You and Two

• VIRTUAL OPTION FOR THE 2021–2022 SCHOOL YEAR

• CHOICE 2 STARTS MAY 3
  

• UPCOMING BOARD MEETING
  

• IMPORTANT DATES

• JOIN THE CONVERSATION ABOUT SCHOOL START TIMES
  

• FOREST LAKE ELEMENTARY GROUNDBREAKING AND OTHER VIDEOS

• COVID-19 VACCINE CLINIC
  

• COMPLETE ANNUAL REGISTRATION FOR 2021–2022 SCHOOL YEAR NOW
  

• SEE YOUR FAVORITE TEACHER ON A BILLBOARD

As we shared in January during the first Choice application period, our district will offer one virtual option next year — the Richland Two Virtual School.

Individual schools will not offer eLearning, which requires dual modality instruction, during the 2021–2022 school year. Our teachers and instructional assistants have done a phenomenal job in putting in the additional planning and work needed for dual modality instruction. However, the dual modality method is not sustainable. Therefore, we will not be able to offer eLearning at the schools.

If you are considering virtual learning for your student next year and you did not apply for the Richland Two Virtual School during the first choice application period, there is one more opportunity:

• Elementary parents please see the separate email sent regarding Elementary Virtual Program Interest Form.
• Middle/high school parents please see the information below about the second Choice application period.

While Richland School District Two students are assigned to schools based on their residential address, they may apply to a magnet school or another school within the district through the Choice program. Placements will take effect for the 2021-2022 school year.

The Choice 2 application will open online at 8 a.m. on Monday, May 3, 2021, and close at 5 p.m. on May 31.

A few points to note:

Some schools/magnets are closed to Choice 2

• Here are the schools closed to Choice 2

Learn more about Choice at www.richland2.org/choice.

The Richland School District Two Board of Trustees will hold a regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, April 27, 2021.

The board meeting will be called to order at 5:30 p.m. and the board will immediately adjourn into executive session. Public session will resume at 6 p.m.

The meeting will be held in the Conference Center at R2i2 located at 763 Fashion Drive, Columbia, 29229. In order to allow for social distancing due to COVID-19, the seating capacity for the members of the public who wish to attend the meeting in-person is limited to 30. Individuals attending the meeting must wear face masks.

In case that capacity is reached and to provide members of the public the ability to watch the board meeting from the safety of their home, the meeting will also be streamed live at http://www.richland2.org/livestream.

Click the following link to view the agenda for the April 27 Board Meeting:

http://go.boarddocs.com/sc/rsd2/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=BWCKHA510EC4

Public Participation is on the agenda for the April 27 meeting. The Board sets aside a maximum of 30 minutes (15 minutes at the beginning and 15 minutes prior to the end of the public portion of the meeting). As each speaker is allotted three minutes, Public Participation will be limited to the first 10 people who sign up to speak (five during the first Public Participation and five during the second Public Participation). The sign-up to speak will open at 5 p.m. and close at 5:45 p.m. on April 27 in the lobby of R2i2.

PAST MEETINGS: Click here to view the video of the April 13 meeting and here to read the minutes from the meeting.

UPCOMING BOARD MEETING: May 11, 2021

April 26 — Via zoom @ 5:30 p.m. School Start Time Community Conversation

April 27 – School Board Meeting

April 29 — Via zoom @ Noon School Start Time Community Conversation

April 30 — Early Dismissal for all students (10:50 a.m. Middle, 11:30 a.m. Elem, 12:30 p.m. High)

May 7 – Early Dismissal for all students (10:50 a.m. Middle, 11:30 a.m. Elem, 12:30 p.m. High)

Click the image below to watch highlights from the Forest Lake Elementary School groundbreaking ceremony! Watch additional videos including the groundbreaking at EL Wright Middle and the Center for Knowledge and Bethel-Hanberry Elementary in the Bond Projects YouTube playlist.

Richland Two student Sanaa Amenhotep has been missing since April 5. Please call the numbers on the flier with any information.

Click the image below for a pdf with links

There have been some changes to the 2021 high school graduation schedule. Click here for details.

Over the past few years, district administration has been researching and evaluating school start times. This project started as a result of research published by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics. This project also came as a result of a pattern we saw a few years ago with late buses, particularly at the high school level.

This school year, district administration has continued the process of researching and evaluating school start times. We’re now at the point where we’re prepared to share findings with our partners — employees, students, parents and community members. We invite you to sign up for one of the virtual Community Conversations listed below to learn more about:

• the research on sleep times

• a review of survey data

• some school start time scenarios

Each Community Conversation will consist of a short presentation and an opportunity for participants to provide feedback to district administrators. We are offering four Community Conversation opportunities. The same content will be presented at each meeting. Click on a link below to sign up for a meeting and be part of the conversation!

• Monday, April 26 via Zoom @ 5:30 p.m.
  

• Thursday, April 29 via Zoom @ Noon

In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week 2021, Lamar is giving people the opportunity to recognize, honor and appreciate the educators in their community who have gone above and beyond in a year like no other.

From May 3-7, Lamar will feature teachers’ photos on our national network of digital billboards, giving them the recognition they so richly deserve.

If you have a favorite teacher you’d like to recognize, Lamar is collecting submissions through May 6, 2021. Simply fill out and submit the requested information in the form and get ready to see your favorite teacher on a Lamar digital billboard in your area.

Annual Registration is the online process that includes providing proof of residence, verifying student information, and reviewing and completing parent/guardian forms. To prevent delays in scheduling your child’s classes for the coming school year, please complete this process as soon as Annual Registration opens.

Click here for a step-by-step guide.

The South Carolina College- and Career-Ready Assessments (SC READY) is a statewide assessment program in English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics administered to students in grades 3–8 over a period of three days (two days for ELA and one day for mathematics).

The South Carolina Palmetto Assessment of State Standards (SCPASS) is a statewide assessment in science administered to students in Grades 4 and 6 in a single day.

SC READY and SCPASS assessments must be administered in-person, at school. There is no option to take these tests from home, because they were not designed to be administered in that manner. Providing a safe environment for in-person testing will be a top priority for our schools and the district, as testing serves a critical role in informing our instructional practices and can be beneficial to students as well. Various programs across the district use SC READY and SCPASS scores, along with other criteria, as part of their selection process. Additionally, students with exceptional scores on SC READY may qualify for Gifted and Talented programs.

While we encourage all of our students to take the assessments we do recognize the unprecedented nature of this school year and that some of our families are uncomfortable having their students come to school to take state-mandated assessments. In a March 29 press release, State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman noted as much, stating “While we encourage all students to participate, we are relying on and empowering families to make the best decision for their child when it comes to end-of-the-year tests. If a family determines that it is unsafe for a student to attend school for the sole purpose of taking a test, we will not penalize them, their teacher, or their school.”

Specific test dates and information about bus transportation for eLearners will be communicated soon. If you have any questions about state assessments please contact your student’s school and ask to speak with the School Testing Coordinator.