Students at the Netcong Elementary School were in classrooms four days per week when the school year began in September.
More than three month later, their schedule hasn’t changed, not even for a day, unlike students in the many schools in New Jersey that have abruptly closed classrooms and implemented remote learning during the coronavirus pandemic.
The K-8 elementary school is the lone building in the unusually compact Netcong school district, where everyone either walks or is driven to school. Students have their temperatures taken before going inside and are shielded at their desks by plexiglass barriers.
Superintendent Kathleen E. Walsh said that, of the school’s 285 students, about two-thirds are opting for in-person instruction.
“We’re open, and committed to staying open, as long as we can,” Walsh said Thursday.
Netcong is persisting even as the pandemic worsens and a growing number of school districts are keeping students home, including nine of the state’s 10 largest school districts.
“Part of the reason we’ve been able to stay the course is because we’re a smaller district,” Walsh said.
Of the two, much larger school districts it borders in Morris County, Mount Olive last week implemented remote learning until January for all students, one day after Roxbury announced the same change in its schools starting Dec. 14.
Walsh said the elementary school has had only a single, confirmed coronavirus case. She declined to say whether it involved a student or staffer.
Students attend classes every Tuesday through Friday, from 8:45 a.m. to 12:55 p.m., and are sent home with a bagged lunch and breakfast for the following morning. Remote learning for all is every Monday.
Prior to March, when schools throughout New Jersey closed due to the pandemic, the school day in Netcong went from 8:20 a.m. to 2:54 p.m.
The Netcong Elementary SchoolPhoto courtesy of Netcong school district
Walsh said the students aren’t missing out on any instruction. All students receive virtual instruction on Mondays focusing on specialized subjects, such as health, physical education, Spanish, art, music, and technology.
That frees up time for the math, language arts, social studies and science to be taught in the classrooms on the other four days.
Netcong’s average class size is 12 students per teacher, she said.
“We socially distance where we can,” Walsh said, adding that the plexiglass barriers offer additional protection.
Walsh said that teachers are using rolling carts shielded by plexiglass, with shelves enabling them to move around classrooms while using a laptop computer. If a teacher needs to quarantine, which has happened on three occasions, Walsh said they teach remotely from home and a substitute is brought in to assist in the classroom.
While some school districts closed after the Thanksgiving weekend due to holiday travel concerns, Walsh said Netcong considered doing so but decided it wouldn’t be necessary.
“We had parents that were going away and were honest about it,” she said.
Walsh acknowledged, though, that the call on remaining open at some point may not be up to Netcong. Under state health guidelines, if coronavirus levels reach the “very high” benchmark, all-remote learning would be required.
Walsh sent a letter to parents Nov. 18 warning of that possibility, and that they might need to make child-care arrangements.
She said the hope remains that classroom instruction will continue.
“Parents have been very grateful that we’re open,” she said.
Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust.
Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com.
"open" - Google News
December 14, 2020 at 08:31PM
https://ift.tt/2KpeCd2
N.J. school stays open while others nearby are closing. Here’s how they’re making it work. - NJ.com
"open" - Google News
https://ift.tt/3bYShMr
https://ift.tt/3d2SYUY
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "N.J. school stays open while others nearby are closing. Here’s how they’re making it work. - NJ.com"
Post a Comment