As we consider what’s next for our students in remote learning during the April 14 - May 1 time, we are keeping many things the same but changing where it is needed.
Norton Primary will primarily be on the same plan. There will be packet pickup for its students, and the teachers will continue to connect online as they have.
Norton Elementary will primarily be on their same plan. They will offer packet pickup for students, and the teachers will continue to connect online as they have.
Norton Middle School will primarily be on their same plan. It will be a combined packet education with the online education plan they have utilized.
Norton High School will transition the most from grade-level education to a more direct, online instructional program utilizing Google Classroom and other instruction multimedia resources.
We will still be available and connect with our students and families, but we will be providing a more student-specific approach to instruction at various grade levels. Your building principals and teachers in those buildings will guide the presentation of instruction, but we are beginning a transition into a larger technology connection in the district. We are anticipating that video and/or voice connections between teachers and students will play a larger role April 14 - May 1.
We understand that there is a need in some homes for device access. Up to this point, with paper packets being provided, the digital need was a limited, yet growing interest in our district. As we consider these requests, please remember we are not a 1:1 district and do not have enough devices for every student and/or family. The devices we have are currently in carts and classrooms that under normal circumstances are used daily for coursework and throughout the year for online testing. Despite that, the district does have a strong desire to help our students and families as we approach the next time period of remote learning.
In order to address this need, we must have your assistance. We can repurpose devices from classrooms and loan them out, but only with the following circumstances in mind:
A device is only requested if the student(s) do not already have a device (smartphone, tablet, laptop, etc.) that can be used OR you have several students in your home and only one device. Please note that there are apps for the key tools our teachers use: Google Drive, Google Classroom, Google Docs, Google Hangouts, Zoom, etc. that can be installed on devices you may already have in your home.
If you borrow a device, it must be well cared for and returned to us when asked in the same condition it was loaned out so that we can use them in classrooms as we did before this situation arose.
We ask those families that can continue to learn in their current manner with the access they already have at home, to please do so. We do not have enough devices for every family to borrow one. Your support in this area is essential to this working.
Again, we want to ensure our students are connected and learning. We also want to protect the investment of the devices we have. If you need a device for your family, please use this link on a computer, smartphone or tablet before noon on Wednesday, April 8th to submit your request. We will do our best to fulfill them. Thank you for your support. We will get through this together!