January 13, 2021
Dear Families,
Penn Cambria School District will return to a hybrid model of instruction starting on Monday, January 25, 2021. Group B students will attend Monday and Tuesday, all students will be virtual on Wednesday, and Group A students will attend Thursday and Friday. We will again offer additional remote learning support sessions each Wednesday morning with advance sign up required. Each building is also adding additional engagement activities and supports for remote learners.
Starting on January 25th, all remote lessons for the week must be completed by Sunday evening of each week for both attendance and grading purposes. All weekly remote lessons will be posted in Canvas by Monday morning at 8 am. We believe this will provide more structure for our students while also providing our families with necessary flexibility to adjust to individual scheduling challenges with school day work.
We ask all families to be prepared for temporary moves to full virtual instruction based on the PA Department of Education guidance for response to cases in our school buildings. While we know this may present challenges, our students and teachers have experience with full virtual instruction and we believe we will be able to adapt to this change quickly should this occur.
There is additional information found in the document that follows this letter. We will continue to provide information via email and using our website and district Twitter account in the days ahead. We are very excited to welcome our students back to our buildings! We will continue to carefully monitor county, local, and individual school building data. It is our goal to return students to full face-to-face instruction as quickly as may be possible this spring semester using a phased approach starting with grades PreK-4.
You can help us achieve that goal by remembering to use the symptom self-screener each day and not sending your child to school when they exhibit any COVID-like symptoms. Also, please be vigilant about following quarantine recommendations and keeping your child home if he/she has been exposed to someone with COVID-19.
Mr. William Marshall
Superintendent
SCHOOL CALENDAR
- January 25, 2021- Start of Quarter 3
- February 15, 2021- No School – President’s Day
- March 12, 2021 – Spring Vacation – Possible Snow Make Up Day #1
- March 15, 2021- Spring Vacation – Possible Snow Make Up Day #2
- March 26, 2021 – End of Quarter 3
- April 2, 2021 – No School – Easter Vacation
- April 5, 2021 – No School – Possible Snow Make Up Day #3
- May 31, 2021 – No School – Memorial Day
- June 9, 2021 – Last Day of School for Students
BLENDED (HYBRID) SCHEDULE
As per a research study provided by the PA Department of Education, dividing the student population in half, with each half attending school 40 percent of available days, is predicted to slow the spread of the virus substantially. (REL 26)
WEEKLY HYBRID SCHEDULE
| MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY | FRIDAY |
| Group A – Students Last Name A-L will engage in remote lessons via Canvas
Group B – Students Last Name M-Z will attend face-to-face |
Group A – Students Last Name A-L will engage in remote lessons via Canvas
Group B – Students Last Name M-Z will attend face-to-face |
Remote lessons for all students via Canvas
½ day support sessions available for students who need additional support for remote lessons |
Group A – Students Last Name A-L will attend face-to-face
Group B – Students Last Name M-Z will engage in remote lessons via Canvas |
Group A – Students Last Name A-L will attend face-to-face
Group B – Students Last Name M-Z will engage in remote lessons via Canvas |
Week of February 15, 2021 ONLY – Planned Hybrid Schedule
| MONDAY | TUESDAY Feb 16th | WEDNESDAY Feb 17th | THURSDAY Feb 18th | FRIDAY Feb 19th |
| NO SCHOOL – PRESIDENT’S DAY | Group A – Students Last Name A-L will engage in remote lessons via Canvas
Group B – Students Last Name M-Z will attend face-to-face |
Group A – Students Last Name A-L will engage in remote lessons via Canvas
Group B – Students Last Name M-Z will attend face-to-face |
Group A – Students Last Name A-L will attend face-to-face
Group B – Students Last Name M-Z will engage in remote lessons via Canvas |
Group A – Students Last Name A-L will attend face-to-face
Group B – Students Last Name M-Z will engage in remote lessons via Canvas |
- Students residing in the same household with different last name assignments may be scheduled to attend in the same group rotation.
- Any request to change group assignment must be made by contacting the building principal.
ATTENDANCE FOR REMOTE LEARNING
Daily student attendance will be collected on both face-to-face and remote learning days. On days designated for remote learning, daily access to and completion of remote lesson activities is necessary to be marked in attendance. There will be some type of assignment and/or assessment for each day of remote learning.
It is expected that students complete remote lessons on the day for which they are assigned. However, we know that some families face scheduling challenges related to school day work. In order to provide flexibility for families and yet also provide structure for learning, students completing/submitting assignments by Sunday night for the week will not incur a grade or attendance penalty.
All remote lessons for the week (Group A or Group B) must be completed by Sunday night for both attendance and grading purposes. Students will be marked absent and incur grade penalties for late assignments if remote learning activities for the week are not submitted by Sunday night.
