July 27, 2020
Dear Students and Parents/Guardians
Over the last several weeks, various committees have been working diligently to prepare for safely reopening our campus for staff and students with a plan that adheres to guidelines and protocols recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and issued by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the CHOP Policy Lab. Committee work included:
We have approached our plan collaboratively, thoughtfully and with much responsibility for the safety of our students and faculty/staff.
The Nazareth Academy High School Phased School Reopening Health and Safety Plan has been approved by the Board and will be posted on our website. The plan outlines the conditions that allow for the Nazareth Academy campus to reopen for staff and students under a hybrid learning model. This model accommodates for safe and appropriate social distancing within each classroom and the school building. It also allows for a shift to either full in person learning or full remote learning whenever conditions call for that change.
Hybrid Model Under the hybrid model, all students will be assigned to a specific learning cohort, with each cohort alternating weekly between five days of brick and mortar and remote instruction. When the students of the cohort are not physically present in the building, they will be present in the class remotely, via live-streaming through the Microsoft Teams platform of the particular class. Each teacher will use PowerSchool as the learning management system. Students who are learning virtually will be in their school uniform. To provide consistency across the schedule, each full block Monday through Thursday will include eighty minutes of teaching and learning, with sixty minutes on camera. Every Friday, a modified schedule will allow for a sixty-minute full block for each course along with an Activity Block at the end of the day for club meetings, spiritual, social, and emotional programming, office hours for teachers, opportunities for tutoring, and other activities. Parents will have the opportunity to select an all virtual learning option.
To accommodate all learners, each classroom will be outfitted with an additional camera, microphone, speakers, and a second monitor to connect the students and teachers who are present, both physically and remotely. On campus, common gathering places such as the Student Dining Room, Performing Arts Center, and the Innovation Center will be configured to account for social distancing. Additionally, the broad and beautiful grounds of the Nazareth Academy campus will be utilized for outdoor gathering spaces where appropriate.
Cohort assignments, protocols, schedule, calendar, and other details will be distributed the 2nd week of August.
To view the Nazareth Academy High School Reopening Health and Safety Plan, click here.
May the Holy Family of Nazareth bless you and keep you safe.
Sincerely,
Denise LePera James Meredith President Principal
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