Dear Parents and Faculty and Staff,
I am writing to let you know that tomorrow, Friday, December 18th, will be a second all-virtual (all-remote) “snow” day for Mohonasen due to the sheer volume of snow dropped on our community. Although school and town plows and crews have been running since before sunrise, snow removal is going to be a multi-day process and we are unable to open our schools for in-person learning tomorrow due to this. A big shout out to our Director of Facilities, Mr. Joe Mayo, and his crew as they have really stepped up to clear our parking lots, pathways and campuses.
As was the case today, students should log onto their class/subject Google Classrooms in the morning to receive their specific assignments and instructions for the day from their teachers. Some related information for tomorrow is included below:
- Capital Region BOCES CTE classes held at the Center for Advanced Technology will be attending classes virtually. Please check the Google Classroom for your student’s program for additional information.
- Capital Region BOCES P-TECH classes held at the Center for Advanced Technology will be required to virtually attend P-TECH classes. Students should follow their schedule for an “A” day. Please check the Google Classroom for your student’s classes for additional information.
- Middle School and High School Snow Day Instructions: All students should plan to log in to their “B” Day Period 1 class Google Meet at 7:35 a.m. The period 1 teacher will host a brief Meet and attendance will be taken. Students will then be released to complete assignments for the remainder of that specific letter day’s classes. Teachers will post an attendance form in their Google Classroom for students to complete for each class as well. After the period 1 meet, there will be no other live streamed classes. A motivated student should be able to complete all of his or her work within a couple of hours, then go enjoy the remainder of the snow day.
- Pinewood: All Pinewood students should plan to log in to their homeroom teacher’s Google Classroom at 8:50 a.m. for attendance and instructions from their teachers on the outline of the school day and an overview of the work being provided. If you have any questions, please contact your child’s classroom teacher(s).
- Bradt students should follow the directions provided by the classroom teacher, which may include Google Meets and independent practice. All materials have been provided through the Google Classroom or in a “Snow Day” folder. If any parents have questions, please contact your child’s teacher. Daily attendance will be taken tomorrow. If your child is absent, please contact the main office, so that attendance can be adjusted accordingly. The trimester 1 Report Cards will be mailed for “virtual only” students or distributed by backpack for “in-person” students on Monday, December 21st. The second grade morning program has been rescheduled for Monday, December 21st at 9 a.m. The link for the recorded morning program will be available on the district website by Tuesday, December 22nd..
- Afternoon grab-and-go meal distribution will be available tomorrow along with the weekly backpack pick-up.
- Completely remote learners at the high school can pick up work on Monday, December 21st, from 8 to 10 a.m. and from 2 to 3 p.m.
- All afterschool and evening extracurricular and athletic activities are cancelled for tomorrow.
- Building and District Offices will be open tomorrow. All 12-month employees should report at their regular work hours.
- There will be no transportation to private and parochial schools.
Update on Open Windows and Doors in Classrooms: As the cold winter weather is upon us, we have been receiving feedback from parents and teachers and students regarding classrooms being cold during classes. Our original reopening plan called for keeping windows and doors open, to the extent practicable, to help slow the spread of the coronavirus, and that approach is still valid, but we need to adjust to the colder temperatures.
Things vary from building to building and from classroom to classroom so as we make adjustments, things may look different in different locations. For example, in some areas we have strong heaters which can easily keep up with cold air from an open window, while in other areas, even a small window opening can lead to classroom temperatures being unacceptably low. Our plan is to try and achieve the best balance we can in each location. In some classrooms this will mean that the windows will remain completely shut while in others, windows and doors may be able to remain open indefinitely. Teachers, please continue to use your discretion in your classrooms in regards to airflow.
We will continue to have our air handling units exchange the air more frequently than we otherwise would in keeping with Department of Health recommendations. If your classroom can accommodate some degree of window or door opening while keeping the room warm enough for learning, that is fine, but if things are too cold, please use your own judgement and close the windows and doors. We know that students and teachers have worn some extra layers to accommodate things a bit cooler than usual, but we want to ensure that students and teachers have warm enough spaces to effectively teach and learn in.
There is a related issue in some classrooms with drafts, so while the overall room temperature may be acceptable, sitting in a draft can result in things being too cold for specific students. Certainly at the middle and high school levels students can advocate that they may need a seat change, but at the elementary levels, students may not always speak up, so please ensure that if you have a draft in your room that you monitor the students there so they don’t try and “tough it out.” Parents, if you hear of discomfort from your children, please contact your child’s teacher to let them know of the situation so they can shift to ensure your child is warm enough.
Yours in Service,
Shannon Shine
Superintendent
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