Virtual?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a teacher and I got an email from admin to be ready Friday for virtual. My impression is that if they call it, it’s 100% a virtual day. Live checkins for all periods. Needed as time is ticking for end of the semester. Maybe elementary will get packets?

Can’t be live on Friday. First day of code purple is a teacher planning day

There is no planning. It’s essentially meeting with each period for 30 minutes. That’s how it was explained to me. I don’t need to plan for a check in.

How is that an instructional day? Or would MCPS not try to count it as one of the required 180 days?

Most likely because it’s the end of the quarter. I need and want my students to do what they can so they aren’t super overwhelmed next week. We will see them tomorrow so they might be told it virtual could happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was under the impression that schools needed to notify students by 12:00 PM of the day before they plan to go virtual. (Take heed—I’m pretty sure I saw this info in another forum post.) Are these plans for tomorrow or friday?

We got an email saying that students will be notified by 12pm the day before.

[Anonymous]

All of the push out of information by principals and no one posted the presentation link yet? Here it is.

Slide 6
"If there is the possibility of a virtual synchronous instruction day:
● A “Get Ready” announcement will be sent
● The decision to offer virtual instruction in place of a traditional snow day will be announced by NOON on the day prior
● Messages will be shared with students, staff, and families to remind them that it is a required (virtual) school day
● Schools will share additional information about schedules, technology, and instruction"

With all of the messaging being sent by principals this evening, I think MCPS is positioning to have a code Purple Day on Friday. We'll be in person Thursday so they can send home chromebooks and make sure they are set up. Noon Thursday they announce, teachers can prep, and kids log in Friday. There is some urgency to not loose another day here at the end of the quarter, the timing of Friday's weather is perfectly bad, and at some point MCPS wants to have a code purple so they can work out the kinks. We still have another 2 months of winter weather. My bet is on Code Purple Friday.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All of the push out of information by principals and no one posted the presentation link yet? Here it is.

Slide 6
"If there is the possibility of a virtual synchronous instruction day:
● A “Get Ready” announcement will be sent
● The decision to offer virtual instruction in place of a traditional snow day will be announced by NOON on the day prior
● Messages will be shared with students, staff, and families to remind them that it is a required (virtual) school day
● Schools will share additional information about schedules, technology, and instruction"

With all of the messaging being sent by principals this evening, I think MCPS is positioning to have a code Purple Day on Friday. We'll be in person Thursday so they can send home chromebooks and make sure they are set up. Noon Thursday they announce, teachers can prep, and kids log in Friday. There is some urgency to not loose another day here at the end of the quarter, the timing of Friday's weather is perfectly bad, and at some point MCPS wants to have a code purple so they can work out the kinks. We still have another 2 months of winter weather. My bet is on Code Purple Friday.

Doubtful. They’d need to decide by noon Thursday to close….

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All of the push out of information by principals and no one posted the presentation link yet? Here it is.

Slide 6
"If there is the possibility of a virtual synchronous instruction day:
● A “Get Ready” announcement will be sent
● The decision to offer virtual instruction in place of a traditional snow day will be announced by NOON on the day prior
● Messages will be shared with students, staff, and families to remind them that it is a required (virtual) school day
● Schools will share additional information about schedules, technology, and instruction"

With all of the messaging being sent by principals this evening, I think MCPS is positioning to have a code Purple Day on Friday. We'll be in person Thursday so they can send home chromebooks and make sure they are set up. Noon Thursday they announce, teachers can prep, and kids log in Friday. There is some urgency to not loose another day here at the end of the quarter, the timing of Friday's weather is perfectly bad, and at some point MCPS wants to have a code purple so they can work out the kinks. We still have another 2 months of winter weather. My bet is on Code Purple Friday.

I think this is likely too. It will have lots of issues but they might as well practice trying to pull it off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All of the push out of information by principals and no one posted the presentation link yet? Here it is.

