On Thursday, September 4th, the WWSC School Board met to discuss ways to help the school’s teaching staff deliver the best WW instruction and curriculum possible.
There were several actions approved including staffing, additional supports, and improvements in technology/connectivity, according to information on the school’s website.
The action that affects the schedule and the community is an adjustment to include a virtual day for students in grades 7-12 on Wednesdays each week.
This means that NO students in grades 7-12 will physically attend school on Virtual Wednesdays beginning September 9th and continuing through fall break.
‘We will continue to evaluate the need and frequency for a Virtual Wednesday for the months following Fall Break,” noted Superintendent Keith Nance.
This type of hybrid model is not uncommon in schools across the state.
The Virtual Wednesdays will count toward our required 180 student days.
This action is NOT due to mitigating the spread of Covid, but to allow our teachers that are simultaneously teaching in-person students and virtual students during a school day time to plan and prepare the high standard of instruction we expect at West Washington.
“We believe that our mitigation plan to social distance, wear masks, and sanitize has been largely effective and those plans will remain intact,” Nance wrote online.
The school announced a case of Covid-19 and shut the school down the week of
Data to Support this decision, according to Nance –
Students participating Virtually:
Corporation-Wide
- 157 students
- 18% all students K-12
K-6
- 59 students
- 13% all students K-6
7-12
- 98 students
- 22% all students
Students with extended periods of quarantine/absence are added to the virtual list.
This increased the numbers above and the burden on teachers teaching virtual and in-person students simultaneously.
WWSC is one of the few schools that deliver their own curriculum with instruction from their own teachers, according to Nance. “We are not pushing out a “canned” online curriculum,” he stated online.
Students in grades 7-12 have a greater capacity to complete tasks independently and do not need child care, according to the information on the school’s website.
Reported concerns from meetings with teachers to support the need for additional time to take on the incredible task of teaching in-person and virtual students simultaneously, noted Nance.
On Virtual Wednesdays (Grades 7-12) teachers will have work and instruction posted by 9:00 am. Students in grades 7-12 are expected to complete the assigned work on Virtual Wednesdays by 9:00 pm to be considered in attendance.
Technical questions and support can be requested by filling out the online Tech Ticket or through the Jr/Sr High School Office (812) 755-4996.
Students in grades PreK-6th will be expected to be in physical attendance on Wednesdays.
The only exceptions are the elementary students that are already virtual or students that are out sick.
Nance wanted to make sure students and parents understand “this is not a “DAY OFF” for students or staff. Our staff will be working diligently, in our buildings, to prepare the high-quality instruction for which West Washington is known,” he noted.
