District COVID-19 Update - April 3rd

Dear Shorewood Families,

I hope you and your loved ones are well.  My heavy heart aligns with all of our health care professionals and first responders who continue to put themselves in harm’s way during this pandemic to serve our communities.  Please join me in taking the time to tell them “THANK YOU!”. Their work has been inspiring to me as we began our virtual learning activities this week.

I also say thank you for all of your support and understanding as we continue to navigate this difficult process. Overall, it was a successful first week and we could not have done it without the help of you, our families, and your commitment to your student’s learning during these trying times. 

Finally, I need to acknowledge the unwavering commitment of our principals and our staff. It is no small task for educators to provide continuous student learning and emotional wellbeing during this challenging time, while also managing profound disruptions to their own lives. I appreciate everyone’s patience as we continue to improve upon and refine our virtual learning instruction. This is new for all of us and I am confident that we can work together to continue to make the best of a difficult situation.

School Closures Projection

Currently, Governor Evers has closed schools through April 24th.  While we hope for the best, we have begun long-range planning for virtual instruction as if school will not be back in session for the remainder of this 2019-20 school year. As soon as a decision is made at the state level regarding the school closure timeline, we will notify you of these changes.

Virtual Learning/Support for Your Child

One of the ways we plan to monitor our growth and success with our virtual learning instruction is through surveys to families. Principals from each school sent out survey links to collect feedback from the first week. Improvements to our virtual learning instruction will be based partly on information we receive from those surveys, so please take the time to give us this much needed feedback.

It is also important to us that your student gets the proper instructional support he/she needs during these closures.  If you/your student is struggling, please reach out to your student’s teacher. Starting next week, all teachers will offer daily “virtual office hours,” the times of which will be communicated to you by your individual teachers on Monday. During these office hours, teachers will be readily available to answer student or family questions. Questions sent outside of the office hours will be answered within 24 hours of receipt. 

Technology Support

The District’s Technology Office is working hard to provide all students and staff with the technological tools and resources they need to be successful during the closures. Should you or your student have any questions regarding technology use or device needs, please contact the the Technology Office at [email protected].

Second Semester Grading System 

Next week, principals will be communicating in detail the second semester grading systems that will be put in place. Below is the Pandemic Grading Proposal that will be going to the School Board for approval next Tuesday, April 7.

Pandemic Grading Proposal

K4-6th Grade

Our elementary school report cards for grades 1-6 will continue to show feedback on skills and knowledge in each area using one of the following three indicators: beginning, developing or secure.  K4 and K5 report cards will provide more narrative feedback than the regular report cards as many of the traditional assessments are not possible. Students will not receive assessments from teachers in art, music, world languages, and physical education.  These teachers will focus on providing enrichment activities to engage students and give them outlets to increase student wellness during this difficult time.

7th-12th Grade

Our 7th-12th grade students will have the opportunity to finish up assignments counting towards their third quarter grades through April 30.  Students and parents should check Infinite Campus to see what work needs to still be completed for the 3rd quarter. Teachers will also be reaching out to students to check on missing 3rd quarter work.   Third quarter grades will be posted to Infinite Campus the week of May 4.

Fourth quarter will begin April 13.  Students will need to complete assignments and tests through the end of the school year to receive a fourth quarter grade.

Shorewood High School Semester Grades 

Semester grades for high school students will be calculated as follows:

1)  If grades improve from the third quarter to the fourth quarter, the student will get the combined third and fourth quarter grade as the semester grade. 

2) If grades go down from the third to the fourth quarter, and a student has a passing grade (D- or higher) in the fourth quarter, the student gets the third quarter grade for their semester grade. 

3) If the student fails the fourth quarter, the student gets the combination of the third quarter and fourth quarter grades for the semester grade. 

Examples: