must transition between classes while On-Campus and ensures that large student groups are not gathering throughout the day.
Our Principals have created campus “block” schedules for both our On-Campus and Virtual Learning environments to ensure our students, regardless of learning format, are able to move between learning environments as needed throughout the year.
The above information regarding Elementary, Intermediate and Middle School schedules was provided in draft form in our Planning Guide. However, schedules provided in our communication today, as of Friday, July 31st, are now finalized.
High School
TEA has made some significant changes in how instruction can be offered at the high school, by allowing districts the ability to now offer a hybrid solution for grades 9-12 only. The hybrid solution allows large schools the ability to cycle students through and dramatically decrease the numbers of students on campus in a given day.
The hybrid option will allow LHS the ability to split the student body into two groups and alternate days these groups participate in either On-Campus or Virtual instruction.
In utilizing this newly approved hybrid method, our 9th-12th grade families will now have
three (3)
different options for instruction this Fall, and the ability to seamlessly transition to any of the three options as they see fit at the end of the nine weeks.
The choices offered to our high school families are:
- On-Campus - Hybrid
- Leopard Virtual Learning
- On-Campus - Hybrid +
For
all
learning environments, LHS will still follow the “block” schedule.
Parents will have the opportunity to affirm their selection in the PowerSchool Parent Portal by August 6th for the first nine weeks.
Option 1 - On-Campus Hybrid -
The student body will be divided into two groups alphabetically. Groups will be adjusted after all parent choices are submitted to even out the groups. For example,
Group 1 - Students with Last Names M-Z
Group 2 - Students with Last Names A-L
Student groups will then be scheduled to attend 2 days of On-Campus learning, followed by 2 days of Virtual learning, alternating which groups would be On-Campus in order to reduce the total number of students on campus at one given time.
Option 2 - Leopard Virtual Learning
- Students will have the ability to learn from home following the “block schedule”. Students will still have the ability to attend athletics or extra-curricular courses that are facility dependent.
Option 3 - Hybrid+
- This option is for our families that may need to ensure technical connectivity or need their student to attend campus five days a week. Students who select this option, will continue to follow the On-Campus hybrid schedule but will have the option to attend LHS physically in assigned “learning center” classrooms on designated virtual learning days.
Learning centers will be staffed by Lovejoy ISD employees, not necessarily teachers, who will be present to monitor students while they work independently on their remote instruction.
Teachers will not be available to meet face to face with students attending the Hybrid+ virtual days, as they will be instructing another cohort of students. However, students may connect with their teachers via email, tutorials, or scheduled office hours.
