Dear Van Buren Middle School Families,
Over the last five weeks, our students, families and staff have all done a terrific job in ensuring safety as we started the school year for our on-campus students in the hybrid model. Starting Monday, October 19, the Van Buren Local School district will shift to a modified hybrid schedule in which all students will be on-campus four days a week - Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Wednesdays will be online days for everyone - the schedule and expectations for Wednesdays are included in the additional information below. We will remain in our current hybrid schedule (2-3 days a week on-campus) through Friday, October 16. VLA students will continue their fully online instruction - they will not make any adjustment as a result of this change for on-campus students.
District administrators continue working with Hancock Public Health to follow measures for student and staff safety. Below is an updated version of the information shared with families prior to the start of the school year, adjusted for the modified hybrid model.
On a lighter note, our homebases are competing in a Masked Lip Sync Challenge! We’ll be posting the winner of this contest soon, so check them out, along with other updates on our Facebook or Twitter feeds: @vanburenms This contest was a fun opportunity to bring our VLA and on-campus students together!
Sincerely,
Jay Clark, Principal
jclark@vbschools.net
Van Buren Middle School Update - October 9, 2020
Modified Hybrid Model starts Monday, October 19, 2020
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Arrival and Dismissal
School bus
Arrival
Students will have temperatures checked prior to entering the building
Bus riders will enter through the auditorium lobby (door #9)
Students will go directly to their first class – we will not gather in the cafeteria or congregate in hallways
Departure
Students will be dismissed at 2:05pm and should go directly to their bus
Walkers or students driven
Arrival
Students should not arrive prior to 7:35am
All MS students walking or dropped off enter at door #30 (around the corner from the office)
In an effort to maintain efficiency with more students on-campus, we will no longer approach cars - middle school student temperature checks will take place outside door #30
Students will have temperatures checked prior to entering the building
Dismissal
Students will be dismissed at 2:05pm and should go directly to the parking lot to meet their ride or walk home
Class Schedules
To minimize contact, students will remain in a consistent “cohort” (approximately 20 students) throughout the school day – teachers will rotate and students will stay in one classroom for core courses.
We will make all attempts to distance students and have made some space changes - students will be spaced at least 4 feet apart in classrooms with every effort to expand that distance when possible.
All students will have one exploratory course such as phys ed, health, art, STEM foundations, etc.
Band and choir will meet utilizing distancing and alternatives for student safety
Extra-Curricular Activities & Experiential Learning Opportunities
Athletics: We continue to follow the recommendations of the Ohio High School Athletic Association and Hancock Public Health for seventh and eighth grade athletics.
Clubs and Activities: Middle school clubs will meet outside the school day at this point and will work to minimize contact including using Zoom for video meetings. We want our students involved, so watch our daily announcements for details as these groups ramp up for the year!
7th Grade Camp Nuhop Outdoor Education
We have rescheduled our trip to Camp Nuhop from the traditional fall week to March 22-26, 2021. We will meet in January to evaluate the likelihood of this trip.
8th Grade Washington, DC Trip
This trip is tentatively planned for late May. We will meet in January to evaluate the likelihood of this trip.
Lockers
As we add students to classrooms and the weather is colder, students will be assigned lockers for their coats and anything else they don’t need for core classes (sports bags and equipment, instruments) - we will not be visiting lockers throughout the day in order to minimize contact.
Lockers will be grouped by student cohort and assigned in proximity to classrooms to avoid unnecessary travel.
Lunch & Breaks
The USDA free lunch-for-all program continues through December 31, 2020.
To allow for maximum distancing while students are eating (and masks are off), grade levels will eat in the cafeteria - following our established schedule of one grade level at a time.
Each grade level has a scheduled break that will allow students to go outside (or to a larger area) and take off their mask. Our grade level teams will also take additional, shorter breaks throughout the day.
Drinking fountains will not be operational - students are encouraged to bring a personal water bottle for use during the school day. There will be opportunities to refill bottles.
Online Wednesdays
Teachers will assign online assignments and be available for students via Zoom per the below class schedule - the order students have their core classes during their on-campus days:
1st core class 10:00-10:30am
2nd core class 10:30-11:00am
3rd core class 11:00-11:30am
4th core class 11:30am-12:00pm
Core teachers will be available later in the day to assist students individually or in small groups as well.
Exploratory classes and music classes will not have an online component on Wednesdays
The MS/HS cafeteria will be open to students to use wifi on Wednesdays 8:00am-1:00pm. School lunch will also be served (to eat on-campus or for take-out). Staff will be present to supervise.