CREECS Reopening Plan- July 21, 2020
Dear CREECS Family,
I am writing this letter to announce that at this time CREECS will not reopen in a traditional manner for the start of the 2020-2021 school year. After careful consideration of survey results, meetings with stakeholders, and guidance from various government agencies, the Administration and Board of Trustees has decided that a Hybrid Model is best for students’ health, education, and social/emotional well-being. The Hybrid Model that we will be implementing follows an AA/ BB/ V schedule with two groups or cohorts of students attending school two days in a row ( Monday/Tuesday Cohort and Wednesday/Thursday Cohort). Students will participate in virtual learning on days when they are not present in the school building. Students who are not attending in person on any given day will participate in asynchronous online learning using digital curriculum resources and instructional tasks assigned by their teachers. All students will attend virtual school on Fridays which may consist of virtual synchronous and asynchronous learning and small group instruction.
The option to attend our Virtual Academy is also available to all students. As a full-time online public Kindergarten through Eighth grade program, the Virtual Learning Academy offers tuition free learning for all students registered with CREECS. This program is designed as an alternative to the traditional school setting. The problem of internet connectivity is being explored for those students without internet access. Our goal is to provide MiFi mobile hotspots for use at home. If you previously expressed an interest in enrolling your child in this program, an enrollment form will be emailed to you in the next few days. The new deadline for enrollment is August 3, 2020. In order to successfully plan these programs and prepare our facility for the safe return of students, the first day of school for students will be delayed until September 8.
In an effort to ease the burden of learning at home on students and parents, we have added a new component to our Great Minds Wit & Wisdom (ELA) and Eureka Math curriculum. The Great Minds in sync curriculum was developed in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. It is designed to deliver user-friendly rigorous instruction in a virtual platform. More information about this curriculum may be found here https://gm.greatminds.org/in-sync.
Please be advised that our plan to re-open following the Hybrid Model may change as new information is made available. The CREECS Administration and Board of Trustees will continue to monitor conditions and follow all directives of government agencies.
In the event of a shutdown, all instruction for CREECS’s students would be delivered virtually. These virtual practices would reflect lessons learned from spring 2020 and would include expanded digital curriculum resources, as well as additional staff training. The ongoing expansion of technology, connectivity, and curriculum updates will ensure CREECS students are able to access high-quality, rigorous instruction even in the event of a school closure. The Administration, faculty, and staff will continue to explore effective virtual learning strategies and participate in professional development in order to prepare for a transition to full-time online learning.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.
Warm regards,
Margaret Crouch
Principal
Cape Romain Environmental Education Charter School
