May 1, 2020 --
Dear Parents,
I hope you and your family are doing well.
Over the past week, we have received additional guidance from the Department of Secondary and Elementary Education (DESE), as well as survey feedback from teachers, staff, and parents. Throughout this pandemic, our approach has been thoughtful and measured, and we will now pivot into the next phase of remote learning. Beginning on Monday, May 4th our teachers and staff will increase their scheduled synchronous sessions of Zoom and continue to deliver new content. Teachers will also continue the use of asynchronous instructional methods such as Screencastify and Google Classroom. In addition, there is an expectation that all students will attend their scheduled synchronous Zoom classes.
The guidance from DESE has identified "essential learnings" for each grade level and academic department K-12. In the next six weeks, our instruction and assignments will be focused on these standards. Parents interested in viewing the essential learnings and the Medfield Remote Learning Map can click here. The Medfield Public Schools Remote Learning Plan with the Phase IV update can be found here.
I think it's important to note that just as remote learning does not equal online learning, a Zoom class does not equal the only time our teachers are working. In addition to their teaching responsibilities, our teachers' days are filled with planning, lesson/video development, grade-level meetings, department meetings, whole building faculty meetings, lEP meetings, 504 meetings, consults, professional development, managing their own families and all the same COVID-19 stresses as everyone else. The most consistent theme coming from our teachers, administrators, and staff is how much we all miss your kids.
In preparation for 2020-2021, the Medfield School Committee, our leadership team, and area superintendents have already begun conversations around re-entry plans and what "going to school" might look like in September. The coming months will be critical to our path back to normalcy and I will continue to keep you updated during the entire process.
Thank you for your support of our students and I hope you have a great weekend.
Sincerely,
Jeff Marsden