This pandemic has changed everything including the studying methods of schools and also where the school will open. Now, you may wonder about the DCPS School opening. This information is important to know where the school starts.
If you access the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) website, you will be able to see some information about when the schools will start opening. On that site, it is explained that if you want to get the latest information about DCPS and policies related to Covid-19 for the 2020-2021 School Year, you are able to access DCPSReopenStrong.com. On that site, you are able to read a Family FAQ and explore learning at home schedules by grade and also you are able to review your health and safety commitments.
If you access the dcpsreopenstrong.com site, you are able to read that they started the School Year 2020-2021 virtually with all students learning at home. It applies for all grades, Pre-K through 12, and last at least through Term 1 from August 31st, to November 6. On that site, there are also family guides to learning at home that you are able to download and read. On that guide, you are provided with the information about virtual instructions at DCPS, including technology tips, student schedules, family wellness and many more.
On that guide, to make parents and students are ready to study at home during thi term, the staff and teachers of DCPS have worked hard to create a stronger virtual experience for all of the students including:
- More Live Instructions. Through frequent and live instruction, students will be more engaged and connected with their teachers and classmates.
- More Predictable Schedules. Weekly schedules which are predictable will provide more structure for students, families and staff.
- More Progress Reviews. Teachers will have various ways to be able to review student progress and it includes quick checks for understanding, the ability to provide direct feedback and also virtual assessments.
- Everything in One Place. Teachers and students will use Canvas. It is an online learning management system that can be used by them to access learning at home materials and live lesson links and they are all in one place.
How about the schedules of the students? Your school will give you the learning at home schedule. The schedule will be small group times, live whole-class time, and independent work time. For the younger students, they will have shorter bursts of learning in small groups. The students of elementary should anticipate 2 to 3 hours of live content. And for the older students, they should anticipate 4 to 5 hours of live content.
Then, DCPS will continue to offer health, arts and Physical Education to be able to support the health and wellness of the students. It will feature regular brain breaks like movement or deep breathing exercises, physical activity and quick social connection to be able to promote social and emotional health and wellness.
For students of grades K-12, Wednesday will have a different schedule than most days. It will be dedicated to virtual office hours with main instructional teachers, small group instruction, independent learning and supplemental programming like college and career exploration, advisory and community building.
