Centennial Community,
I hope this finds you all in good health. I wanted to send you a quick update about the status of the return to normalized instruction here at Centennial.
We had an excellent response rate to the Parent Commitment Form (90%) and that has allowed our staff and me to make quick decisions. 55% of our students will be remaining in a fully virtual program of studies. This means that we will be following what is being called the A/A, B/B format. Students who are in Group A will attend in-person classes on campus on Monday and Tuesday, and Group B will attend on Thursday and Friday. Students were preassigned to groups in the fall in anticipation of our return to a hybrid model. While it appears we will not need to make any adjustments to our groupings, there may be situations that necessitate changes in the next week. For example, a student with a younger sibling whose A/B House must be reassigned due to capacity issues at the elementary or middle school may result in a shift for the student enrolled here at Centennial.
There have been many questions asked by our community over the past week about what school will ‘look like’ for our returning students. Below are some of the FAQ’s I’ve collected.
Q. What will the class sizes be on A and B days?
On average, student tallies by class indicate size ranges from 2-10. There are a few larger classes that take place in spaces that can accommodate the higher number.
Q. What will instruction look like?
Classes will be taught by teachers to both in-person and virtual learners concurrently. As is the case even when all students are in-person, instruction will consist of a combination of synchronous and asynchronous work through teacher-led lessons, assignments, group work and homework. You can expect there to be a combination of whole group activities, small group activities, and independent assignments just as was the case pre-COVID. The students will be using technology for at least part of the day while in-person and should bring a charged device with them to school.
Q. What will the bell schedule be?
The bell schedule has been adjusted to a slightly later start time: 7:45. To see the complete schedule, visit our website: https://chs.hcpss.org/about/bell-schedules
Q. Where will students eat lunch?
Students are scheduled to eat lunch in the cafeteria. Tables have been replaced by forward facing student desks and chairs that have been placed 6 feet apart. Students will also be permitted to eat outside - weather permitting.
Q. What’s the process for parking?
We have already provided students with applications to register their cars to be on school property. At 1:34pm today I was notified that the county is working on a process for having families complete the Safe Driver requirement at home and submit evidence of completion. We will not be charging for permits this year and we do not anticipate issues with all students who have an interest in being able to drive to school.
Q. How will rooms be cleaned between classes?
Students will be provided with wipes to clean down their work spaces and touch points before beginning their work.
Q. What if my student gets sick but can still go to class virtually? Will that be allowed?
Yes. If your student is scheduled to report to in-person classes but can not come to school due to symptoms or other illness that makes staying out of public spaces safer for everyone, they may join their class online with the virtual students. Students should notify teachers in advance if they will be changing their mode of participation for that day so adjustments can be made if necessary. If the change in attendance pattern will be for an extended period of time, we will need to review their group assignment. Families would need to contact their schools counselor in that case.
Q. I missed the deadline for completing the Commitment Form. What do I do now?
We had 140 students who did not submit a form. All of these students were automatically assigned to the Virtual Instruction group (Group V). If you wish to have this assignment reviewed and your student considered for in-person instruction, you will need to send me an email request. We will audit the classes your student is enrolled in to determine if there is capacity in those classrooms. If there is space, you will be notified of a change in group assignment. Please be aware that transportation may not be available immediately - or at all - since the deadline was not met.
These are only a few of the most commonly asked. I’m sure you may have more. Fortunately, the school system has put together a really great collection of FAQ’s and posted them on the system website at www.help.hcpss.org. If you check that resource and are not able to find what you're looking for, don’t hesitate to reach out to any of us. We are always happy to help.
Wishing you all a good extended weekend. We hope our athletes who are beginning the modified fall sports season have much success!
Cindy Dillon,
Principal