December 18, 2020

Marisol Ramos-Lopez

585.455.2844 (m)

The Rochester City School District is just a few short weeks away from having some of its students return to Phase 1 of its in-person learning on January 5! K - 12 Students with Disabilities in Specialized Programs will start January 5, which is a new start date. Staff members of that specific student population are being allowed access to visit classrooms in these buildings between now and January 4^th for any needed classroom set up or care.

Two weeks ago, schools contacted families about their preferred choice of learning for the remainder of the school year. Families chose to continue with either fully remote learning or a hybrid/in-person model with two days of in-person instruction for their child(ren). Overwhelmingly, a majority of our families supported the remote learning model we have been using since the beginning of this school year. The results are below:

Those families who did not respond with a selection or were undecided will remain remote and continue to receive four days of virtual learning. Wednesdays will continue to be an asynchronous/independent day of learning.  

Phase 2 for grades Pre-K - 6 will begin on Monday, February 8, 2021 for our general and special education students who chose hybrid/in-person learning. These students will receive four days of instruction: two consecutive days will be hybrid/in-person and two days will be fully remote. Wednesdays will be completely asynchronous/independent learning. In most circumstances, students will keep their existing teachers. 

While our hybrid students attend class in-person, remote students will join using zoom for a part of the school day. Teachers will teach remote and in-person students at the same time using Seesaw and Google classrooms as our primary learning platforms. Hybrid/in-person learning will also include asynchronous/independent learning opportunities for all students. Teachers will utilize a variety of methods to ensure that our students are engaged and have access to high-quality experiences every day. 

Phase 3: All of our students in grades 7-12 will remain completely virtual. While primary instruction will be delivered in a remote setting, students will have the opportunity to have in-person support in learning pods. Learning pods will include instructional and social emotional support, including resources needed for graduating seniors.

In January, families of students in Pre-K - 6 will receive a letter with their child’s school, teacher’s name, and information about the return to school for hybrid/in-person learning, as well as transportation. Families will also receive the back-to-school guide that can be found online at www.rcsdk12.org/familyguide as well as a consent form allowing the District to test children for COVID-19.

I appreciate the flexibility, resiliency, and understanding everyone in our RCSD community has shown as we prepare to return to in-person learning, keeping everyone healthy and safe. 

Lesli Myers-Small

Superintendent of Schools

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