COVID-19 Testing
The following is Sacred Heart’s procedure when working with an individual who may be exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms. These protocols were created from the document released by the NYS Department of Health, New York State Education Department, and consultation with the Rensselaer County Department of Health.
The principal will contact the Rensselaer County Department of Health and provide them the information above, as well as information of those who may have been exposed to that individual in school for the Department of Health to contract trace.
Confidentiality must be maintained as required by federal and state laws and regulations. School staff should not try to determine who is to be excluded from school based on contact without guidance and direction from the local health department.
For more information about how COVID-19 containment efforts will be communicated to students, families, and staff members, visit the Communication/Family and Community Engagement sectionof our reopening plan.
Remote/Hybrid Instruction
Given the possibility that communities may experience spikes in COVID-19 cases at any point during the school year, which may prompt short or long-term school closures, the school has developed a hybrid/blended learning model and schedule that can continue as is in a fully remote environment.
Instruction will not only focus on “core” subject areas to the exclusion of elective courses. Consideration has been given to prioritizing hands-on and lab-based activities while students are onsite in school buildings. All instruction will continue to be aligned to the New York State Learning Standards.
As noted previously, student schedules will remain the same whether instruction is in person or remote so that students do not encounter conflicts wherein synchronous lessons for different subjects are offered simultaneously.
Remote learning opportunities for secondary students will include a greater emphasis on synchronous instruction, with teachers finding ways to provide live instruction and lessons to students. While recording of live lessons is still essential for students unable to attend at a scheduled time, teachers will ensure that their students are directly engaged with them and their class peers in experiential learning on a regular basis.
To ensure high-quality remote learning experiences, we will standardize the use of a single online learning platform, to the extent possible, and develop a common, coordinated set of guidelines for teachers to follow when using the platform with students.
Grading practices will follow a standards-based framework designed to provide direct feedback regarding students’ mastery of course content.
All families will have the option of continuing with child’s/children learning online via our distance learning model. Classes in grades K-6 will be utilizing Google Classroom for all their assignments and live class meetings. A hybrid instruction model would be available on a case by case basis.
Students participating in the distance learning model would be required to attend via Google Hangout morning prayers, afternoon prayers, Thursday Mass at 9:00am as well as the following instructional periods throughout the day for classroom instruction. Times would be consistent throughout the week so families can plan when live instruction will take place. Teachers will be available during the live session for questions from students who are distance learning. In addition, teachers will record their lesson and make this available for students to watch later.
Due dates and grading will be consistent throughout K-6. More information about specific dates and times will be available in mid-late August for individual classes. Teachers will be able to respond to students and provide feedback through their work submissions within the Google classrooms setting.
Should the need arise for Sacred Heart to go to distance learning due to a closure caused by COVID-19, students will follow their quarantine schedule. This schedule will be available to families in Ocotber (10/5/20).