Transition From Remote to In-Person Learning - Jeff Snell revisited our Phased Return to In-person Learning plan commenting that Clark County has been holding steady at the Moderate Activity level for several weeks.

Snell shared with the school board, “We need to get students back to in-person learning. I recognize that not everyone is able to be in-person for a lot of good reasons, and for our students, staff, and community we need the opportunity to be back in our schools. We also need to continue to support those families that prefer remote learning.

"We will transition in a thoughtful way that minimizes transmission risks. I take the responsibility of student, staff, and community safety very seriously. We need to be methodical in our approach, making sure that the transition doesn’t lead to further outbreaks and then another round of school closures which has played out across the country in the reopening process. It means we all have to take the screening process seriously and stay home when we have symptoms. It means we have to organize students differently so in the event of a case we can contact trace quickly and effectively," Snell added.

"Bringing all students back for in-person learning is going to be a challenge like no other we’ve faced and one that requires everyone’s collective effort," said Snell. "It’s also going to be one of the most hopeful things we get to do together this year."

The transition to hybrid learning starts next week with a three-week monitoring process where, if we stay in the moderate or low COVID-19 activity level, we will begin to transition to an elementary hybrid model. In the meantime, we continue to serve small groups of students on campus and will eventually follow our transition plan of bringing small groups of kindergarten students on campus first.

Snell will share information about the transition at a Town Hall meeting on September 29 at 5 PM. An overview of the three-week monitoring process is below and also can be found in the Phased Return to In-person Learning with greater detail.

Three-week monitoring process

Because the indicator for COVID-19 levels is collected over a 14 day period, monitoring will begin the week of September 21 to get an accurate picture of the activity level in our community after Labor Day Weekend.

• Week 1 (9/21/20) - if cases/100k/14 days < 75, move to week 2

• Week 2 (9/28/20) - if cases/100k/14 days < 75, move to week 3

• Week 3 (10/5/20) - if cases/100k/14 days < 75, move to week 4

• Week 4 (10/12/20) - review other indicators with county health to determine readiness for elementary hybrid transition. Prepare staff and students for full PreK-5 with orientation sessions for hybrid learning.

• Week 5 (10/19/20) - begin PreK-5 hybrid, begin monitoring for secondary hybrid

District Comparison - How are districts starting the school year? Like us, most districts (95%) are currently in full remote learning. Want to learn more? OSPI created an interactive map displaying the current status of each of the 295 districts in Washington.

Temporary Reduced Education Support Program - At their regular meeting on Monday, with heavy hearts, our school board passed two resolutions which begin the difficult process of *furloughing some of our staff members due to decreased enrollment and in-person student services.

“Our existing structures are built to provide in-person instruction. We have been granted some flexibility to offer remote learning given COVID-19 conditions and still receive, for the most part, our basic education funding,” commented Superintendent Jeff Snell. “However, reductions in enrollment, transporting students to/from school, meal services, community education programs, and extracurricular activities have an impact on the revenue we receive to compensate staff.”

Snell shared that furloughs are one part of the plan to adjust current operations including shifts made in teaching assignments, leaving vacant positions unfilled when possible, and compensation reductions for central office staff. He indicated that the impact on our budget would continue to play out over the school year as our state legislature wrestles with deficits and uncertainty around federal aid packages.

“Affected staff members are amazing colleagues and friends who make a difference for students and families each day. This is no way a reflection on their service. In the short term, we needed to make some tough decisions to help put us in a better position for the future. Furloughs give us the ability to call back each of our valued team members as we transition to in-person learning, which we hope is soon” Snell added.

*What does furlough mean? Furlough, also sometimes known as ‘stand by,’ is a process where employees are on call for work. Employees who are furloughed are able to apply for unemployment, are not expected to apply for work elsewhere, and are available to return to work when needed. Furloughed staff members will maintain medical benefits without interruption.

We would like to recognize our special education program teachers at Helen Baller, Dorothy Fox, Liberty, Skyridge, CHS, and the Transition House! On August 24 they were asked to quickly develop plans for in-person instruction for our students who have the highest needs and are furthest from learning in a remote environment. They created schedules with family input, prepared their teams, coordinated nurse and custodial training for the new health protocols, and then planned their lessons. The goal was to start a mere week later on September 1 for one program and September 9 for another program, and they hit it out of the park! They have worked REALLY hard at this and we want to formally recognize them!

Pictured left-right, top-bottom: Christin Bargenda, Amy Campbell, Beth Ceron, Adrian Cortes, Jeanine Cowan, Chrissy Glavin, Charles Hines, Laurie Midles, Aaron Sanders, Cory Vom Baur, and Amee Ward.

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This year, our Social-Emotional Learning Liasion Jennifer McMillan will host a podcast that focuses on SEL for families. In this edition, Jennifer chats with Superintendent Jeff Snell on why SEL is a focus in our district and why this learning so important for the success of our students.

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Join us for a virtual Town Hall on September 29 from 5-6 PM to learn more about our phased transition to in-person learning. Don't worry if you're unable to join us; we will post a recording of the meeting the following day.

Link to join Webinar

https://camas-wednet-edu.zoom.us/j/98694046613
Telephone: +1 253 215 8782 | Webinar ID: 986 9404 6613

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The CSD Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) is seeking new members for three-year terms. Formed as an advisory group to the Camas School Board and Superintendent, CAC provides an opportunity for patrons of the school district to have input into school programs, policies, and issues. Applications are due September 30.

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In August, the Association for Learning Environments announced that two of our newest schools earned awards for their innovative learning spaces. Lacamas Lake Elementary received the Polished Apple Award and Discovery High School received an Award of Merit, the top prizes.

Capital Programs Director Heidi Rosenberg commented, "While the awards focus largely on innovative educational spaces, the heart and soul behind the design are the teachers, parents, students, principals, and community members who lent their talents to creating the vision for the buildings."

Association for Learning Environments is a professional, non-profit association whose sole mission is improving the places where children learn.

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Email: communications@camas.wednet.edu
Website: camas.wednet.edu
Location: 841 Northeast 22nd Avenue, Camas, WA, USA
Phone: 360-335-3000
Facebook: facebook.com/CamasSchools
Twitter: @CamasSchools