From Superintendent Marini:

Dear Brookline Staff, Families and Caregivers, 

I am writing this afternoon (10/23/20) with an important scheduling change that will impact all hybrid students (or those set to enter hybrid) in grade levels 9-12 beginning the week of October 26, 2020 and grade levels 1-8 beginning the week of November 2, 2020. The Leadership Team, School Principals, and the Brookline School Committee have decided to make Wednesday a completely remote day for all students in the hybrid learning model.

Wednesday will remain a shortened day (early dismissal), but students in grades 1-12 enrolled in the hybrid model will participate in their instruction remotely. We have learned a lot in the past four days after transitioning to the hybrid model and believe this change in schedule is what’s best for our educators, our students, and our staff.   
 

Why the transition?
 

Relationships and Community Building 

• Students in grades 1-12 began the year together, albeit remotely, and are now split due to the hybrid schedule. A remote Wednesday allows students to reconnect with their peers and have a whole class experience again.
• Students will receive live synchronous learning similar to what they experienced the first four weeks of RemotePlus. 
• Students will have more live time with their teacher(s) over the course of the week because all students will have two full days in-person and a full half-day remote each week. This allows more time to strengthen relationships between teachers and students which we believe is a necessary factor for student success. 

Instruction and Curriculum Planning

• Students will receive a robust day of synchronous learning on Wednesday in their content areas reducing the amount of asynchronous time they currently have during the school week.
• Teachers can plan more coherently now that students are receiving the same amount of touch points per week. 
• Students in Cohort A and B will be more in-line with each other as they will have an equal amount of time with their teachers each week. The remote Wednesday can serve as a full group check-in for misconceptions or misunderstandings related to learning. 
• Teachers and specialists (math, literacy, special educators) can facilitate more small group instruction/intervention from various classes that have similar needs. The remote Wednesday alleviates the concern for crossing cohorts as these small groups can meet remotely. 
• Secures collaboration and preparation time for teachers that is more efficient and less strained than currently scheduled in the hybrid model. 

Cleaning and Sanitization

• Additional time for a more thorough cleaning and sanitizing of buildings between cohorts
• Additional time for appropriate cleaning of shared materials such as paper, makers, library books, math manipulatives, etc. 
• As more students enter the building in the hybrid model, a Wednesday cleaning day allows the building to breathe and likely increases how long we can remain open in this model. 

To reiterate:

• Wednesday will be a fully remote day for students in the hybrid model in grades 9-12 beginning Wednesday, October 28, 2020.
• Wednesday will be a fully remote day for students in the hybrid model in grades 1-8 beginning Wednesday, November 4, 2020. 
• Wednesday will remain an early dismissal day 
• Remote Learning Academy schedules will not change. 
• Kindergarten schedules will not change. Kindergarten students enrolled in-person will attend in-person 5 days a week. 
• Students in First to Return who will remain in-person 5 days a week have been notified. All other students in First to Return have shifted to the hybrid schedule.  

We know this is a quick transition for some families, staff and caregivers and appreciate your flexibility as we continue to update our plans based on recent information, lived experiences, and what we believe is in the best interest of our community. School leaders and teachers will be able to provide more details on the Wednesday schedule specific to your child(ren) in the upcoming week. 

Sincerely, 

V. James Marini

Interim Superintendent