APS concurrent for grades 3-5

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The amount of changes they would have to make to redo the entire plan are not workable this late in the year. I understand January doesn’t feel late but in school time, it is. They don’t have time to get more buses and drivers and monitors and mics and swivel cams to use for a couple months. Hybrid will probably happen but it’s a short term plan and districts are moving forward with SY2022 planning now too.

Ha. APS will start planning for SY2022 the third week in August and not a moment sooner.

Agree -- this type of thinking is why we had no virtual school spring 2020 while the great planning for the 2020-2021 occurred... oh wait.

I think this is key, and part of why so many parents are angry, frustrated, disappointed at this point. The lack of educating kids for the entire last quarter of the 19-20 school year, combined with asynchronous Mondays, several days off for "planning".. all amount to less instruction, and at least from what I've seen, the DL is so poorly executed and ineffective for the younger grades. All of this is why parents are furious and want schools to open. APS has botched this majorly and we are all fed up.

Can we just note that they are ending elememtary school early on Feb 5 for extra teacher training when they already don't teach on Mondays to make room for professional development?

Exactly.. the lack of plan and poor execution combined with all the time off of school for just that purpose - totally infuriating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Going half the day either AM or PM with neither group eating AT school would be good except for the childcare issue it creates which is why it won’t happen.

What difference is this to back in the day when there was half day Kindergarten. You either went in the morning or afternoon. Folks made it work. I was in this group in 1985 and this was an era where women worked so not too many stay at home moms. Lower income families tend to have multiple generations living in one home so childcare is less problematic for them. This can be a business venture for someone just as the pod finding agencies that started up. They can offer afterschool care or before at some fee, and people will pay it, or who ever is watching their kid during DL now will continue.

Because they can only put 11 kids on a bus to maintain distancing and there aren't enough buses to run this with the overlapping transit times.

Does anyone know how they came up with the 11 number? Sports teams are able to fit 20 to a bus but for school it can only be 11??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Going half the day either AM or PM with neither group eating AT school would be good except for the childcare issue it creates which is why it won’t happen.

What difference is this to back in the day when there was half day Kindergarten. You either went in the morning or afternoon. Folks made it work. I was in this group in 1985 and this was an era where women worked so not too many stay at home moms. Lower income families tend to have multiple generations living in one home so childcare is less problematic for them. This can be a business venture for someone just as the pod finding agencies that started up. They can offer afterschool care or before at some fee, and people will pay it, or who ever is watching their kid during DL now will continue.

Because they can only put 11 kids on a bus to maintain distancing and there aren't enough buses to run this with the overlapping transit times.

Does anyone know how they came up with the 11 number? Sports teams are able to fit 20 to a bus but for school it can only be 11??

They posted a diagram at some point showing where kids are allowed to sit. Kids sit staggered in every other row.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Going half the day either AM or PM with neither group eating AT school would be good except for the childcare issue it creates which is why it won’t happen.

I'd love this plan, but I think APS has already passed on it because of transportation issues. They're already struggling with bussing issues.

APS struggled from the very beginning with the logistical side of this. I've said for six months that they need to hire either a permanent employee with significant planning and logistical skill, for example a retired military officer who handled large scale logistics and operations, or hire an outside firm. Things like the details of bussing, the singular focus on food distribution last spring, issues with distributing iPads, all of these things that the APS staff simply don't have the experience to manage and so couldn't figure it out.

It is absolutely clear that APS can't handle logistical planning whatsoever. Even at a recent PTA meet our elementary principal couldn't answer basic questions, like where they would have students go after getting off the bus or how they would have specials with both DL and in person students. APS can't go back because there is still no plan. They have no idea how to do this.

That’s fair, but every large school district in the DMV is struggling with this. It is not an APS-specific issue. I personally think they have done better than others. Quite a few of them set dates that they should have known would he impossible to honor- several times over.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Going half the day either AM or PM with neither group eating AT school would be good except for the childcare issue it creates which is why it won’t happen.

