Region XI leaders share Distance Learning strategies

Any Region XI Superintendent who would like to contribute to this page may send your write-up to Kathy Forsythe, .

LIBERTY MIDDLE SCHOOL
Lemoore Union Elementary School District
Ben Luis, Principal
559-924-6860 •

Liberty Middle School in Lemoore has created a fantastic video on how we are doing “distance learning.” We have worked hard to overcome the obstacles put forth through this new world we are living in, and it might inspire others. The link is below.

https://youtu.be/V3NHAHF0XYQ

LEMOORE UNION ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Cheryl Hunt, Superintendent
559-924-6800 • cherylhunt@myluesd.net

We are doing our best to tell our story to our families and community, as well as honor the events we have planned for the year. Liberty Middle School created a fantastic video about how they are doing distance learning (see above). We are also working on a district video which captures the same outstanding work happening in all of our elementary schools. We are very proud of this work. We will conduct our end-of-year employee appreciation virtually. We will have virtual promotion ceremonies as well for our Liberty Middle School campus and University Charter School. Our websites have been updated with our distance learning modules and expectations. We have done exceptional work developing daily schedules and social emotional check-ins with our students via our school counselors, school psychologists and behavior specialists. We have approximately 85%-99% of our students engaged in our distance learning model. We have served a total of 71, 443 meals since our school closure status began on March 16th. We have deployed approximately 3,100 devices and 105 hot spots to ensure access for our students. We also purchased and deployed 110 new laptop computers for our elementary teachers, to support our distance learning efforts.

MAPLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Julie Boesch, Superintendent
661-746-4439 •

At Maple School District in Shafter we began this experience the same way we begin every new experience by looking for all available resources and making the best of the situation while remaining focused on the most important factor in the equation, our students. With the help of a local district, which created and shared packets, and the help of a local business (California Resource Corporation) who duplicated 350 packets for us in a matter of hours, we were able to send every single child home with a packet the day school closed. In an effort to ensure equitable access for every single student we worked hard to make certain each student had a device and access to the internet. We already had our devices so once we received our hotspots we were able to schedule and distribute Chromebooks, gift bags and new packets while adhering to all social distancing and protective barrier precautions.

In the midst of all of this I have been reminded over and over why I am so blessed to be at Maple. We have the ability to be extremely nimble. My Board is 100% supportive consistently, and EVERYONE wants to work together to serve our families and our community. We have been able to get every single student on WiFi (although some have super slow connections so were able to fix that with a few hotspots), we make contact with each of our families every single week and in many cases every single day. Our teachers have worked really hard to transition and have been very excited about attending all of the trainings that have been offered. AND we have really been able to bring in every single one of our aides, our Soc. Worker, our Psych, our MOT, everybody (whether they typically work for us every day of the week or only one day a week) into our weekly staff meetings as well as in action to provide support for our students and families. We are really stressing that the MOST important aspect of all of this is making certain that everyone knows that whatever they are able to do, whether it be teachers, parents or students that it is ENOUGH- knowing that people care about you, are thinking about you, miss you and love you is more important than any corrected sentence or math problem.

I feel like we are doing a great job and the fun thing is that I am still out there busy wrapping up the construction project which will be done in two weeks, so whenever we get to go back they will go back into a brand new, clean school!!

ARMONA UNION ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Dr. Xavier Pina, Superintendent
Kathi Felder-Guerrero, Director C&I and PVMS Principal
559-583-5000 • Feel free to email me if you have questions or want a copy of any of the resources.

Parkview Middle School (5-8) is already 1:1 with Kings County issued internet routers for home use, so we were prepared in that aspect. Armona Elementary (TK-4) is providing weekly packets at meal pick-up for TK-2 and the 3rd and 4th grade students checked out their Chromebooks (and internet if needed) issued to them as they were 1:1, but didn’t take home.

PVMS –

All teachers are following a weekly schedule where grade levels are working together to assign resources and provide instruction. Teachers meet via Zoom for weekly PLCs where they plan out instruction and make sure they are on the same page. The team teachers meet with their classes together in 5/6th grades so it minimizes the amount of live Zoom meetings the students need to log into. In 7/8th grades, they meet whole-class once per week live. In addition, all teachers meet live with small groups each week. Our SPED teacher meets live daily for 15 minutes each day to maintain consistency with her students, then they break off into small groups once per week. 100% participation! Our instructional aides have been assigned to our SPED/RSP/Tier 3 students in groups. They are included in each teacher’s Zoom meetings and have additional office hours where they tutor their group of students. In the weeks before Spring Break, all teachers revisited their essential standards and adjusted their pacing and planning for distance learning. During this time, the students were provided with resources posted on our website as suggestions to complete via a sample schedule. Our student responsibility center coordinator and student specialist also help with check in’s with our Tier 2 and Tier 3 behavioral students and any others that might need additional support.

We have everything from live student meetings to grade level/subject PLC’s to missing students outlined in spreadsheets. We have enlisted the help of our Student Resource Officer to help admin make home visits to make sure students have what they need to be connected. We currently have no missing students thanks to the home visits! ALL admin helps with weekly food distribution (both at campus pick up and our rural and bus routes) in order to assist any student or parent that has questions. Our tech support is also at a central location twice a week to assist in exchanges of equipment or tech related issues. All of this is done while maintaining proper social distancing protocols.

Armona Elementary –

TK-2nd grade teachers work collaboratively to develop work packets that review essential standards previously taught. These packets are handed out during meal distribution on Mondays. Any extra packets are left outside by the front office for parents who are not able to come during the meal distribution time. The majority of teachers collect student work by asking them to submit a picture via text or Class Dojo. Students who are not able to submit a picture of their work can drop off their packet during meal distribution time.

SPED and 3-4th grade teachers helped distribute Chromebooks to their students after Spring Break and are assigning/collecting work through Google Classroom. Work provided is a review of the essential standards previously taught.

Our instructional aides work closely with our Intervention Specialist and are assigned to a specific grade level to provide support to students who were receiving Tier 2 support prior to school closures. A separate instructional aide works collaboratively with our SPED teacher and general ed teachers to provide support to our SPED students. Our Student Specialist follows up with students she was already working with during Pawsitive Academy prior to school closures for continuity. Our office staff assist families with questions they may have about distance learning and translate as needed.

Zoom meetings happen throughout the week. We have scheduled weekly grade level meetings, teachers have Zoom meetings with students whole class and in small groups, and instructional aides meet weekly with our Intervention Specialist to debrief and receive resources to best serve their students. Teachers conduct regular zoom meetings with students where they provide mini-lessons, conduct read alouds, and provide both academic and social-emotional support through engaging activities.

SUNDALE UNION ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Terri Rufert, Superintendent
559-688-7451 •

We are doing blended learning. Kids TK-8 are picking up packets and supplies to complete at home. Our teachers are having two to five sessions a week through Zoom, Flipgrid and Seesaw to help students with any of the work and to actually teach lessons. We are also assigning so many minutes or sections on math and language arts software programs we have. Right before Easter break we loaned out about 270 Chromebooks and helped our parents sign up for the evening, as well as their online group meetings with their students. Next Monday we will have daycare that will help with school work for students of parents that are first responders and essential workers for keeping the distance thing requirements. We’re trying to keep spirits up, so we had a spirit week where kids dressed up and submitted their pictures on Facebook. We started a YouTube channel and we have different kids reading or performing, as well as teachers.