Leaders in Franklin, MA, created a video with welcome-back messages that walk students through the day, explain new behavior expectations and provide an example of what schools will look and feel like for students.
Principal Reymundo Cervantes-Guajardo of Henry B Gonzalez PL Academy in Dallas, TX did a Facebook Live where he showed morning procedures and morning circles. This is a quick way to strengthen community trust by showing families what in person learning and procedures look like since families cannot physically visit due to COVID-19 safety measures.
Students at Mission Grammar School (Roxbury, MA) in Michael Morris’ second grade classroom incorporated a twist on their self-portraits this school year by drawing their self-portraits wearing masks. This engaging and fun activity helps to normalize mask-wearing and also helps to develop a positive, fun perception of masks.
Franklin Public Schools created this video to welcome students and families back to in-person learning for the 2020-2021 school year after switching to remote learning due to the pandemic.
Peirce School’s PTO organized an event where families and students came out to write chalk messages thanking teachers for preparing classrooms and other learning spaces to be safe for the return to in-person instruction.
This article from KQED discusses the value in giving stakeholders like staff members and students opportunities to give input on school reopening plans to help build ownership and investment.
School leadership built in time for staff members to give feedback on and poke holes in the return to school plan in order to strengthen the plan and to invest staff members who were apprehensive about returning to the school building in the plan.
Principal Josh Otlin sent weekly updates to parents and students during the lead-up to reopening their school building in the fall of 2020. This is the newsletter that went out the week before school reopened and includes the explanations of the switch to the 4×4 schedule, procedures when in the building, expectations on remote days.
Milford High School switched to a 4×4 model in response to the pandemic. This is a sample of what courses an 11th grader would take.
Milford High School switched to a 4×4 model in response to the pandemic. This is a sample of what courses a 9th grader would take.
