Why is GDS unable to lead on Covid??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am so tired of my kid’s school. We are always the LAST one to do anything differently. Russell did not go to a hybrid model until every other school did the same. He seems paralyzed. And now again. All the other schools are opening 5 days in the next couple weeks. But Russell can’t do it. Again. I know I should not bother with DCuM. But no one gives a crap what I want ... and many many of us have tried. I need to vent. And I least that a GDS admin person reads DCUM and HEARS the frustration! Why can’t we just open properly already??

Write your principal and Russell more like everyone else has been.

And no, no decision makers read DCUM.

When I wrote to Russell, I was directed to my division head to discuss my individual student's needs. There was not interest in engaging on systemic issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Russell told me that he's been hearing that people like the asychronous Wednesdays as a "mental health break" for their kids. With that attitude, will there be school 5 days a week next year? They are terrible for my child's mental health and for his education.

My kids are bored out of their minds on Wednesdays. And now I have the lower schools ones home on Fridays too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am so tired of my kid’s school. We are always the LAST one to do anything differently. Russell did not go to a hybrid model until every other school did the same. He seems paralyzed. And now again. All the other schools are opening 5 days in the next couple weeks. But Russell can’t do it. Again. I know I should not bother with DCuM. But no one gives a crap what I want ... and many many of us have tried. I need to vent. And I least that a GDS admin person reads DCUM and HEARS the frustration! Why can’t we just open properly already??

Write your principal and Russell more like everyone else has been.

And no, no decision makers read DCUM.

When I wrote to Russell, I was directed to my division head to discuss my individual student's needs. There was not interest in engaging on systemic issues.

Great, write them both and the board on the same email.

beck is 3 for 3 never getting back to us in ANY form. Maybe it’s because she’s known she’s leaving since early winter.

[Anonymous]

Have anyone noticed the pattern on the Town Halls of how the Principal and VP never answer certain questions, even if they’re asked many times in the chat.

Going back five days was definitely one of them. Not having the transport guy on the call even after they delayed the call a week or too was also unorganized.

Consistently bad form.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dumb question, but what are asynchronous Wednesdays?

Signed, future GDS parent

In the MS (and maybe the HS, I'm not sure), there are no classes, in person or virtual. Instead, students get assignments from 3 of their classes, each designed to take an hour. Kids do them by themselves, with no help or interaction. The rest of the day is totally free.

No classes or teacher instruction all Wednesday. Video links, reading, a dump of assignments that no one cares if you do or not because “mental health” don’t push the students this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dumb question, but what are asynchronous Wednesdays?

Signed, future GDS parent

In the MS (and maybe the HS, I'm not sure), there are no classes, in person or virtual. Instead, students get assignments from 3 of their classes, each designed to take an hour. Kids do them by themselves, with no help or interaction. The rest of the day is totally free.

Wait, and you're paying how much for this?

Wow. Has GDS always had these or are they due to the pandemic??

They always had lame Wednesdays where teachers would duck out at noon for “meetings” and aides would watch the kids. We always scheduled our health appts for 12-3pm those days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They have a tiny campus. Social distancing is difficult to achieve for GDS.

That might have been true pre vaccines. But every teacher has long been able to get vaccinated. Remote learning ON CAMPUS is really just the icing on the cake.

Agree. Teachers with no diagnosed medical condition or family member with one should be in the classrooms teaching.

[Anonymous]

Aren’t ALL of their teachers vaccinated by now - or are they refusing to do that too ?

Sounds like a public school that you are paying 45k a year for

[Anonymous]

You figured it out. GDS is just like public school.

[Anonymous]

True on many metrics....

[Anonymous]

Many out of how many...?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wednesdays are a joke. They were initially free bc that was supposed to be the day when the school was closed for cleaning. When we went all virtual, suddenly Wednesdays were free bc students needed a break from screens. If the school did a survey about what kids actually did in Wednesdays the school would find out that most kids, like mine, are on screens socializing with their friends. If Wednesdays are a problem, then minimize homework. Do a survey GDS, and find out instead of just relying on self-serving anecdotes.

If you did a survey in my house, you’d find that my high schooler are using wednesdays to do homework and long term projects to keep up with the workload. Maybe the real problem is in your house PP.

Maybe your kids are slow? Or procrastinate? Or can’t focus, so they take way too long? Or their anxiety is exacerbated by obnoxious parents?
Anyway, I don’t see anything in your post that would prevent a survey to find out what the majority of families actually want on Wednesdays - not just yours. Nor do I see any refutation about the original intent of the Wednesdays off.

[Anonymous]

What is the current HS schedule? Are students really doing Zoom classes from the building? Trying to decide whether to accept a HS offer and this is making me very nervous about next year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP all I can tell you is that the parents have to push on this. You have to get patents together- across grades and throughout the school- and demand (at this point, that is the right word) action. Go to every board member with a petition signed by hundreds of patents. Ask for a meeting with the board chairman and your HOS. You have to organize yourselves and keep at it. We’re not in the DC area but at a school in a nearby city that was the same way- the last to reopen and move on thiis issue. It took a parent uprising, including threats of media coverage, to finally see results

And similarly, those who want the school and its families to stay safe need to make sure your voices are heard too. Make sure to let admin know that you appreciate all these steps to stay safe despite the ridiculous rush to reopen led by some parents who care more about optics than community safety.

Thank you, teacher. Time to get back to class - online, of course.

The line "ridiculous RUSH to reopen" is laughable. It's been a year. If they can't figure out within one year how to safely hold classes on campus in a time of diminishing positive cases throughout the nation and region - well, the leadership is more incompetent than can possibly be explained here.

Sad Trumper - Unlike you, I have a real job and would love to get back to my office and my clients. But the pandemic is still raging. If you and your kind hadn't screwed up so bad, we'd probably be through it by now like most other modern countries. As it is though, we're stuck waiting for the numbers to come down so it's safe to send students back to school. Maybe you should spend your time telling your friends on Gab or whatever right-wing website you frequent that they should wear masks and get their vaccines. Go away.

You don't have clients. You outed yourself as a teacher when you said Trumper.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is the current HS schedule? Are students really doing Zoom classes from the building? Trying to decide whether to accept a HS offer and this is making me very nervous about next year.

Look at the attitude of the teachers. Yes, the students are doing Zoom classes from the building. It's a lot like what publics are doing in HS.