Remote-Only Instruction Starts Nov. 30
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RPS 205 staff and families,
We are following the recommendation from the Winnebago County Health Department to take what they’re calling an “adaptive pause,” or a short-term break from in-person instruction. All RPS 205 students will move to remote-only instruction starting Monday, Nov. 30. Classes will resume as currently assigned with both in-person and remote-only instruction on Monday, Jan. 4, 2021.
Connecting remotely: Elementary students should take home electronic devices before the start of Thanksgiving break. Families should follow up with their main office staff about device pickup. All middle and high school students already have Chromebooks. Visit rps205.com and click on the “Student Tech Support” button if you need help connecting.
Early Childhood: Students will bring home learning materials before Thanksgiving break. We’ll share more information soon about connecting with EC families during this time.
Remote planning: Wednesday, Dec. 2 is a remote planning day for all Prek-12 students and staff, including Early Childhood, and staff will not connect remotely with students. This is a change for EC staff and families.
Meals: The district will continue to provide grab-and-go meals to RPS 205 families between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays. Sign up to receive meals online: visit rps205.com/parents/meals. Meals are also available Tuesdays and Fridays from 4-6 p.m. at the following locations:
- Auburn High School, 5110 Auburn Street
- Eisenhower Middle School, 3525 Spring Creek Road
- Flinn Middle School, 2525 Ohio Parkway
- RESA Middle School, 1800 Ogilby Road
Winter athletics & activities: Most after-school activities and athletics that require face-to-face contact are on pause, effective today. This aligns with the governor’s latest Tier 3 mitigation strategies. Activities – including chess, debate and scholastic bowl – can continue virtually. Athletic directors and coaches will be in touch with more information.
In-person/Remote Instruction Requests for Elementary students: We initially told families their request to change to either in-person or full-time remote instruction – if granted – would start Dec. 7, which is the start of the second trimester for elementary students. This temporary switch to full-time remote-only instruction for all students will delay those requests.
Elementary students currently assigned to in-person instruction will return in-person on Monday, Jan. 4. Elementary students assigned to remote-only instruction will continue with remote learning on Monday, Jan. 4. We are working through those requests now and will share an update – including which requests were granted and a start date – as soon as we have one.
Reporting COVID-19 cases: Staff should continue to report positive cases – on behalf of themselves and on behalf of students – on the district’s COVID-19 resource page. Families should continue to report positive cases to their school’s main office staff during this temporary change to remote instruction.
Staff: All RPS 205 staff should continue to report to their regularly assigned workspace during their normal hours during this adaptive pause. All staff will continue to connect with students and provide support during this time.
This is an inconvenience and an interruption for our students, staff and families. Our administration is working closely with the Winnebago County Health Department and our School Board, and we all agree that this move to temporary remote-only instruction is a necessary step to try to stop the spread of COVID-19. Especially as the holidays approach, this is one way that we can assist with the latest increased mitigation strategies during this pandemic.
We will continue to share more information in the coming days. Thank you for your patience, cooperation and support during this time.
Sincerely,
Ehren Jarrett
Superintendent
Rockford Public Schools
- Health