LCPCS CORONAVIRUS DISEASE 2019 (COVID-19) UPDATES & RESOURCES

SCHOOL STATUS: BLENDED LEARNING

October 2, 2020

Aloha Seasider Ohana,

We are nearing the end of the first quarter of the 2020-2021 school year. Following next week’s Fall Break, quarter grading will be completed. This year, we will combine Back to School activities with parent/teacher conferences through virtual sessions. Those sessions will include a discussion of your student’s classroom performance as well as MAP assessment results. More details to follow.

On September 17th, The Hawaii Department of Education released new metrics on the reopening of schools. Whereas prior guidance followed the Hawaii Department of Health “Reopening Status” protocol in determining the stages in which schools would move from one learning model to another, this new metric from the HIDOE utilizes specific numerical values of COVID-19 positivity rates to guide schools. This shift in approach to determining when schools are safe for students to return from distance learning is not without disagreement. The Hawaii State Teachers Association has expressed concerns, and the Hawaii Board of Education (BOE) has not yet adopted the HIDOE Guidance. The issue will be a topic of the October 1st BOE meeting.

As you know, LCPCS is currently delivering instruction through a Distance Only model (with certain necessary exceptions). For Quarter 2, the tentative plan is to begin on October 12th with the same Blended Blue/Gold model that we started the year with. The student day will again be 7:55 am -12:30 pm. Blue group students will be on campus on Mondays and Wednesdays. Gold on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If and who will be on campus on Fridays is to be determined. All safety protocols (masks, distancing, sanitation) from August will resume for Quarter 2.

I must emphasize the word “tentative” when addressing our plan. We have all experienced the yoyo of life and education during a pandemic. Your frustration with all the changes are not lost on me. Can we send our kids to school? Can I go to work? Must I quarantine? What if I’m sick? Should I test What if my child won’t wear a mask? How do we know if it’s safe? In Person Learning? Distance? Blended... The unknown of all this has been overwhelming for our entire community. But as much as I would like to be able to say that our plans are certainties, unfortunately, the pandemic has proven that it doesn’t concern itself with our plans. If all goes well, we will start with Blue/Gold Blended learning on the 12th of October with the intention of continuing in that model through Quarter 2.

Regarding that Return to Blue/Gold, these are a few reminders and requirements for that learning model: 
- School devices and chargers currently in possession of families must be brought to and from school by all students. (This may change after a week or two depending on student needs and availability of devices in the home)
- A family review of COVID-19 protocols (attached) from our original Blue/Gold August opening will be enforced during a return to campus.
- An understanding that Grab and Go school meals will cease with the resumption of the Blue/Gold model. Meals during the Blue/Gold model will be provided on campus in accordance with COVID-19 protocols (ie PPE, social distancing, daily health checks, hand washing, contact tracing)..
- Daily delivery of instruction, regardless of whether a student is on campus or off campus as dictated by the Blue/Gold Schedule (attached), will continue to rely heavily on LCPCS’s distance learning platforms and resources (ie Google Classroom, Seesaw, IXL, Gradpoint, Achieve3000, etc). 
- All instruction and assignments during the Blue/Gold model is compulsory for students and will be utilized for the purpose of determining performance and attendance. Tasks assigned are not optional for students and completion of those tasks is required, regardless of whether a student is on campus or working from home.

We have scheduled Elementary Parent/Teacher Conferences for the week of October 26th. Those conferences will include a discussion of current progress, MAP performance and the corresponding student goals, and classroom norms for each of our potential learning models, platforms, and resources. Those conferences may also include the delivery of information regarding campus-wide programs and initiatives as would have normally been delivered during our annual Back to School Night. More information will be forthcoming.

For Secondary and Middle School families, we will be providing a Zoom presentation for either group on Tuesday the 27th and/or Thursday the 29th. The presentation will focus on the norms of each division. This will include general information about learning platforms and resources, grades and credits, strategies for parents to track their student’s successes and challenges, the importance of MAP assessments, and potential enrichment and intervention opportunities for students. Following these general sessions, individual parent/teacher conferences will be available by appointment. More information will be forthcoming.

