Hamilton Headlines

News and notes from
Hamilton Middle
March 11, 2021
Vol. 2, Issue 33
Adding Face-To-Face Schooling Option

As you may have heard earlier today, the school district has announced a time table for providing a face-to-face (F2F) schooling option at all grade levels. Dates have already been determined for grades 4K-2. Additional grade levels will add a F2F option as follows:

April 13--Grade 3 students return
April 20--Students at grades 4, 5, 6, 9, and 12 return
April 27--Students in grades 7, 8, 10, and 11 return
Photos: Kindergarten students returned to our campus this past Tuesday, albeit on the Van Hise end.
Reset: Hamilton Protocols to Help Insure Safety in a Pandemic

If you are a regular reader of Hamilton Headlines, you have read about our growing list of protocols that our Hamilton Planning For Safety committee has been developing to help ensure student and staff safety as we add a face-to-face option for schooling. The list of pandemic safety protocols now numbers 77. A lot for sure! We have created a pandemic safety protocols document for our community. The document does not list 77 individual protocols as some have been merged together, and a healthy number have been left out as they apply specifically to Hamilton staff members. Keep in mind that there is a shifting nature to the sands of this pandemic, and as such, the linked document will be updated as needed as we move toward the introduction of a face-to-face option for schooling.
Preference App Coming Monday

Hamilton families (and all district families) will be provided with communication through something called a Preference App to tell us if they prefer their child to continue in a completely distance environment, our join us F2F.  The App will be made available on Monday at 7am and close Friday night at midnight. We will be working throughout next week to encourage our Hamilton families to complete the survey.
Cohort Groups
We will have two cohorts of students for the F2F option, with one group coming on Tuesday and Wednesday each week, and the other coming on Thursday and Friday. Once all families have responded to the above Preference App, we can begin the process of assigning students to cohorts. The purpose of the cohorts is simply to make sure we can maintain adequate spacing in our classrooms at Hamilton.
A Note on Spacing
You may have noticed new guidelines coming from the CDC suggesting that spacing between students can be reduced from six feet to three feet. The district will also be communicating about this change in distance. However, please note that even if all Hamilton families chose a F2F option, typical class sizes will be under 15 students due to the use of two cohorts. The typical classroom at Hamilton comfortably accommodates 15 students with six feet of distancing all around.  There are a handful of classes where there are more than 30 total students, but most of these gather in larger spaces like the gym, orchestra room, etc. where we can accommodate more students while maintaining six feet of distance.  Where three feet may have to be the norm could be buses and hallways during transition times depending on the numbers of families selecting a F2F option.
Upcoming Dates of Interest
Mark your calendars for these upcoming dates:
March
  • 14--Daylight Savings Begins--Spring ahead one-hour
  • 19--No School: Staff Prof. Dev.
  • 29-April 2--Spring Break!
Hamilton Quick Links:
Report an Absence: 204-4702
PTO
Hamilton Middle Website