Reopening Greendale Schools

Second Semester Start Date & Learning Information: GMS and GHS

We have received responses from the majority of our GMS and GHS students and are working to place students in classes and schedules for semester 2 based on these preferences. If a student/ family did not complete the survey, the student will be scheduled according to the preference selected in the fall. Here are the results of the survey.

Greendale Middle School Responses

• 21.2 percent of families selected fully-virtual instruction

• 78.8 percent chose the in-person learning environment

Greendale High School Responses

• 22.4 percent of families selected fully-virtual instruction

• 77.6 percent chose the in-person learning environment
   

As plans to reopen our schools for in-person learning proceed, please understand completely that Greendale Schools has made safety a PRIORITY to all reopening efforts. Information on the mitigation strategies we have in place are shared again here.

As a reminder, the instructional model for second semester includes fully-virtual Wednesdays for ALL students in the district. Last week’s survey data indicated that 26 percent of  families have students in elementary school and many rely on the supervision of their older children on Wednesdays to support their younger students at home. A second semester learning plan will be shared with students and families next week and will include information on the Wednesday schedule.

All GMS students choosing fully-virtual instruction will be taught by Greendale Middle School teachers. Schedules and teacher assignments may be different in semester 2.

For GHS students selecting fully-virtual instruction, we will assign virtual sections of courses with enough students enrolled to be virtually taught by a GHS teacher. For other requested courses, some GHS virtual students will be provided with daily, synchronous instruction from an in-person Greendale classroom. Courses unable to be taught at GHS will be pursued through Wisconsin Virtual School. If this update changes your preference for learning environment, please email Associate Principal Chris Del Ponte by Friday, January 15, at 3:00 p.m.

For ALL students selecting in-person learning, we continue to look at class sizes and ways to utilize the largest classroom spaces available to maximize distance and minimize the number of students in a physical space. Additional locations will be used for lunch periods to ensure we maintain distance to minimize risk.

Here is the schedule for GMS and GHS students to begin the second semester:

January 18 - No School Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.  Greendale Staff Day of Service

January 19 - No School for Students. Staff will be continuing to process the recent response survey data and scheduling students into the appropriate classes.

January 20 - 29 - ALL STUDENTS begin semester 2 in a fully-virtual environment according to their semester 2 schedules and following the daily, synchronous learning plan we used at the end of semester 1. During this time, Greendale Schools will be adjusting classes and class locations to maximize spacing for students and staff enrolled in in-person learning.

Student schedules for semester 2 will be available in PowerSchool by 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 19. Course information and classroom logins will be shared with students in Google Classroom by 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday.

February 1 - In-school classes begin for students choosing in-person learning for semester 2. Fully-virtual instruction continues for students choosing virtual learning.

Navigating the many challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic are ongoing. Thank you for your understanding as we work together to provide the best possible learning experience for all students in Greendale Schools.

GMS & GHS Semester 2 Learning Plan Update

Greendale Schools is seeking feedback from GMS and GHS families regarding their preferences for a learning environment for the second semester of the 2020-2021 school year. Families may choose fully-digital learning or the in-person option while weighing the risks and making a choice that best meets your physical health needs, social and emotional needs, and academic needs. Parents/ guardians should complete the survey with their students.

In the in-person learning model, students return to school 4-days per week, in a regular school schedule with Wednesdays remaining fully virtual. Families should understand that students may not be 6-feet from one another in the classroom setting, but students will be distanced as much as possible. Staff would be able to maintain 6 feet of distance and other safety precautions will remain in place, including face coverings, sanitizing, frequent hand washing, and contact tracing close contacts for quarantine. Complete information on district mitigation strategies is shared here. 

Please Note: With the in-person learning model, students may have increased likelihood of quarantine. If a student is identified for quarantine, the student will receive instructional materials and support, but should not expect live video instruction for the temporary absence. We appreciate that this may be an interruption for the quarantined students, and we must balance the disruption to students attending in person. If the period extends beyond three school days, teachers will work with families to arrange for live video support periodically during the absence.

Families are asked to respond to the survey by 8 a.m. on Tuesday, January 12, 2021, so that second semester schedules can be assigned to students and staff. Please complete one survey for each student in your household. The link to the survey has been emailed to families of students grades 6 through 12.

Families will receive an update on second semester learning by January 15, 2021. 

The COVID-19 public health emergency is ongoing and new information and guidance is provided frequently. I encourage you to continue to monitor the Dashboard for Moving Learning Environments as well as the School Nurse webpage and Principal’s Weekly newsletters for updated information. Thank you again for your support of our schools. 

Update On Learning Following Winter Break

At its December 21 Board of Education meeting, School Board Members heard Mrs. Amidzich's  Learning Plan Update report and discussed the second semester learning plan for students at Greendale Middle School and Greendale High School. At the end of that discussion, the Board provided direction for administration and the Re-Opening Greendale Schools team to design a daily in-person learning option and a fully-virtual option for middle and high school students. Elementary school students will continue in the four-day-per week in-person/Wednesdays digital model through the end of the school year. Elementary students whose families selected the in-person learning environment will return to school in-person on Monday, January 11, 2021.