What difference is this to back in the day when there was half day Kindergarten. You either went in the morning or afternoon. Folks made it work. I was in this group in 1985 and this was an era where women worked so not too many stay at home moms. Lower income families tend to have multiple generations living in one home so childcare is less problematic for them. This can be a business venture for someone just as the pod finding agencies that started up. They can offer afterschool care or before at some fee, and people will pay it, or who ever is watching their kid during DL now will continue.

Would it be ideal? No. Nothing is right now. It would be a heck of a lot better than what we’ve got. And I’ve read that it’s being used in other states.

We don't have enough bus drivers as it is. Not trying to be a naysayer, but this goes back to the logistics. They can't figure out which kids would go in the am and which in the pm. If you got by last name so that siblings are together, you have to reshuffle teachers and classes. Literally the logistics involved in anything less than full open 5 days per week for all kids and teachers are what is making this impossible for APS. Yes, all of the vocal parents screaming and shouting aren't helping either.

APS could completely due this if they started from a position of 'what changes do we need to make to make this work' instead of starting from 'why is this not feasible.'
FCCPS sends its elementary kids 1/2 days 4 days a week. The first 1/2 of the alphabet is in school from 9-11:50. During the inschool time they get math, language arts, science and social studies. Then they go home and have virtual specials and independent work. The teachers have an 1 break for lunch, and the second half of the alphabet comes in. The teachers teach twice. In terms of buses, FCCPS allows one child per seat, none of this only 11 kids on a bus garbage. APS knee capped itself with the 11 person rule. There was a SB meeting in the fall where Duran said that APS was the only system who was limiting itself to 11 kids per bus- he viewed this as a good thing 'look how much better we are.' I view it as a complete misunderstanding of risk.
FCCPS is a small school system- but the elementary schools themselves are similar sizes to most APS schools, if not a little larger. Especially if you remove the option schools from the discussion- there is no reason in the world why the 1/2 day isn't a completely feasible plan for APS elementary.

In terms of what it does to childcare- having your children in school for 1/2 a day 4 days a week isn't any worse than having your kid home all the time, or having them gone 2 full days.

I heard FCCOS had to cancel in person??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Going half the day either AM or PM with neither group eating AT school would be good except for the childcare issue it creates which is why it won’t happen.

What difference is this to back in the day when there was half day Kindergarten. You either went in the morning or afternoon. Folks made it work. I was in this group in 1985 and this was an era where women worked so not too many stay at home moms. Lower income families tend to have multiple generations living in one home so childcare is less problematic for them. This can be a business venture for someone just as the pod finding agencies that started up. They can offer afterschool care or before at some fee, and people will pay it, or who ever is watching their kid during DL now will continue.

Would it be ideal? No. Nothing is right now. It would be a heck of a lot better than what we’ve got. And I’ve read that it’s being used in other states.

We don't have enough bus drivers as it is. Not trying to be a naysayer, but this goes back to the logistics. They can't figure out which kids would go in the am and which in the pm. If you got by last name so that siblings are together, you have to reshuffle teachers and classes. Literally the logistics involved in anything less than full open 5 days per week for all kids and teachers are what is making this impossible for APS. Yes, all of the vocal parents screaming and shouting aren't helping either.

APS could completely due this if they started from a position of 'what changes do we need to make to make this work' instead of starting from 'why is this not feasible.'
FCCPS sends its elementary kids 1/2 days 4 days a week. The first 1/2 of the alphabet is in school from 9-11:50. During the inschool time they get math, language arts, science and social studies. Then they go home and have virtual specials and independent work. The teachers have an 1 break for lunch, and the second half of the alphabet comes in. The teachers teach twice. In terms of buses, FCCPS allows one child per seat, none of this only 11 kids on a bus garbage. APS knee capped itself with the 11 person rule. There was a SB meeting in the fall where Duran said that APS was the only system who was limiting itself to 11 kids per bus- he viewed this as a good thing 'look how much better we are.' I view it as a complete misunderstanding of risk.
FCCPS is a small school system- but the elementary schools themselves are similar sizes to most APS schools, if not a little larger. Especially if you remove the option schools from the discussion- there is no reason in the world why the 1/2 day isn't a completely feasible plan for APS elementary.

