Building on ACPS Virtual Thread--what will the fall be like? Best guesses?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP left out an important detail from the Hutchings quote:

"ACPS is aiming to do 5 days in person in the fall while adhering to all CDC guidelines that are in effect at that time, whether it is 3 or 6 feet."

IMO this changes nothing, it means they are going to stick tot he CDC recommendations and if it stays at 6 feet, I can't think of a way (even with some magical new spaces) that kids can go 5 days a week. Hutchings has a zero risk approach to everything. He needs to start taking into account that doing anything OTHER than 5 days in the fall exacerbates all sorts of other risks--academically, equity, and mental health-wise.

Rumors of the change in CDC guidelines have been around all this week - and yet Hutching and Haering chose yesterday to release a video claiming 6 feet is the "gold standard" and that's why they're sticking with it. I'm predicting they'll keep to 6 feet regardless of what CDC does - as they'll claim its' better. Better for someone I suppose, just not our kids.

Why not do nine feet and have it be the "platinum standard"? They made up their community metrics to keep the schools closed. Then they were forced to open which proved their community metrics were completely made up.

Hutchings' unwillingness to embrace science just proves that he doesn't care about getting as many kids back as possible and learning. It's exactly the opposite.

And the SB will no doubt just nod their heads in agreement with whatever word salad he serves up. Maybe one or two will timidly raise the anti science issue with their shaking voices. And get praised by the Open ACPS crowd who are satisfied with so very little from elected officials.

[Anonymous]

Rumors of the change in CDC guidelines have been around all this week - and yet Hutching and Haering chose yesterday to release a video claiming 6 feet is the "gold standard" and that's why they're sticking with it. I'm predicting they'll keep to 6 feet regardless of what CDC does - as they'll claim its' better. Better for someone I suppose, just not our kids

I don't think they will. I've been unhappy with how they have handled this, but I think they know that they are in deep trouble if they are both doing something different than what FCPS is doing and going beyond the CDC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Rumors of the change in CDC guidelines have been around all this week - and yet Hutching and Haering chose yesterday to release a video claiming 6 feet is the "gold standard" and that's why they're sticking with it. I'm predicting they'll keep to 6 feet regardless of what CDC does - as they'll claim its' better. Better for someone I suppose, just not our kids

I don't think they will. I've been unhappy with how they have handled this, but I think they know that they are in deep trouble if they are both doing something different than what FCPS is doing and going beyond the CDC.

Yeah but there is a deep vein of arrogance there. So as much as a superintendent with a smaller ego who doesn't have a delusion that he/she is a "leader" would understand doing something different is going to be trouble, I can see Hutchings digging in on this.

[Anonymous]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/alexandria-city-schools-five-days-fall/2021/03/18/fa92c68a-87f7-11eb-bfdf-4d36dab83a6d_story.html

Not a whole lot new there about Fall, but reiterates looking at 5 days a week. I have to imagine they realize they'd lose huge numbers of staff and students to neighboring districts if they don't reopen.

Also has some info about the summer school plans:

This summer’s instruction will run from July 6 to Aug. 13. The first four weeks will be in-person for a select population of students: English learners, students with disabilities, high-schoolers who failed some of their classes and those struggling socially and emotionally from pre-K through fifth grade. All other students will attend virtually during that time, and everyone will learn remotely during the last two weeks of summer schooling.

[Anonymous]

This summer’s instruction will run from July 6 to Aug. 13. The first four weeks will be in-person for a select population of students: English learners, students with disabilities, high-schoolers who failed some of their classes and those struggling socially and emotionally from pre-K through fifth grade. All other students will attend virtually during that time, and everyone will learn remotely during the last two weeks of summer schooling.

We are definitely taking a pass on that. My son does have disabilities, but isn't in self-contained classes, so I am sure he is not eligible to go in person. I've had enough of trying to monitor him in virtual school while working. I am fortunate to be in a financial situation where I can sign him up for outdoor sports camps to keep him occupied while I try to do my job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Also has some info about the summer school plans:

This summer’s instruction will run from July 6 to Aug. 13. The first four weeks will be in-person for a select population of students: English learners, students with disabilities, high-schoolers who failed some of their classes and those struggling socially and emotionally from pre-K through fifth grade. All other students will attend virtually during that time, and everyone will learn remotely during the last two weeks of summer schooling.

More of the same “Virtual Plus+” meaningless crap. Have ACPS elementary students really even learned anything while being stuck on screens non-stop for a full year? Cannot believe how horribly this has been managed and the complete lack of planning. They’ve had a year to adapt and get things up and running. I have very little confidence for the fall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/alexandria-city-schools-five-days-fall/2021/03/18/fa92c68a-87f7-11eb-bfdf-4d36dab83a6d_story.html

Not a whole lot new there about Fall, but reiterates looking at 5 days a week. I have to imagine they realize they'd lose huge numbers of staff and students to neighboring districts if they don't reopen.

Also has some info about the summer school plans:

This summer’s instruction will run from July 6 to Aug. 13. The first four weeks will be in-person for a select population of students: English learners, students with disabilities, high-schoolers who failed some of their classes and those struggling socially and emotionally from pre-K through fifth grade. All other students will attend virtually during that time, and everyone will learn remotely during the last two weeks of summer schooling.

