With COVID-19 cases rising throughout the Capital Region, the City School District of Albany is preparing for the possibility of a shift to remote learning for all students.
A decision to close will be a collaborative one based on the advice of medical professionals, COVID-19 data, Governor Cuomo’s New York Micro-Cluster Strategy and Albany County Department of Health guidance.
A shift to remote learning will largely impact our in-person PK-6 students and our K-12 self-contained special education students. All other students in the district already are learning remotely. A shift to full remote learning also would impact Phase 2 implementation for in-person learning labs at the middle and high schools for students in our Career and Technical Education, music and art programs.
Please rest assured that, if we reach that point due to the COVID-19 rate in our region, in-person students will go home with all the materials they need to be successful at home while learning virtually. Teachers have “grab and go bags” ready to be distributed to each student if we must shift to remote learning. These bags will contain print materials and supplies. Those students that have been issued district Chromebooks will take those home as well.
In order to prepare, in-person students will periodically login to Google Classroom and Google Meet individually or as a class. In the event of a closure, the district also is planning for a communication with pertinent information to come from the building level with the “grab and go” bags. This will outline guidance for you and expectations for students in the event of a shift to remote learning.
Below please find information on Google Classroom, Google Meet and attendance.
Google Information
The Google Classroom is the cornerstone of our virtual learning environment. Your child can access their personal Google Classroom in three ways:
➔ Go to classroom.google.com
➔ Go to Clever
➔ From a Google page, click on the "waffle" icon near the top right corner, and then select Google Classroom from the menu.
Attendance and Engagement
As with in-person learning, attendance matters.
Student attendance and active participation will be required daily and throughout the week in the virtual learning environment. This is to ensure continuity of learning during temporary and extended school closures.
Parents and guardians, your partnership is key to the success of our students. Your child’s classroom teacher or building principal are available to help with any questions or concerns that you have.
In the meantime, please continue to take all necessary health and safety precautions in your daily activities to help stop the spread of COVID-19. We all have an important part to play in maintaining a healthy environment that will allow school buildings to remain open for in-person learning. These practices include social distancing of 6 feet or more, wearing a mask when you are outside your home, frequent handwashing and completing our daily COVID-19 Student Screener.
I ask that you and your family remain “All in for Albany!” in following these important health and safety guidelines.
Kaweeda G. Adams
Superintendent