The Re-Opening Greendale Schools team will meet on January 5 to determine how to design an in-person learning option that provides for all of the CDC recommended COVID-19 mitigation strategies. After Winter Break, the district administrative team will develop and share a new survey for families of middle and high school students to determine their preferences based on the new learning plan model. This new model will be developed in the coming weeks. An update will be provided to the Board of Education, school families and staff by January 8, 2021.

There have been some questions from families and the community wondering why elementary and secondary students have different plans. The significant difference between elementary in-person learning plan and secondary in-person learning has been the ability to maintain a consistent six feet of distance between students in classrooms. This is one of the important factors provided by the CDC for safely reopening schools.

While the Re-Opening Team will work to find a creative solution, it is possible that the in-person learning design will not be able to provide for consistent physical distancing between students. For this reason, an updated learning plan option will be provided by January 8 and our middle and high school families will be asked to register for second semester learning based on the newly designed environment and conditions. Once a choice is made, school teams will work to re-assign classes for the second semester as quickly as possible and identify a start date for the new learning selection.

Elementary Schools Temporary Transition to Digital Learning Nov. 30 through Jan. 8

November 20, 2020

We are temporarily transitioning our elementary schools to fully-digital learning beginning November 30 and continuing through January 8. We expect elementary school students to return to in-person learning on Monday, January 11, 2021. We will review community conditions when we return to learning after winter break and will confirm a return to in-person instruction for our elementary school students that week. We are making this transition as a preventive measure to manage the potential for disruptions in learning and challenges for families that happen due to individual case and class quarantines.

Canterbury and College Park staff will have an instructional planning day on Monday, November 30. Students will begin instruction on Tuesday, December 1. Highland View students will continue with instruction on November 30, as their school transitioned to digital learning a few weeks ago.

Our staff learning teams are meeting to revise learning plans to support this change. These plans will include synchronous (real-time) instruction with your child's classroom teacher on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Specials instruction will continue on Wednesdays in the same format and schedule we have been following this school year. Elementary families should watch for emails from the school principals and their child’s teachers with more information before Thanksgiving Break. This change will NOT impact the learning plans of elementary school students who have been in fully-digital classrooms since the beginning of the school year.

We are able to offer a limited-capacity child care option for families during this digital learning time. This service is limited based on staffing and maximum student group sizes to ensure safe distancing within learning spaces, assigned seating, and groupings. We encourage families to consider child care options outside of the district. If that is not possible, please complete this form by Monday, 11/23 at 4:00pm for consideration.  A fee of $20 per student per day will be charged. Fee waivers can be requested for those with financial need. Families completing the form will be contacted directly regarding space availability.

GMS/GHS Transition to Digital Learning Through End of Semester

November 17, 2020 

With health and safety factors in mind and to allow for predictable and consistent, daily face-to-face interactions and schedules for students, Greendale Schools has made the decision to transition middle school and high school to a fully-digital learning environment through the end of the semester, January 15. You can watch the School Board’s discussion regarding this subject during the November 16 Board meeting on this YouTube recording (presentation begins at the 1:19:21 mark of the recording).

This update in the learning environment is also being made after reviewing data and feedback provided by our students and families through the October Pulse Survey. This week, our staff learning teams are meeting to develop new learning plans. These plans are expected to include synchronous (real-time) instruction for middle and high school students five days a week beginning November 30.  Middle and high school students and families should watch for emails from the school principals with more information on the new learning plans. Here are learning environment updates for our other schools:

• Highland View will continue in its current digital learning format through Thanksgiving Break.

• Canterbury and College Park remains in the current in-person learning environment.

A decision will be made on the elementary school learning environment later this week.

Welcome Back to Learning - Fall 2020

Greendale Schools offered families a choice of in-person or fully digital learning for the fall term of the 2020-2021 school year. In either circumstance, the district is firmly committed to providing students with high-quality educational programming. Families, please refer to the school specific information shared on the webpages by school. These pages are linked on this page to the right or left of this message.

The health and safety practices we are following inside our schools have been effective in stopping the spread of COVID-19 at school. Yet, community spread is a reality and we are seeing increasing numbers of positive cases in Greendale, Milwaukee County and the state. Please, please continue to remain diligent and vigilant in following the safety protocols, at home and in the community, to reduce the spread of illness. Continue to wash your hands, watch your distance, and wear your mask. Please stay home if you feel sick or have been directed to quarantine based on exposure to COVID-19. Even if symptoms are minor, please err on the side of caution and keep your child home. Following these guidelines outside of school is also important as we work to keep our school community safe and kids learning in-person. 

Our COVID-19 knowledge and evidence base continues to evolve, and information is updated frequently regarding COVID-19 symptoms and when students should stay home and when they can return to school. If your student(s) have been in close contact with someone with a confirmed case of COVID-19 or you are awaiting a COVID-19 test result in your household, your students should stay home from school. Please call the office and let the school know why your students are absent. This information is shared on the district's School Nurse webpage.

Thank you for your patience and support!