Like many other school districts, our students and staff were required to implement 100% virtual learning very quickly. While several days were taken to do some planning, most will admit that the experience was less than optimal.

The time between the end of the school year and the beginning of the next provides an opportunity for us to learn from the past and make things better for the future.

The school district is offering families the option to continue with virtual learning, but few details are available about how that will look, and how it will (hopefully) be better than it was in Spring 2020.

What are those plans? We don't have a lot of information yet, with very little in the way of details.

Information

The best information we have as of July 26, 2020 is from the July 20 - Presentation to the Board of Education that was presented by the District Administration. A letter was sent via E-Mail to parents on July 21, but it only had high-level information and no details.

Official information from the District can be found at the Reopening Schools 2020-21 page on the District website. That information will (hopefully) be updated often, with more and more details being provided.

One hopes that more information will be forthcoming before parents will be required to choose which option they will have to live with for the forseeable future.

Questions/Concerns

Outstanding questions may be listed here as a way to keep track of them. Ideally, we'll find out answers, and post them here!

In no particular order...

1. Will students have the same instructor as they are scheduled to have or will instructors be combined across the district?
   
   This might look different at the elementary level vs. the middle school vs. the high school by necessity, but the student-teacher match can be essential element in success or failure in a class.
   
2. Will students have daily or biweekly video-conference interaction with the instructor? Will the instructor record lessons for students to view and then during the live portion be able to have discussions facilitated by the teacher?
   
   This was a difficult issue, at least for the high school level. Most teachers appeared to have created materials (video lessons, lists of links, etc.) and then sent them to students to complete, and then respond with an electronic equivalent of a worksheet or other response. Very little live interaction with the teachers, which created a diminished student-teacher experience.
   
3. How will staff promote the sense of being a part of the school community across the virtual platform?
   
   How does a virtual student feel like he/she is part of the school community? Will they feel like a second-class student because they are out-of-sight, out-of-mind?
   
4. What will the science lab classes look like virtually?
5. Will classes be supervised by a New Berlin teacher or will they be outsourced to a place like E-achieve?
6. What happens to elective classes like art? Will they still take place?
   
   How will supplies be distributed? Is it possible for all electives to be done virtually?
7. What information or guidance has come from the College Board regarding AP classes for this year?

Last Updated: Jul 27, 2020 - Archived on Jul 27, 2020

Resources

• SDNBs 2021-22 Fall Re-Entry Plan - July 26, 2021

  Presentation given by Superintendent Joe Garza to the School Board on July 26, 2021. This plan was later approved by a vote of 5-1.

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