Alpine Union School District Superintendent Richard Newman says the district started planning for the day when students can return to campus classrooms back when they were sent home for social distancing to limit the spread of COVID-19.
“When Alpine schools closed on March 13, we ordered thermal thermometers; we’ve already ordered the plexiglass for all of our health offices and front offices, a pallet of hand sanitizer. All of that is on site now knowing that when we come back, it’s going to be a whole different world,” Newman said.
He describes the district’s approach to education through the pandemic at different stages: the planning that went into home-based learning just prior to release from classrooms, the current situation, and what the future might hold when children are able to return to campuses.
Newman listed ways the district planned for and is responding to an unforeseen pandemic.
“When we initially closed our schools, we put a learning plan in place right away and then over Spring Break we provided training for all of our staff, not just our teachers but also our classified employees.
“We’ve rolled out Chromebooks, we’ve tried to preserve the social and emotional connection with drive-bys for students. We’ve got a cooking program that comes out regularly, virtual Fun Fridays, History Mondays, so many things to keep students engaged,” Newman said.
According to the superintendent, the district is currently averaging a 92% attendance rate, which he says is a huge accomplishment as Joan MacQueen Middle School boasts that same high rate in a regular school year.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our staff. At the middle school, everyday there is the opportunity for face-to-face instruction in a virtual setting. We didn’t want to get away from small group instruction. Across the board, we have put things into the online classroom without watering it down,” Newman said.
Looking to the immediate future, he reports that state testing has been suspended for the year but says every teacher has instituted learning targets for individual lessons, providing a roadmap for where lessons should take each student.
“It’s not just that teachers need to know where they’re headed but students need to know as well so they recognize when they are successful in their learning,” Newman said.
Furthermore, he says district leaders are aware that asking parents to be teachers at home is a challenge so they are developing online training for how much online learning time is required and what support children will need to realize success.
The superintendent says the pandemic isn’t going away overnight and already has begun planning for the next school year.
“At Mountain View, we already have distance learning, a hybrid option and a homeschool option. All of our essential staff are working from home and district wide, we’re talking and having a dialogue on what we can do with distance learning moving forward. What can we accomplish more effectively? What has changed in the world that we can put in place here?”
Shifting his focus ahead roughly four months, Newman says the district is looking at how to schedule classes for the following school year.
He says district leaders have tried to take an approach to support all of Alpine, thinking beyond the school day and reaching out to staff members who are unable to work at home to ask for their expertise.
“We’re looking at having some kind of modified schedule so students will have some time in school learning, as well as some before or after school focused time so parents can go back to work. If we have to limit the number of students and continue with some amount of social distancing, it’s important to really support our community as a whole,” Newman said.