PRE-K COUNTS PROGRAM
The Pre-K Counts program will return to hybrid instruction on January 25, 2021 and will follow the elementary learning model as we move through the spring semester.
REMOTE LEARNING AND LESSON DESIGN
We will be following the existing Penn Cambria curriculum with modifications as needed based on health/safety and this hybrid schedule. Teachers will be planning three remote lessons and two face-to-face lessons per week based upon how to best help students learn content within the curriculum unit.
- All online lessons K-12 will be provided to students using the Canvas learning management system. This is a system designed for online learning and provides teachers and students with features that will make for a better experience.
- Families that need information related to Canvas login again should contact either the child’s teacher or the building remote learning guide.
- All teachers will be following a standard lesson format. Teachers will be designing a complete stand-alone lesson for each remote class day and not just providing assignments. Each lesson will include an introductory activity, instruction from the teacher, engagement activities, an assessment, and a wrap up.
- Remote lessons will be provided for all scheduled classes each day.
- Normal grading practices will be used (ex: percent grades).
PARENT CANVAS INFORMATION
Information for parents to help them learn more about Canvas and to share ways that parents can monitor their child’s work in Canvas are posted to our website. There is a parent app for Canvas that allows families to monitor student work.
LAPTOPS & INTERNET ACCESS
We continue to have laptops available for distribution for families in need of devices.
We also have remaining T-Mobile hot spots to provide Internet access for families that qualify for free/reduced lunch and may not have access. Please see our website or call us at 886-8121 to get information.
OFFLINE REMOTE LEARNING
An offline version of the full lessons will be made available only to those families without Internet access. This will contain equivalent off-line materials and activities to mirror the online material.
Offline lesson materials will be provided during the face-to-face sessions and materials need to be returned within 5 school days to be marked present and to avoid any late penalties.
FACULTY AND STAFF
All faculty, staff, and administrators will report to work five days a week according to regular work hours following established health and safety plan guidelines. In addition to planning and implementing remote lessons, Wednesdays will also be used to facilitate student work groups, support learners without Internet access, provide services for students with special needs, or otherwise support the building hybrid learning plan.
BUS TRANSPORTATION
Bus routes for students will remain essentially the same on designated face-to-face days with fewer students on each bus run which will enable greater social distancing. Pick up and drop off times may vary to some degree from published times as a result.
MEAL SERVICE
We recognize the importance of the National School Lunch Program for our families. Breakfast and lunch will be offered for pick up for remote learning days. Information will be shared regarding meal pick up procedures.
INTERVENTIONS AND STUDENT SERVICES
Whenever possible, Title 1 interventions and other student support services may continue to be offered virtually on remote learning days to minimize the need to pull students out of the classroom on days they are in face-to-face learning.
ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES / SUPPORTS FOR REMOTE LEARNERS
Each building is offering opportunities for students to engage in activities or supports on days when the student is learning remotely. These include activities like lunch time trivia games, “snack and chat” sessions, student council activities, teacher office hours and more.
ADDITIONAL SUPPORT-WEDNESDAYS
Starting on Wednesday January 27, 2021, students in need of additional support or who lack Internet access may schedule time to come into the student’s assigned school building on Wednesdays to receive additional assistance or to work on remote lessons under the supervision of a staff member.
Students will be assigned to work in a small group under the supervision of paraprofessionals with at least one faculty member in each building available to also provide help or support as needed. Elementary Title 1 faculty will also be available for support for K-4 students. Students will be assigned to work in groups based on their A/B rotation. This is provided as remote learning time for all students and is not designed as childcare or daycare.
TO SCHEDULE
Families must complete the form located on our website to register for Wednesday sessions by Monday at noon each week in order to attend. This MUST be scheduled in advance to be sure we have groups assigned, staff coverage, and transportation if necessary.
If you are unable to use the form or have questions about scheduling, please use the contacts below.
PC Elementary Schools – Ms. Adrienne Dodson 886-2151 x5111
PC Middle School – Ms. Lisa Prebish 886-4181 x3003
PC High School – Mr. Greg Shingle 886-8188 x2003
TIMES – 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM in each building
TRANSPORTATION
Transportation can be provided via Wilkinson’s Bus Co. Pick up and drop times and locations will vary each week based on students in need of transportation that day. Families may also provide their own transportation if they choose to only have their child attend for part of this time. However, it still must be scheduled as noted above for group assignments and staffing purposes.
LUNCH – Students who are in the building will be able to receive a bagged lunch if needed.
TECHNOLOGY DEVICES – Students should bring their own device, or their district issued laptop if possible since computer lab space is limited in each building.
