LASD Board Highlights

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If you missed the meeting, you can view the video here. The highlights of the meeting are below.

Teams of teachers and administrators have been collaborating on plans to bring our 6th through 8th grade students back to our campuses for in-person Blended Learning. The Board received a presentation on the plans for these upper-grade levels at the most recent Board meeting.

We will hold Parent Town Hall Forums to provide additional information and ask questions.

Please register here for the Junior High Town Hall Forum on November 17 at 7pm.

Please register here for the Sixth Grade Town Hall Forum on November 18 at 7pm.

Sixth Grade Blended Learning Plan

There are three key reasons the sixth grade Blended Learning plan looks different than the TK-5th grade learning model.

1. Each school does subject/teacher rotations differently

2. Recess and lunch is more difficult due to the SCCPHD requirement for consistent physical distancing at all times for this age group

3. Each core content area is more complex and is key preparation for 7-12th grade success

All sixth graders will be grouped into A and B cohorts, with one group attending in person in the morning and the other in the afternoon Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. The exact schedule will vary by school site, so please look for more information from your principal soon. Wednesdays will consist of a whole class morning meeting with the teacher, followed by asynchronous work at home. When students are not on campus for their in-person classroom time, they will be engaged in meaningful and aligned asynchronous work from home.

The benefits of this model are as follows:

1. There will be more frequent in-person time for regular teacher/subject rotations and more accountability for student work completion.

2. Provides each site team with flexibility to meet student needs and vary schedule details each week based on need

3. Minimal break time during academic, in-person learning to maximize social connections, deep collaborative learning

We understand that this model may present logistical challenges and will work with all of our families to address specific needs and issues. All families will continue to have the option to choose LASD Virtual School if they prefer to not have their child attend school in-person. Please refer to the chart below regarding the deadlines to make that selection.

Junior High Blended Learning Plan

Just like with our other Blended Learning plans, the Junior High teams conducted a very rigorous and collaborative planning process to come up with the best possible Blended Learning model for our upper grade students.

The components of the plan and student schedule are as follows:

• Students would attend school in person for 2 half-days per week in A/B cohorts, attending school on Monday/Tuesday and Thursday/Friday, respectively

• In-Person learning days will focus on 4 core subject areas: English, Science, History, and Advisory or Guided Study/Special Education Services, as appropriate

• Math will be taught virtually in a live, synchronous format 4 days per week

• Extended Day will be offered to students requiring additional academic support

While we understand that this model may also present logistical challenges, it allows us to safely return students to campus while still maintaining four full days of synchronous instruction.

Students selecting the Virtual School model will receive all instruction online following the same bell schedule as those in the Blended Learning program. Regardless of the learning model they choose, students may experience changes to their class schedule or may be assigned different teachers. We will work to minimize disruption as much as possible.

For more information, please review the presentation for item H.1.

As a reminder, please review the below return schedule for our 6-8th grade students. Please contact your principal as soon as possible if you would like to change your child's program to either the Virtual or Blended Learning model.

LASD continues to work with the Santa Clara County Public Health Department (SCCPHD) to ensure we rigorously adhere to all guidelines to keep our students, staff and community safe.

We have published a COVID-19 dashboard on our Coronavirus information web page to provide transparency to our community regarding any identified cases in our schools. We will update the dashboard every Monday, reporting results from the week prior. All required notifications will be sent immediately if any cases are identified in LASD. Please feel free to review our Reopening Plan for the procedures and notifications that will follow any identified cases in our schools.

In combination with facial coverings, hand hygiene and physical distancing, ventilation in classrooms helps prevent the spread of illness. SCCPHD recommends increasing ventilation in classrooms with various practices, in addition to holding classes outside when possible.

LASD has implemented many practices to improve ventilation including:

• Inspected and tested every HVAC unit in every school by cleaning and disinfecting all internal coils, changing all HVAC filters, and checking controls to ensure fans are operating correctly

• Set HVAC controls to ensure maximum outdoor air supply and to operate at least 2 hours before and after school

• Disconnected energy savings devices that prevented HVAC from operating when doors are open, improving air circulation

• Checked and repaired windows, and provided cranks and poles where missing to open high windows

As winter approaches, we are working to make additional improvements to maintain good air quality and circulation as the weather gets colder:

• Replacing MERV 8 filters with MERV 13 or better where appropriate

• Installing air flow measuring devices to ensure adequate air flow

• Installing HEPA filters where there are fewer windows

• Ongoing monitoring and upkeep, including regular changing of filters every 30-90 days

For more information, please review item H.2. on our agenda online.

The next meeting of the Los Altos School District Board of Trustees will take place on Monday, December 14 at 7:00pm via Zoom. To attend the meeting please visit our Board web page and register for the meeting using the provided link. The link will be posted on Thursday at 5:00pm the week prior to each meeting.

If you would like to stay updated regarding upcoming Board meetings, please email mbirnie@lasdschools.org, providing your name, email address and a request to be added to the email list for Brown Act updates, including upcoming meetings and agendas.

Website: www.lasdschools.org
Location: 201 Covington Road
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LASDK8/