Slide 6
"If there is the possibility of a virtual synchronous instruction day:
● A “Get Ready” announcement will be sent
● The decision to offer virtual instruction in place of a traditional snow day will be announced by NOON on the day prior
● Messages will be shared with students, staff, and families to remind them that it is a required (virtual) school day
● Schools will share additional information about schedules, technology, and instruction"

With all of the messaging being sent by principals this evening, I think MCPS is positioning to have a code Purple Day on Friday. We'll be in person Thursday so they can send home chromebooks and make sure they are set up. Noon Thursday they announce, teachers can prep, and kids log in Friday. There is some urgency to not loose another day here at the end of the quarter, the timing of Friday's weather is perfectly bad, and at some point MCPS wants to have a code purple so they can work out the kinks. We still have another 2 months of winter weather. My bet is on Code Purple Friday.

Doubtful. They’d need to decide by noon Thursday to close….

My interpretation of this is that they don’t need to determine if the next day is a snow day, rather they need to put students and faculty on notice that if the next day is a snow day it will be virtual. It wouldn’t make sense otherwise.

[Anonymous]

I'm in Clarksburg at another school and yes we were told Virtual for Friday.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So if kids don’t do it are they excused?

Elementary schools are in the midst of mandatory testing (MAP testing, district mandated reading interim assessments, DIBELS assessing, WIDA testing, etc.) We need charged chromebooks for ALL of these assessments. The thought of having to send them home (unprotected) in the hopes that they are returned unharmed is distressing. They will of course, return uncharged which presents its own problems. There is no "win" with a decision to go virtual for the elementary students.

Elementary schools should NEVER go virtual. Did we learn NOTHING from 1.5 years of Covid? It is a farce. Just say you don't care about actual education and be done with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So if kids don’t do it are they excused?

Per MCPS, absences on virtual days are to be considered "excused." If a decision has been made to go virtual, teachers must be notified by noon the day before a virtual teaching day.

The majority of elementary schools have switched back to a "cart" model, which means the chromebooks are housed in a cart and the chargers are wired into the cart. There are no cases or chargers to send home with most elementary students. If need be, the chromebooks would go straight from the cart to students' backpacks (with no protective case and no charger).

Elementary schools are in the midst of mandatory testing (MAP testing, district mandated reading interim assessments, DIBELS assessing, WIDA testing, etc.) We need charged chromebooks for ALL of these assessments. The thought of having to send them home (unprotected) in the hopes that they are returned unharmed is distressing. They will of course, return uncharged which presents its own problems. There is no "win" with a decision to go virtual for the elementary students.

Yes this! I'm a K parent. It seems like a ton of work for teachers, a lot of extra work for parents who are already juggling work/childcare on a snow day, and very little learning/benefit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All of the push out of information by principals and no one posted the presentation link yet? Here it is.

Slide 6
"If there is the possibility of a virtual synchronous instruction day:
● A “Get Ready” announcement will be sent
● The decision to offer virtual instruction in place of a traditional snow day will be announced by NOON on the day prior
● Messages will be shared with students, staff, and families to remind them that it is a required (virtual) school day
● Schools will share additional information about schedules, technology, and instruction"

With all of the messaging being sent by principals this evening, I think MCPS is positioning to have a code Purple Day on Friday. We'll be in person Thursday so they can send home chromebooks and make sure they are set up. Noon Thursday they announce, teachers can prep, and kids log in Friday. There is some urgency to not loose another day here at the end of the quarter, the timing of Friday's weather is perfectly bad, and at some point MCPS wants to have a code purple so they can work out the kinks. We still have another 2 months of winter weather. My bet is on Code Purple Friday.

Your interpretation is only correct if the announcement of code purple is decoupled from the "Get Ready" announcement. The actual language is vague and could mean that a virtual day happens if the school were to close, but it could also mean that the decision itself to go virtual happens at the "Get Ready" announcement.


Doubtful. They’d need to decide by noon Thursday to close….

