The following update on Hybrid Learning was sent to all OSD families on Tuesday, January 12, 2021.
Hello OSD families,
As we move forward with plans to welcome students back on campus in a hybrid learning model, we have created a schedule of tentative, conditional start dates to help families plan for the anticipated expansion of in-person learning.
The following are tentative start dates for hybrid learning by grade level. These dates are conditional on receiving guidance from county health officials to move forward with more in-person learning based on COVID-19 activity:
February 1: Preschool and kindergarten
February 8: Grades 1, 2 and 6
February 18: Grades 3, 7 and 9
February 22: Grades 4, 5, 8 and 12
March 1: Grades 10 and 11
Note: If your student is in a multiage classroom, their start date for hybrid learning will match the date for the grade level with the latest start date. For example, students signed up for hybrid in a combined kindergarten/first-grade class will begin on February 8, not February 1.
Last week we shared with families that the Thurston County health officer plans to recommend, provided COVID-19 metrics support a safe shift to hybrid, that school districts expand in-person learning beginning with their youngest learners. She said she would monitor health data the first three weeks of January before issuing a recommendation. We will continue to follow the guidance of our health professionals -- just as we have since the Pandemic started.
Once we receive guidance to safely shift to hybrid learning, please note:
- The district will continue to offer families the option of 100 percent distance learning.
- Students in Life Skills, Developmental Learning Classroom (DLC) and intensive preschool programs will continue to receive in-person instruction as they have been doing since last September while adhering to health and safety guidelines. Any changes to current in-person learning schedules will be communicated directly with these families.
- Over the past several months, we asked families to complete forms in Skyward Family Access indicating their preference for remote or hybrid learning. Schools are using this information to develop school schedules and hybrid cohorts. Families that have not filled out the form will have their students assigned to full-time distance learning. If you have not filled out the form, don’t recall whether you chose hybrid or distance learning, or want to adjust your choice on the form, please contact your school office.
- Specifics such as school start and end times, how to request bus transportation, and more about the differences between hybrid and remote learning will be shared with families by early next week.
- The school board has scheduled a work session on January 21 to discuss the shift to hybrid learning -- a shift we started preparing for last spring and one that is outlined in the board-approved OSD School Reopening Plan for 2020-21.
Thank you for your continued understanding, and please remember to check your email for updates on our planned shift to hybrid learning.
Communications and Community Relations
[email protected]