For the most part, East is following the same three phase reopening plan as the rest of the RCSD. however, there are some differences. A brief outline of the reopening plan is as follows:

1. Phase I - Students in specialized programs who opted to return to in-person instruction did so at the beginning of January. They will return to East beginning Thursday, Feburary 25th, along with other scholars who opt to return for in-person instruction (see Phase III for more information).
2. Phase II - The RCSD's Phase II plan is for students grades Pre-K - 6. This phase does not apply to East even though East has a 6th grade. East 6th graders will fall into Phase III.
3. Phase III - Scholars/parents/families made their final decisions in mid-January as to whether to stay remote or return for in-person instruction. Scholars who opted to return for in-person instruction will do so starting Thursday, February 25th. In-person instruction will happen every Thursday and Friday from that point on.

Beginning Thursday, February 25th, scholars' learning schedules will look as follows:

• Hybrid scholars
  • Monday - Remote learning (w/ teacher)
  • Tuesday - Remote learning (w/ teacher)
  • Wednesday - Asynchronous learning (w/o teacher)
  • Thursday - In-person instruction (w/ teacher)
  • Friday - In-person instruction (w/ teacher)
• Remote scholars
  • Monday - Remote learing (w/ teacher)
  • Tuesday - Remote learning (w/ teacher)
  • Wednesday - Asynchronous learning (w/o teacher)
  • Thursday - Remote learning (w/ teacher)
  • Friday - Remote learning (w/ teacher)

Unlike the rest of the RCSD, East is staying on its remote learning bell schedule for ALL scholars, for both in-person and remote instruction.

Every effort is being made for scholars to have the same teachers as they've had all year, whether or not they chose in-person or remote learning.

The 2020-2021 school calendar is linked here.

You should have received your child's class schedule in the mail at the start of the year.

Also, your child's class schedule can always be accessed in their Google Classroom or via the PowerSchool Parent Portal: https://www.rcsdk12.org/parentportal.

Unlike the rest of the RCSD, East will not return to its normal, non-COVID-19 bell schedule when hybrid learning begins on Thursday, February 25th.

Instead, East will follow a bell schedule similar to the one we've been following all year. All East scholars, regardless of grade, remote learning, or hybrid learning will follow the same bell schedule shown below beginning Thursday, February 25th.

Synchronous learning means scholars and teachers are working together at the same time. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday are synchronous learning days. Synchronous learning will happen regardless of whether the scholar is in-person or remote. For example, remote scholars will have remote synchronous instruction Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Hybrid scholars will have remote synchronous instruction Mondays and Tuesdays and in-person synchronous instruction Thursdays and Fridays.

Asynchronous learning means scholars and teachers are working independently at their own pace according to their own schedule. Wednesdays are asynchronous learning days for all scholars.

When the scholars who are part of the hybrid learning plan return to in-person instruction on Thursday, February 25th, there will be several safety precautions in place to keep everyone as safe as possible from COVID-19.

For example:

• For scholars needing school transportation, they will ride a yellow school bus and each seat will sit only one person.
• Everyone must wear a face mask that completely covers the mouth and nose at all times while on the bus or in school.
• Upon arrival to school, scholars will get their temperature taken.
• In class, scholars will be spaced six feet apart from others.

Please see the following two resources for more detailed safety information:

• Quick Guide for Hybrid COVID-19 Policies and Practices
• RCSD Back-to-School Family Handbook

When scholars who opted for hybrid learning return to the building for in-person instruction begining Thursday, February 25th, they will not have to turn in their cell phones. Scholars can have their cell phones on them while in the building, but they are expected to use them appropriately, meaning not to use them during instructional periods unless authorized to by their teacher.

We held supply pickups the week before school. If your scholar still needs a Chromebook, MiFi, or class materials, please contact East's Home-School Assistant, Angel Alicea, at Angel.Alicea1@rcsdk12.org.