In terms of what it does to childcare- having your children in school for 1/2 a day 4 days a week isn't any worse than having your kid home all the time, or having them gone 2 full days.

I heard FCCOS had to cancel in person??

We were in person in NOvember, then went virtual for a while b/c of rising numbers. FCCPS sends all elementary back this Tuesday, and grades 6-12.

[Anonymous]

If anyone has contacted APS about this, and the statements Bridget Loft made last summer that this was inappropriate for younger kids, can you share if you get a response beyond the generic auto-response?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If anyone has contacted APS about this, and the statements Bridget Loft made last summer that this was inappropriate for younger kids, can you share if you get a response beyond the generic auto-response?

Me too. Middle school parent who would love to hear why she changed her view that concurrent is only OK for high school. Dreading this concurrent model when APS finally goes to hybrid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If anyone has contacted APS about this, and the statements Bridget Loft made last summer that this was inappropriate for younger kids, can you share if you get a response beyond the generic auto-response?

Please do. Including younger kids/grades in concurrent is ridiculous. for both students and teachers. this is setting no-one up for success.

[Anonymous]

And tune in to the school board meeting tonight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And tune in to the school board meeting tonight.

There were a few ridiculous speakers, but this last one is the worst. He doesn’t even know what topic he’s discussing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Going half the day either AM or PM with neither group eating AT school would be good except for the childcare issue it creates which is why it won’t happen.

What difference is this to back in the day when there was half day Kindergarten. You either went in the morning or afternoon. Folks made it work. I was in this group in 1985 and this was an era where women worked so not too many stay at home moms. Lower income families tend to have multiple generations living in one home so childcare is less problematic for them. This can be a business venture for someone just as the pod finding agencies that started up. They can offer afterschool care or before at some fee, and people will pay it, or who ever is watching their kid during DL now will continue.

Because they can only put 11 kids on a bus to maintain distancing and there aren't enough buses to run this with the overlapping transit times.

Does anyone know how they came up with the 11 number? Sports teams are able to fit 20 to a bus but for school it can only be 11??

APS is the only school district using 11 kids per bus. Just open the windows one kid per row (other than siblings).

[Anonymous]

Rambling response from Loft. She acknowledged what she said in August but said they don’t have teacher staffing to support hybrid for everyone. Also, Pope’s MS Teams picture is highly unprofessional.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Going half the day either AM or PM with neither group eating AT school would be good except for the childcare issue it creates which is why it won’t happen.

What difference is this to back in the day when there was half day Kindergarten. You either went in the morning or afternoon. Folks made it work. I was in this group in 1985 and this was an era where women worked so not too many stay at home moms. Lower income families tend to have multiple generations living in one home so childcare is less problematic for them. This can be a business venture for someone just as the pod finding agencies that started up. They can offer afterschool care or before at some fee, and people will pay it, or who ever is watching their kid during DL now will continue.

Because they can only put 11 kids on a bus to maintain distancing and there aren't enough buses to run this with the overlapping transit times.

Does anyone know how they came up with the 11 number? Sports teams are able to fit 20 to a bus but for school it can only be 11??

APS sports?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rambling response from Loft. She acknowledged what she said in August but said they don’t have teacher staffing to support hybrid for everyone. Also, Pope’s MS Teams picture is highly unprofessional.

Translation:

"We don't have what we need to make our vision of hybrid learning work, so instead you're going to get a worse model of it that I, myself, said wasn't appropriate for upper elementary."