Best line of the article: "It has gone so smoothly, he said, that many families who originally selected remote learning are now clamoring to switch into the hybrid program."

Sure. When this article was published (last Thursday), the vast majority of kids had only gone back two days prior. "Clamoring"--like, they had 1,000 calls and emails from people who heard from people who checked YES to hybrid last December that things were amazing and that they needed to get in on that action. Yeah--people were CLAMORING way before last week, when they found out they weren't actually allowed to change their minds, as they had been lead to believe.

This kind of mischaracterization is what makes me so cynical.

[Anonymous]

I picked up on that quote, too. Disingenuous at best. People are clamoring for in-person instruction, but let’s be honest. What’s happening during concurrent hybrid learning is still virtual learning, just while seated in the classroom. I’ve even heard some teachers in elementary are setting up at the other end of the classroom so in-person students have their backs to the teacher in order to not get distracted while watching on the screen. Not exactly a model of success.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I picked up on that quote, too. Disingenuous at best. People are clamoring for in-person instruction, but let’s be honest. What’s happening during concurrent hybrid learning is still virtual learning, just while seated in the classroom. I’ve even heard some teachers in elementary are setting up at the other end of the classroom so in-person students have their backs to the teacher in order to not get distracted while watching on the screen. Not exactly a model of success.

That’s called babysitting

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I picked up on that quote, too. Disingenuous at best. People are clamoring for in-person instruction, but let’s be honest. What’s happening during concurrent hybrid learning is still virtual learning, just while seated in the classroom. I’ve even heard some teachers in elementary are setting up at the other end of the classroom so in-person students have their backs to the teacher in order to not get distracted while watching on the screen. Not exactly a model of success.

That’s called babysitting

It's not in person instruction. Anyone can see that by the back to school video that ACPS posted. The video that features Hutchings instead of kids and teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I picked up on that quote, too. Disingenuous at best. People are clamoring for in-person instruction, but let’s be honest. What’s happening during concurrent hybrid learning is still virtual learning, just while seated in the classroom. I’ve even heard some teachers in elementary are setting up at the other end of the classroom so in-person students have their backs to the teacher in order to not get distracted while watching on the screen. Not exactly a model of success.

That’s called babysitting

It's not in person instruction. Anyone can see that by the back to school video that ACPS posted. The video that features Hutchings instead of kids and teachers.

I am so curious about how it’s actually going. I have friends that I know are unhappy. We opted out of because I have no confidence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I picked up on that quote, too. Disingenuous at best. People are clamoring for in-person instruction, but let’s be honest. What’s happening during concurrent hybrid learning is still virtual learning, just while seated in the classroom. I’ve even heard some teachers in elementary are setting up at the other end of the classroom so in-person students have their backs to the teacher in order to not get distracted while watching on the screen. Not exactly a model of success.

That’s called babysitting

It's not in person instruction. Anyone can see that by the back to school video that ACPS posted. The video that features Hutchings instead of kids and teachers.

I am so curious about how it’s actually going. I have friends that I know are unhappy. We opted out of because I have no confidence.

My child is in ES. It's not in person learning. They are all still on their computers the entire time, even with the teacher in the room. The only benefit is that he gets to see a few of his friends. What is really weird is that the entire grade was having recess in the gym. In good weather.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I picked up on that quote, too. Disingenuous at best. People are clamoring for in-person instruction, but let’s be honest. What’s happening during concurrent hybrid learning is still virtual learning, just while seated in the classroom. I’ve even heard some teachers in elementary are setting up at the other end of the classroom so in-person students have their backs to the teacher in order to not get distracted while watching on the screen. Not exactly a model of success.

That’s called babysitting

It's not in person instruction. Anyone can see that by the back to school video that ACPS posted. The video that features Hutchings instead of kids and teachers.

I am so curious about how it’s actually going. I have friends that I know are unhappy. We opted out of because I have no confidence.

My 4th grader has pretty much the same academic experience as at home (since it's zoom in the classroom). But she loves it and is so much happier now that she gets to see her peers regularly. She was doing fine academically at home, but the social stuff is so important and she was missing that immensely. She wakes up excited on in-person days and is still beaming when I pick her up.

My first grader doesn't really care either way, but he is way more attentive to a teacher in front of him than he was at home where he was out of his seat constantly and distracting his sister and doing anything but his work. They also have a longer chunk of asynchronous time in the middle of the day where the teacher actually does an activity with just the in person kids (the kids at home work on an assignment independently.) So for him, the academic piece is an improvement (though still nowhere as good as real school).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To the ACPS teachers, are you not allowed to open the window in your classroom?

Someone posted on Facebook that they were not allowed to because it would overwhelm the ancient crappy HVAC systems.

You make the assumption that all of the teachers have windows... there are many teachers who don't have windows. We are however able to open windows whenever we want.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To the ACPS teachers, are you not allowed to open the window in your classroom?

Someone posted on Facebook that they were not allowed to because it would overwhelm the ancient crappy HVAC systems.

You make the assumption that all of the teachers have windows... there are many teachers who don't have windows. We are however able to open windows whenever we want.

Not in ACPS you're not.