Teachers are working hard to ensure the same high quality instruction that's delivered for in-person classes is being delivered for distance learning classes. While you can expect for teachers to use a variety of strategies for teaching virtually, you can expect most lessons to take place via Google Classroom and Zoom.

Google Classroom - Scholars will have a unique virtual "Google Classroom" for each class they are taking. They will receive their Google Classroom codes from their teachers, and they will use those codes to "join" the class for the remainder of the year. Through their class' Google Classroom, scholars can communicate with their teacher and classmates, view their assignments, and submit their work. As the parent or guardian, you are able to join each of your scholar's Google Classrooms. Many scholars will already be familiar with how to use Google Classroom; however, we will share instructions with you and your scholars on how to use the platform. For more information about Google Classroom, please see this this resource: https://docs.google.com/document/d/148jp2dXTjPBS1xfI3jA8ZqiVNadtvspZpOqFAfFDUxo/edit?usp=sharing.

Zoom - Most classes will hold synchronous instruction via Zoom. Teachers will begin each class by taking attendance based on which scholars are present on the Zoom call. Instruction will continue throughout the call, with direct content facilitation, shared discussions, and breakout rooms. We will share instructions with you and your scholars on how to use Zoom.

We have several school-wide norms to make distance learning work well for everyone. Please review these with your scholar. Teachers and scholar may develop norms specific to their own class, too.

Note: East's distance learning attendance policy is different than the RCSD's distance learning attendance policy.

Attendance will be taken at the start of each synchronous class. Scholars will be marked present if the teacher sees them via video or in class at the start of the lesson, and if the scholar stays in the class throughout the whole lesson.

Being present and engaged in class, completing assignments on time, and performing well on assessments are all important. Class credits will be earned as they normally would: scholars must pass the class by cumulatively getting a passing grade in the class overall.

Teachers have posted their class-specific grading policies on their Google Classroom pages, so check each of your scholar's classes for more information.

Scholars will be required to have their videos on at the start of each synchronous class for attendance purposes. After that, they can turn their videos off, unless directed to do so by their teacher.

Scholars with 504 plans or IEPs will have a "case manager" assigned to them. This designated special education teacher will work with you, your scholars, and your scholars teachers to ensure their learning needs are met throughout distance learning. You will work with the case manager to create a Distance Learning Plan that meets everyone's needs.

SEL stands for social-emotional learning. Scholars have an optional 55 minutes of social-emotional learning built into their schedules on synchronous learning days from 8:00 - 8:55 a.m. Scholars have the opportunity to meet with their counselor or the social work team between that time.

Also, all synchronous classes will start with a 5 minute social-emotional learning check in, and Family Group will continue to play a core role in teaching about social-emotional development. 

There is a strong emphasis placed on social-emotional learning this year due to the many stresses from COVID-19 and other social events. If you think your child would benefit from social-emotional support, contact their counselor or another trusted staff member.

While the home environment has always been important for a student's learning and development, it is even more important throughout distance learning.

Please see our Distance Learning: Resources for Success video several strategies and resources on making the home more conducive to student learning.

The school-home partnership is crucial for student well-being. Please connect with us if you ever have questions or concerns.

Your scholar needs to have access to a computer and the internet. All scholars should already have an RCSD-issued chromebook computer for their personal academic use. Scholars will also need to have access to the internet, such as through your personal WiFi or through an RCSD-issued MiFi device.

If your child's RCSD-issued equipment needs to be reparied or replaced, or if your child needs to acquire either an RCSD-issued chromebook or MiFi, please contact our Instructional Technology Specialist, Andrea Zurlo, at Andrea.Zurlo@rcsdk12.org.

There will be virtual afterschool and extracurricular activities for scholars to participate in. These could be a virtual "club" with interested scholars and teachers or virtual service provision from one of our collaborative partners.

In some circumstances sports have restarted. For more information, visit this webpage: https://www.familyid.com/programs/east-upper-school-jv-varsity-athletics-winter-2020.