Schools Set Tentative Opening Dates
by Doug La Rocque
Every school district is dealing with the beginning of the new school year in its own unique way, as per the recent directive from Governor Andrew Cuomo that allows schools to re-open, either in person, on line of a mixture of both. Here is a brief look at what our area schools have planned. The full details of these plans are available on their specific websites.
New Lebanon C.S.
Classes resume on Wednesday, September 9, except for Kindergarten and Pre-Kindergarten, which will start on Thursday, September 10. At Walter B Howard Elementary School, students will be in attendance for in-person instruction on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. All students will engage in remote instruction on Wednesdays. Childcare will be available on Wednesdays.
At the Jr/Sr High School, all students in Grades 7 and 8 will report to school Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Students in grades 9-12 will be divided into two groups and will attend schools either Monday/Thursday or Tuesday/Friday. Wednesdays will be designated as remote learning days for students in grades 7-12 with no in-person instruction.
Berlin C.S.
Classes will be starting on September 10 this year. This will allow faculty and staff to work together to prepare safety procedures and protocols as well as attend professional development. The district moved conference days to the beginning of the school year to accommodate this change and an updated school calendar can be found on the Board Docs website.
Time will be dedicated during the first week of school as orientation for PK-12 students in order to familiarize students with the new school year, and new COVID-19 related protocols.
Instructional models have been created to reduce the number of individuals on campus on any given day. PK-6 will be in school Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday with Remote Learning on Wednesday; 7 am to 12 pm. – Cohort Rotation with each student attending in-person on campus learning 2xs/wk. (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday with Remote Learning on Wednesday).
For any days on which the PK-12 students are not on-campus, remote learning experiences will be provided by, or directed by, a certified teacher.
Brittonkill C.S.
Classes will resume on Friday, September 11 for all but Kindergarten. These students will start school on Monday, September 14.
Grades 1-6 are fully in-person (unless your child has opted into a fully-remote program).
Grades 7-12 are on an ABC rotation for in-person instruction. On A days, 7th and 8th grade students are in school for in-person instruction, while 9-12th grade students will be working online for remote instruction. On B Days, 9th and 10th grade students are in school for in-person instruction, while 7-8th and 11-12th grade students will be working online for remote instruction. On C Days, 11th and 12th grade students are in school for in-person instruction while 7-10th grade students will be working online for remote instruction.
Hoosick Falls C.S.
The district plans to resume classes on Tuesday, September 8.
Due to the physical design of the building, number of staff and cost of adhering to the recommended guidelines of New York State, we cannot safely bring 100% of the students back on a daily basis. Therefore, we are proposing a hybrid model where 50% of the UPK-12 students return to work with their teachers in school two days a week and then work virtually three days a week.
Troy C.S.
Some students in Brunswick attend Troy schools. They have pushed their start date back to Monday, September 14.
Subject To Change
When the Governor decided to let schools reopen, he made it clear this is predicated on the COVID-19 infection rate remaining low (generally under one percent). While the infection rates have remained under one percent, there is still at least 10 days before the bell rings, and everything is subject to change. Please stay in touch with your individual district for updates.