KALAMAZOO (WKZO AM/FM) –
It’s back to school on Monday for children in Kalamazoo and it will be a year like no other.
Superintendent Dr. Rita Raichoudhuri gave the Board of Trustees a final update last week on what they have done to prepare for all online learning for the first trimester, what parents can do and what the community is doing to help.
Teachers have been taking classes all week to hone their virtual teaching skills. Several community groups have organized to provide learning hubs and a cache of school supplies to help low-income families.
The District is distributing chrome books and the Library is providing internet hot-spots. They have also been holding orientation sessions for parents this week. It’s a dedicated effort to learn from the problems they encountered last spring and avoid them this fall.
Three out of four parents have chosen Option one that will mean a trimester of virtual learning, a second trimester that will phase in some time in the classroom, and a return to school 5 days a week next spring. Less than a quarter have chosen a full year of online learning taught by Kalamazoo Teachers. Only 2% have opted for an alternative virtual learning program that includes teachers from outside the district.
KPS has created a website for parents to help them navigate the computer systems they will be using. It also offers advice on how families can create a working school in their homes, and how to structure a school day for their children. Dr. Rita says they are also working on a phone app that will allow parents to tap into school resources and monitor the progress of their children. It should be ready later this fall.
There is also a separate website with information for teachers who are being thrust into a higher grade of online learning than the patchwork that was hastily put together after Covid-19 shut down the schools earlier this year.
The aim is to create as close to a classroom experience as possible. Not only will the teachers be on the screen, but for the majority who have picked option one, it will be mandatory that students also be on camera during synchronous lessons most mornings.
That will allow more interaction during class and give teachers more control on attendance and behavior during lessons.
Board President Patti Sholler-Barber is asking for patience, saying like anything else that is new, there will be rough spots and problems, and they will move as fast as they can to fix the bugs.
Dr. Rita says they will be closely monitoring student progress and also tweaking the learning experience to address gaps and problems as they appear.
The district’s website also has information on distribution locations for Chrome books and other materials that have been going on this week. There is also a listing for food distribution locations and class schedules for this first trimester.
There won’t be any football this fall, but there will be golf, tennis, cross-country and marching band.
They are urging parents to make Monday’s half-day session as much of a back to school experience as they can for their children, to end summer vacation schedules and get them back in the learning mode.
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