Weekly Update from the Office of the Superintendent
October 16, 2020
This week represented a critical milestone in our hybrid phase-in plan. We had students in attendance at each of our school buildings. We welcomed back our UPK and Gr. K-1 Group A and Group B students, in addition to Gr. K-12 self-contained special education classes. On Tuesday, I was excited to see the buses pull in and students arrive at Hoover Elementary for the first full day of in-person instruction of the 2020-21 school year. All of our faculty and staff did a wonderful job welcoming our students back and implementing the new protocols and procedures that will help them stay healthy and safe.

Our hybrid phase-in plan allows us to gradually return to in-person instruction in the safest manner possible. This approach allows us to slow down or speed up depending on the circumstances of the pandemic in our area. We remain on target for the Nov. 16 phase-in of the rest of our elementary school students (Gr. 2-4), as well as Gr. 5 classes in our middle schools.

Our elementary schools will once again be providing opportunities for orientations to introduce students to their teachers and allow them to become familiar with all of the different safety protocols and procedures they will be following. These will take place on:

  • Wednesday, Oct. 28 for Group A
  • Wednesday, Nov. 4 for Group B

We will continue to look at a multitude of factors in case we can advance our target date of Jan. 4 for Gr. 6-12 classes.

Daily Health Screening:

Families with students who attend school in person are required to complete a daily health screening questionnaire each day. They must confirm that the student has not experienced a fever or new symptoms, has not tested positive for COVID-19, has not been in close contact someone who tested positive, has not travelled to a state or nation with a COVID-19 Travel Advisory, and does not have a fever today.

Any “yes” response would mean the student cannot attend school. This is a very important task. Families can count on us to do everything we can to keep our students healthy and safe. We need to be able to count on our families to keep their children home if they are sick or are at risk of spreading the virus to others.

We began the school year using a Google Form for this questionnaire as we began implementing an easier, more streamlined process through a service called EdVista. Early each morning, EdVista will automatically generate an email containing a link to the form. This system will make it easier for families to complete the form each day. It will also make it easier for staff to identify which families have not completed the form, and to identify students who cannot attend school that day based on the responses.

This week, our staff initiated tests of the EdVista system to make sure it is properly set up and ready to be implemented beginning Monday, Oct. 19. Parents/guardians may have received a message through EdVista over the past few days as part of these tests. Beginning Monday, families of students attending school in person will use the new EdVista form to complete the daily health screening requirement.

We thank all of our families for your cooperation and patience during this process. Our families are doing exactly what we have asked of them: completing the screening questionnaire each day, and keeping their children home when they are sick or at risk of spreading the virus to others.
Community Police Survey:

The Tonawanda Reform and Reinvention Collaborative (TRRC) is a committee that was formed in response to Governor Cuomo's Executive Order 203. This mandate requires police agencies to "partner with community members to develop a plan to proactively evaluate, modify and modernize Town of Tonawanda policing strategies, policies, procedures and practices to better address the needs of the Town of Tonawanda with a focus on communities of color to promote public safety, improve community engagement, and foster trust."

As part of this effort to connect with stakeholders, the Town of Tonawanda Police Department has created a community public safety and law enforcement survey. They are asking the community for input. The information gathered in this survey is anonymous and will be taken into consideration as the team drafts a plan for approval by the Town Board. Click here for a link to the survey. More information about the initiative can be found on the Town of Tonawanda website.
Board of Education Meeting:

As we are phasing in a hybrid schedule and in-person attendance, we are also phasing in physical attendance at Board of Education meetings. The Tuesday, Oct. 13 Board meeting was the first meeting where we invited the public to attend in person, though we will continue to livestream meetings. All of our guests did an outstanding job following the safety procedures that have been set up to ensure their safety. At the meeting, Edison Elementary provided a presentation on its special Edison Garden and recognized student Braelynn Miller, library clerk Debbie Reynolds, and teacher Susan Hirsch. Franklin Elementary provided a presentation on its efforts to support students learning remotely and recognized student William VanDyne, teacher Rebecca Thompson, and teacher aide Kirsten Hoffman. As always, you can watch a video of the meeting at www.ktufsd.org/BOELive.
RECOGNITIONS
This week, I wish to recognize the outstanding work of our Instructional Support Specialists in our Office of Instruction. These are talented, experienced educators and instructional leaders who work alongside classroom teachers every day of the school year in each content area across grade levels. Their charge is to empower the Ken-Ton learning community by supporting innovations in teaching and learning through teacher leadership and job-embedded professional development. They provide authentic opportunities for their colleagues to incorporate and explore best practices. They also serve as advocates on teams and committees throughout the district at all levels.

The role of our Instructional Support Specialists has evolved over the years. It is intended to be responsive and flexible based on student, teacher, and district needs, as well as the curriculum review cycle and duties specific to each content area. They have been working exhaustively with our entire teaching staff to help them adapt to this new and challenging learning environment. Our 12 Instructional Support Specialists for specific content areas are:

  • Claire Bellia, Elementary School (Gr. K-4) Math
  • Kari Fiutak, Elementary (Gr. K-4) School Math
  • Melissa Carrato, Secondary School (Gr. 5-12) Math
  • Amy Butler, Elementary (Gr. K-4) School ELA
  • Lynne Pernick, Elementary (Gr. K-4) School ELA
  • Sandy Terrance, Elementary (Gr. K-4) School ELA
  • Tiffany Van Dewater, Secondary School (Gr. 5-12) ELA
  • Mary Lynn Bieron, Gr. K-12 Social Studies
  • Lisa Davidson, Gr. K-12 Science
  • Mary Bieger, Elementary School (Gr. K-4) Response to Intervention (RtI)
  • Kathy Reiser, Secondary School (Gr. 5-12) RtI/Academic Intervention Services (AIS)
  • Tom Horowitz, Elementary School (Gr. K-4) Behavioral Support

These 12 individuals are joined by the four Instructional Support Specialists for technology integration and innovation, who we were honored to recognize in the Oct. 2 edition of the Weekly Connection. All 16 Instructional Support Specialists are working hard behind the scenes to support and empower our teachers to provide the best education possible for all our students.
Thank you for reviewing this information. As always, we remain Ken-Ton Proud, Ken-Ton Strong, and Ken-Ton Moving Forward!

For previous editions of the Ken-Ton Weekly Connection, visit www.ktufsd.org/connection