As I have done before, I would like to close this letter with an acknowledgement of the difficulties that this pandemic has presented our community. These challenges have fallen hardest on our students and their families. I am overwhelmed with the efforts of you all. It’s not enough to say “distance learning is difficult” or that the economic, social, and personal issues related to COVID-19 have been hard. The weight of this pandemic has rested itself firmly on your shoulders as parents, and you are carrying it with amazing strength. I wish I could say that the struggle is over, but that is out of all of our control. What we can do is continue to push on and overcome. These last couple of weeks have been remarkable with so many families becoming connected who had previously not been able to access distance learning. Many of you have made the time to schedule times to work with our staff in overcoming your connectivity and device issues. Students are using our learning hub with regularity. Learning is happening! I would also like to pass along the excitement our teachers have expressed about your students returning to campus. They are dearly missed and our staff is thrilled to see them all again.

Thank you all for your flexibility and support, and most importantly, for your commitment to your students.

Mahalo,
Kurt Rix
Director of School
Laupahoehoe Community Public Charter School 
kurt.rix@lcpcs.org

 

To contact LCPCS, email info@lcpcs.org

Please follow emails or LCPCS website at www.lcpcs.org for further developments. Stay safe Seasiders!

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Blue/Gold schedule and food distribution schedule:

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Hawai'i Tribune Herald features LCPCS: Laupahoehoe school receives grant to feed kids during the COVID-19 pandemic
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2021/01/06/features/laupahoehoe-school-receives-grant-to-feed-kids-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/

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Weekly Blog from Kumu Kaulana - January 8, 2021

Happy New Year Seasiders and welcome back to semester 2 at LCPCS. We continue with our Blended Learning Instructional Platform and Schedule. This and next week we will assess for learning with MAP testing. We are so grateful of the growth of our school community, mahalo nui loa. 
Kumu Kaulana

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"Back to School” LCPCS Blended/Distance Learning Teacher and Parent Meeting (10/29/2020)

Agenda for Teacher & Parent Meeting:



Recording of Teacher & Parent Meeting:



Google Classroom How-To Videos:



IXL How-To Video:

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FAQ - Transition To Distance Learning
This video will answer FAQs that middle and high school students and parents may have about LCPCS’ transition to distance learning.

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Aloha Seasider Families,

News about COVID-19 is not encouraging. Beach access will be restricted for the next two weeks.  As of Monday, there are 181 active cases on the Big Island. LCPCS is encouraging all our families to practice the utmost caution with regards to social distancing, PPE, and gatherings.

What is encouraging has been the commitment of our students and their families to our distance learning program. We have been thrilled with the turnout we have had during our device pickup days.  Participation is way up over what we experienced in the spring. And perhaps most significant, families who may be having difficulties, whether with connectivity, or device use, or using the platforms are reaching out to our teachers for clarification and support. Thank you for your perseverance.

Our Cafeteria and Office Staff are working hard to prepare and deliver breakfast and lunch to all our enrolled students daily from 11:30 - 12:00 at the front of the school. Please come and pick up nutritious meals for your children.

As of yesterday LCPCS has created a safe space where those families struggling with connectivity issues can come to campus and utilize school WiFi at all hours of the day.  Students and parents are welcome to sit on the benches while working. If they prefer, families could also choose to remain in their vehicles by parking across the driveway along the railing.

This is planned to be the first step in providing access opportunities for our students.  By the end of the week, we hope to make available a Learning Hub where students can not only access our internet, but have staff support available to help them work through difficulties they may be having with the online platforms. We have also ordered over two dozen MiFi cellular devices that we will be able to distribute to our families who absolutely cannot access the internet from home. I have received a few requests already.  Please reach out to the office for more information about MiFi devices.

As I said, we are thrilled with your commitment to utilizing the distance learning platform.  Unlike in the spring, the lessons, activities, and assignment you are doing now count, both for promotion and attendance. None of what is happening now is optional, nor can it be accomplished through substituting activities that parents prefer, so please, keep up the good work and continue to reach out for support if you are having difficulties.

Keep reading your emails, listen to OneCall notices, and follow social media posts. If you haven’t been getting emails from LCPCS, or if your contact information has changed, please call our office to update our records.

Mahalo and stay safe.

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This memo is to familiarize you with the entering campus procedure when we start welcoming back our students on August 17, 2020 (Blue Team), August 18, 2020, (Gold Team): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WuqjcGxJHrhtNeR2z-DwKoJeSXRMk2Tr-khQ4FUEnXU/edit?usp=sharing

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