My interpretation of this is that they don’t need to determine if the next day is a snow day, rather they need to put students and faculty on notice that if the next day is a snow day it will be virtual. It wouldn’t make sense otherwise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So if kids don’t do it are they excused?

Per MCPS, absences on virtual days are to be considered "excused." If a decision has been made to go virtual, teachers must be notified by noon the day before a virtual teaching day.

The majority of elementary schools have switched back to a "cart" model, which means the chromebooks are housed in a cart and the chargers are wired into the cart. There are no cases or chargers to send home with most elementary students. If need be, the chromebooks would go straight from the cart to students' backpacks (with no protective case and no charger).

Elementary schools are in the midst of mandatory testing (MAP testing, district mandated reading interim assessments, DIBELS assessing, WIDA testing, etc.) We need charged chromebooks for ALL of these assessments. The thought of having to send them home (unprotected) in the hopes that they are returned unharmed is distressing. They will of course, return uncharged which presents its own problems. There is no "win" with a decision to go virtual for the elementary students.

It will be fine. Chrome books were handed out without cases initially.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So if kids don’t do it are they excused?

Elementary schools are in the midst of mandatory testing (MAP testing, district mandated reading interim assessments, DIBELS assessing, WIDA testing, etc.) We need charged chromebooks for ALL of these assessments. The thought of having to send them home (unprotected) in the hopes that they are returned unharmed is distressing. They will of course, return uncharged which presents its own problems. There is no "win" with a decision to go virtual for the elementary students.

Elementary schools should NEVER go virtual. Did we learn NOTHING from 1.5 years of Covid? It is a farce. Just say you don't care about actual education and be done with it.

One day of virtual will be ok. Sounds like a parenting issue, not a school issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So if kids don’t do it are they excused?

Elementary schools are in the midst of mandatory testing (MAP testing, district mandated reading interim assessments, DIBELS assessing, WIDA testing, etc.) We need charged chromebooks for ALL of these assessments. The thought of having to send them home (unprotected) in the hopes that they are returned unharmed is distressing. They will of course, return uncharged which presents its own problems. There is no "win" with a decision to go virtual for the elementary students.

Elementary schools should NEVER go virtual. Did we learn NOTHING from 1.5 years of Covid? It is a farce. Just say you don't care about actual education and be done with it.

Jesus Christ, give it a rest. The world isn't ending.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So if kids don’t do it are they excused?

Elementary schools are in the midst of mandatory testing (MAP testing, district mandated reading interim assessments, DIBELS assessing, WIDA testing, etc.) We need charged chromebooks for ALL of these assessments. The thought of having to send them home (unprotected) in the hopes that they are returned unharmed is distressing. They will of course, return uncharged which presents its own problems. There is no "win" with a decision to go virtual for the elementary students.

Elementary schools should NEVER go virtual. Did we learn NOTHING from 1.5 years of Covid? It is a farce. Just say you don't care about actual education and be done with it.

One day of virtual will be ok. Sounds like a parenting issue, not a school issue.

DP. If they don't want to have school, fine, but they shouldn't pretend virtual is serving a useful purpose at the elementary level. Just close and seek a waiver from MSDE.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So if kids don’t do it are they excused?

Elementary schools are in the midst of mandatory testing (MAP testing, district mandated reading interim assessments, DIBELS assessing, WIDA testing, etc.) We need charged chromebooks for ALL of these assessments. The thought of having to send them home (unprotected) in the hopes that they are returned unharmed is distressing. They will of course, return uncharged which presents its own problems. There is no "win" with a decision to go virtual for the elementary students.

No it's just a lot of work for everyone with very little benefit except to allow MCPS to not have to offer in person education for the full number of days it used to have to do.

Elementary schools should NEVER go virtual. Did we learn NOTHING from 1.5 years of Covid? It is a farce. Just say you don't care about actual education and be done with it.

One day of virtual will be ok. Sounds like a parenting issue, not a school issue.