After much discussion, community and teacher forums, staff and family surveys, and conversations with public health and other county agencies, at the regular Centennial Board of Education meeting on July 23, the school board voted unanimously to begin the year with remote learning for all students. Initially, students will follow a 12-day staggered schedule by cohort for students to be on campus for two-days prior to beginning remote learning. Although students will begin the first few weeks of school doing remote learning, there will be opportunities for small, targeted groups of students to come to campus for additional support.
After September 1, the school will begin a process of evaluating when we might return to school in a hybrid format using an A/B schedule. For families who are not comfortable with any in-person days for the entire semester, they can register their children for 100% remote learning.
On August 12, Centennial will begin the school year in Phase 2, which corresponds with the state's "Safer at Home" order, with a 10 day staggered in-person student start by A/B cohort groups prior to remote learning until our county enters a “Protect Our Neighbors” phase. The staggered start would follow the schedule below for students to be on campus to get computers, be on-boarded to remote learning platforms, and develop an appropriate routine for remote learning.
- Aug. 12-13: HS and MS Cohort B
- Aug. 17-18: HS and MS Cohort A
- Aug. 19-20: Elementary Cohort B
- Aug. 24-25: Elementary Cohort A
- Aug. 26-27: Preschool Cohort B
- Aug. 31- Sept. 1: Preschool Cohort A
Following these staggered cohorts, small groups can be brought on campus for targeted support, or, if the county’s status has changed, we may run another cycle of staggered days again or remain on just remote learning for another 2-3 weeks and re-evaluate.
Remote Learning Options and Supports: Parents will have the option to choose one of the following two pathways during registration:
- 100% Remote Learning- Students will be placed full-time on Odysseyware/Edgenuity, with the exception of PK, which will use a different platform.
- Traditional schooling following the phases the school enters based upon public health recommendations and following Centennial’s Board-approved curriculum
Once a path is selected, the path cannot be changed until the end of the semester.
Additionally, following the curriculum committee and teacher forum recommendations, all students, regardless of path, will use the Odysseyware or Edgenuity curriculums at least for the first semester. All students, regardless of path at registration, will be remotely supported by teachers through these courses based on a regular Centennial schedule. The goal of this is for teachers to provide instruction, enhancements, and engaging activities to the remote learning curriculum, so students have the best learning experience possible. Additionally, a teacher's time will be focused on supporting our children rather than figuring out how to replicate in-person instruction in a remote learning environment. However, only traditional students will have in-person support with the curriculum either in small targeted groups, or if/when we change to a hybrid or 100% in-person approach to instruction.
All students will have access to supplemental remote activities and all parents will have access to remote learning supports, either through the teacher, or in small groups.
If at the change of semester, we are in a hybrid or 100% in-person approach, we may return the traditional pathway students to Centennial’s regular curriculum. If we do, remote only students will only have access to a teacher at check-ins every two weeks. At this time, parents can choose to switch their children from 100% remote learning to traditional or vice versa.
If we are still providing remote learning only or remote learning with small in-person group supports, we will continue with the Odysseyware/Edgenuity curriculum for the second semester and remote supports will still be available to all students through the classroom teacher for that grade/discipline.
Centennial will be providing more information to families next week. This information will include whether your child is in an A or B group, the process for registration, how to apply for a hotspot, the computer checkout process for each student, and other important changes for the 2020-21 school year. Be sure to listen to messages from the school and check your mailbox for these updates.