Hello Rambler Families,
We have spent a great deal of time over the past 2 days getting a unified picture of how school closure due to COVID-19 will change the educational setting for the students of Cascade Schools. Our Cascade Schools Staff has been working diligently on learning plans for next week’s blended online learning for Wednesday, March 25 through Friday, March 27. 

For this upcoming week, we will be focusing only on the core content areas of Math, English/Language Arts (ELA), Science, and SS/History (for grades 9-12).  We will temporarily suspend all elective classes for this week and reassess the needs as we move farther along and know how long the closure will last.  

Here is a timeline for next week:

Monday, March 23, 2020: 
Our staff will be in the building to work on getting things ready for you all to pick up Tuesday.

Tuesday, March 24, 2020:
Families are asked to come to the school to pick up materials and supplies needed to start online/blended learning on Wednesday.  We will have tables set up under the awning out front of the building, they will be organized by grade level and content area.  We will also have general informational packets for families on how the online/blended learning can look in your homes.

Pick up times will be scheduled alphabetically by last name.  Here is the schedule, or please see the attached pdf.

Wednesday, March 25 - Friday, March 27, 2020:
Online/blended learning will begin.   Teachers will be reaching out to families of students that are showing signs of disengagement to see how we can be a better support.

What to expect for your student:
Elementary Grades: Learning through hard copy materials (prepared for pick up on Tuesday) and other online resources that we have been using in our school throughout this school year.  Chromebooks will also be available for check out.

Grades 6-12: Learning mostly through Google Classroom format (this can be done through the school issued chromebook or any smart device that has the free app).  We are currently working on a list of community spaces that will be opening up their wifi free of charge to our families, this information will be ready for you on Tuesday during pick up.  Hard copy work will be available for those that need it. 

PowerSchool will be used to communicate upcoming assignments and due dates, so please keep looking to that for guidance on assignments.

Please know that we are not expecting 6-8 hours of educational engagement, for this first week we are going to be focusing on simply engaging students on the core instructional essentials (Math, English/Language Arts, Science, and SS/History).  It is important for each family to determine how their learning schedule will work for them, there is no one way to learn in this new format, for some families the learning will be complete before noon, and some may decide to complete it all in an evening session at a wifi hotspot in town.

What to expect from the school:
We will continue to communicate with you all over the next few days about any new updates for the upcoming week.  Our teachers are all expected to set and maintain office hours so you can all get guidance on what you are needing.  The office hours and methods of contact will be listed on the teacher webpages on our Cascade Schools website.  We are currently working on other critical service areas for our community such as food service, the format of Cascade After School Program, mobile wifi options, virtual classes, readmittance planning, and others.

What about graduation and the graduation class of 2020:
We have graduation requirements at the forefront of our thinking right now and have prioritized the class of 2020 in our plan. We are doing everything that we can to ensure that the class of 2020 leaves with a diploma in their hands.  As for the graduation ceremony, it is too early to make a decision on what will happen with that. 

Please take a moment to take this quick (2 question) wifi survey so we can get a better estimate of learning needs.  

Please feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions, we are happy to hear from you.

Jeff Blaser, Superintendent
Joni Stevenson, PreK-12 Principal

http://www.cascademedicalcenter.net/
https://coronavirus.idaho.gov/