Weekly Update from the Office of the Superintendent
Volume 1, Issue 35 (March 19, 2021)
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Virtual & Hybrid Learning
Earlier today, it was reported that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) modified its guidance on social distancing in classrooms, shortening it from 6 feet to 3 feet. We have been closely monitoring this development, as I know many of you are as well. We will examine the CDC guidance and the implications it has moving forward. More information to come as this progresses over the next several weeks. We have all been very anxious, anticipating these changes. As excited as I am as your Superintendent, I also know that I have to be patient and wait for guidance to develop, which will demystify how school districts will be able to modify current plans as we move forward. As I have said before, this will not be as simple as flipping a switch, but we should all be excited to be moving in this direction.
It has now been one year since schools were first forced to close due to the outbreak of COVID-19 in our area. Our focus remains doing whatever we can to make up for lost time and confront the instructional impact of the pandemic. Next week, our District Reopening Task Force will meet again to review the findings of our school teams. These teams have been examining our ability to bring more students back to individual grade levels. We are also in the process of exploring high-impact practices and strategies to make up for the learning loss that students have suffered during the pandemic, such as restructured summer programs and long-term academic intervention. We intend to utilize any additional resources we can leverage for this purpose. We are learning more about how our district might benefit in future years with funding through the recently passed American Rescue Plan, though schools are awaiting details such as how much they will receive, whether it will be offset by cuts to state aid, when that funding will be received, and other factors.
There have been other developments in the area of accountability. In February, the U.S. Department of Education informed states that it will not be granting a blanket waiver for state assessments. Without such a waiver, states will need to meet federal testing requirements. Although New York State has filed for its own waiver, the NYS Board of Regents is making determinations on how the Grade 3-8 assessments and Regents Exams will be conducted if this waiver is not granted. Some of these determinations were communicated to schools this week. One such determination was that the Grade 3-8 Math and ELA assessments will not be administered remotely, which would mean that only students attending school in-person will be eligible to take these assessments. Additionally, the test sessions will be reduced to one day. Also, only four Regents Exams will be administered in June. These exams will be Algebra I, Living Environment, Earth Science (written version only), and ELA. We are awaiting further determinations which will give us a better idea how the Grade 3-8 assessments, Regents Exams, and other tests such as local exams will be administered.
Although Regents Exams will not be required for graduation, it is extremely important for all high school seniors and their families to make sure they are keeping up with coursework and meeting all the necessary course/credit requirements. Last spring, because of the unprecedented nature of the COVID-19 pandemic and its sudden impact on in-person learning, students in the Class of 2020 were provided with a great deal of flexibility so they would not be penalized for the circumstances that were out of their control. Our current Class of 2021 will be required to meet all course and credit requirements, so it is imperative that they make sure they are keeping up with coursework, completing all required assignments, and make up any they missed. Students have the opportunity to make the best out of this challenging situation as the state has been lenient with the requirements for graduation.
It is important to note that the learning environment is far different now than it was last spring, when schools shifted to fully remote learning with little time to prepare. Over the past year, teachers have had the opportunity to become trained and equipped to educate students in this new environment. Students have been able to return to in-person instruction at least two days each week. Our current secondary instructional model is designed to provide them with four days of synchronous instruction each week, with additional opportunities for smaller-group and remedial instruction on Wednesdays. Administrators and teachers have worked extremely hard to maximize learning opportunities for our secondary students. As a result, the learning model has improved significantly over the past year, and accountability for students toward graduation is very real. Students must finish strongly and cross the finish line.
To all of our graduating seniors and their families, please make sure you are doing everything you can to complete any missing assignments and meet all course requirements for graduation. Our students must do their part and continue to work hard and do all that’s expected of them. Our parents and families are encouraged to stay in touch with their child’s teachers and reach out to their counselor to make sure they are on track, utilizing Parent Portal to monitor their progress. We do not want any students to be complacent, fall behind, and not be able to graduate on time in June. We all have a stake in our students’ success. We know that this year, more than ever before, it is a team effort. Let’s go Ken-Ton team and finish this race strongly!
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CELEBRATING WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH |
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Today we celebrate Sojourner Truth, a 19th Century trailblazer who escaped slavery and then worked her whole life to champion women’s rights.
Sojourner Truth was originally named Isabella Baumfree, and went by the name Belle. Her parents were purchased from slave traders by a wealthy landowner in New York State. Belle was born in 1797, three decades before slavery would be abolished in the state. Beginning at the age of nine, Belle was sold multiple times and suffered horrific treatment in captivity. She eventually married another slave and had five children, all born slaves like her. The New York State Legislature was working to abolish slavery at the time, but this would be a long process that wouldn't come to fruition until 1827. A year before that milestone, Belle managed to escape with her infant daughter, but had to leave the rest of her family behind.
They were taken in by a couple who persuaded her former owner to formally part with them for $20. A year later, the New York State Emancipation Act was approved, but Belle was horrified to learn that her 5-year-old son Peter had been illegally sold to a slave owner in Alabama. She took the matter to court and became one of the first black women to go to court against a white man and win.
Later in life, she changed her name to Sojourner Truth and fought for abolition and women's rights. In 1851, she delivered a groundbreaking speech that would later be known all across the world as the "Ain't I a Woman?" speech. In it, she demanded equal human rights for all women as well as for all blacks, and challenged the prevailing notion of gender and racial inequality. It was dangerous and challenging enough at the time to advocate for women's rights, but for an African-American woman, it was even more difficult. Despite that, Sojourner Truth became one of the best-known and earliest women's rights leaders, inspiring women like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony who would go on to lead the women's suffrage movement.
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RECOGNITION: WELLNESS COMMITTEE |
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This week, we recognize the hard-working members of the Ken-Ton School District Wellness Committee, which works on a variety of initiatives throughout the year to support the health and wellness of students, families, and staff. One of these initiatives is Wellness Week, which took place this week and ends today. The members of the Wellness Committee always do an amazing job organizing Wellness Week, but because of the challenges we have all faced the past year, they decided to take this year’s Wellness Week to a new level. There were different themes for each day, and staff were challenged to participate in a variety of fun activities that were organized by the District Wellness Committee and the individual school wellness teams to promote physical and mental health and wellness.
The Wellness Committee includes representatives from each school as well as nurses, health teachers, PE teachers, mental health professionals, the Food Service Department, the Athletics Department, and the Board of Education. The Wellness Committee currently includes:
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- Co-Chairs Laura Jelonek and Heather Ratka
- Brett Banker
- Debra Carey
- Gail Giessert
- Kristin Lynch
- Kim Leggett
- Kim Roll
- Michelle Shea
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- Kyle Horvatis
- Mike Veronica
- April Liebler
- Kristen Simon
- Lisa Siegel
- Kelly Idzik
- Matt Harris
- Julie Hodge
- John Vogt
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- Jen Morrow
- Dr. Tom Reigstad
- Patrick Moses
- Mike Muscarella
- Lisa Cross
- James Nestico
- John Wille
- Jan Cerra
- Teresa Crawford
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Thank you to all the members of the Wellness Committee for all the work you do promoting physical and mental health and well-being and for such a wonderful job organizing this year’s Wellness Week! |
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Thank you for reviewing this information. As always, we remain Ken-Ton Proud, Ken-Ton Strong, and Ken-Ton Moving Forward!
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