March 17, 2021
Dear Shorewood Elementary Families,
I may have been more excited than our students this week! It was great to see both our in-person and remote students ready to learn and engaged with their teachers on this “ first day of school.”
After listening to our staff and administrators, I received a request for a small change in our schedule at both elementary schools--one I would like to support to honor our teachers’ ability to provide the highest quality instruction as we end the school year. I apologize for another change in the schedule but the District will support those in need of child supervision as a result of this change. Thank you for your continued flexibility and patience as we finish this school year on a strong note.
The small change in the schedule will be a modification to our early releases on Wednesdays. Since teachers and administrators finalized the scheduling for our in-person instruction, it has become a challenge for teachers to find time to lesson plan and collaborate with colleagues, especially due to the need for teachers to provide lunch supervision for their students. This lunch supervision is necessary as part of our Covid-19 mitigation strategies, but it has resulted in a loss of 2.5 hours of teacher prep time each week. The added complexities of managing both remote and in-person classes have made grade level collaborative planning especially important for students as we finish the year.
Therefore, last week, Director of Curriculum and Instruction Sam Coleman and I met with teacher leadership from the Shorewood Education Association to address this issue and discuss their proposal to extend the elementary grades’ early release time on Wednesdays from 2:25 p.m. to 12:15 p.m., beginning April 7 through the rest of the school year. We agreed to move forward with the proposal.
I would like to outline how this change will positively impact students and teachers. In addition to sharing improved teaching practices and discussing support for students, teachers will use this collaboration time to ensure that lessons and curriculum stay on a consistent path across our in-person and remote student cohorts in each grade band. Literacy and math instruction will be scheduled for Wednesday mornings to ensure that all students receive instruction in these core subjects five days each week. Our choice to provide five day per week in-person instruction in math and literacy is more than most of our peer districts in the North Shore for the remainder of the school year. I believe the combination of recapturing our common planning time for staff and our five days per week of literacy and math instruction will give us the best opportunity to reach our goal of at least one year of academic growth in math and reading for all students.
Our principals support this accommodation for teachers, and they have worked with Jody Brooks, Director of Recreation and Community Services, to extend Recreation Wednesday for two hours at no extra cost for families who need child supervision during this time. Families will be sent information about Recreation Wednesdays through weekly principal and teacher communications. I am also working with Milestones to provide support for families who use their services.
The 12:15 p.m. Wednesday early release for grades 5K - 6 will begin after Spring Break, on Wednesday, April 7 and will continue for the remainder of the 2020-2021 school year. The extended early release time will not be part of our scheduling for the 2021-2022 school year. Wednesday early release for next week, March 24, will remain at the 2:25 p.m. dismissal time.
Due to the unique nature of the AM/PM 4K schedule, the 12:15 release time will not apply to 4K. These students will continue in their current Wednesday schedule: AM - 8:15 - 10:35 a.m.; PM - 12:05 - 2:25 p.m. To accommodate the 4K teachers' collaboration time, we will not have 4K classes on Wednesday, April 14 or Wednesday, May 12. 4K families that need child supervision support during these days will be able to receive it through the District. Families will be sent information about this child supervision support through upcoming weekly principal and teacher communications.
I am confident that regaining our teachers common planning time in our current in-person and remote learning models will allow for a strong finish to the school year. Thank you again for your patience and flexibility this year. If you have any questions, please contact me or your elementary school principal.
Sincerely,
Bryan Davis
Superintendent, Shorewood School District
Superintendent, Shorewood School District