Phase 4 will offer us the opportunity to bring back all In-Person Hybrid learners 5 days a week with arrival and dismissal times at each building remaining the same. Due to this change, the district will share specific Phase 4 details and then survey parents on behalf of each of their children, as to a choice for their learning path for all of 4th Quarter. Our two choices continue to be Remote Learning or In-Person Learning.
The district will begin the 4th Quarter continuing in our hybrid schedule, from March 22 to April 16. This will allow the district to balance our classes while still having a reduced number of students in the school buildings. Additionally, this allows for the district to return students and staff from Spring Break on a familiar schedule. Starting on April 19 through May 28, the district will move all In-Person Learners to Phase 4.
The following explains Phase 4 in detail as it relates to each grade level and school building.
Ridge Early Childhood Center will continue in its current schedule with no changes being made at this time.
Grades 1-8 (Kerkstra, Foster and Hille Middle Schools)
Beginning April 19, In-Person Hybrid A and In-Person Hybrid B students will be returning to school together 5 days a week. It is important for student learning paths to be selected so the district can see the total number of students who may be assigned to a classroom at each building. Families of remote students may elect to move to In-Person Learning for the entirety of the 4th Quarter starting on March 22, as the district prepares for a move to Phase 4.
Classrooms with the highest numbers of In-Person students may be moved to our largest spaces available to accommodate social distancing to the greatest extent possible. There will be situations/classes where students will be closer than 6 feet apart. In the event of a positive case, the district may need to quarantine a higher number of students. Mitigations of mask wearing, hand washing/sanitizing, attempting to keep groups of students together, continuing the practice of not eating lunches in our buildings, increasing the amount of outside air mixing into our classrooms, taking outside mask breaks, utilizing outdoor learning spaces when the weather warms, and daily sanitation will continue. As of today, Forest Ridge School District 142 has had no known transmissions of COVID-19 at school since the opening of school in August 2020.
Remote Learning will continue to be offered. If this is a mode of learning that is working for your child, or if the increased number of students on buses or in classes is worrisome, Remote Learning is an option for all families.
At Hille Middle School, our ELA/Math/Science classes will continue to be cohorted/grouped. However, students will need to move between classrooms on the days when they have their selected Encore, PE and Social Studies classes. This is due to the fact that our Encore selections present varying scenarios which include self-selected, assigned, by grade, mixed grade, full year and semester based courses. Students will attend the same classes they do now during their current In-Person Hybrid schedules (divided into periods 1-4 and periods 5-8). Hille will continue to follow the same 3-2, 2-3 schedule format. An A/B schedule for Hille students will be provided by the school.
Quarter 4 - In-Person Hybrid and Phase 4 Calendars
A survey will be sent from each building principal at Foster, Kerkstra and Hille tomorrow, February 19, to be taken by families for each child. The survey is due February 26 at 4:00pm. This will allow schools time to look closely at the number of requests made and to plan for staffing and facilities arrangements. Students electing a learning path change will begin on March 22 in In-Person Hybrid A, Hybrid B, or Remote Learning.
Phase 4 will begin Monday, April 19. This will allow for students to be in their chosen learning environment for the entire 4th Quarter. Depending on the number of students selecting learning path changes, additional staff may be added or teacher changes may become necessary. This will be determined once all families have made their selections.
The district is excited to bring students into the school buildings for additional days of In-Person instruction. Please be aware that this plan was created using our current community and district data. COVID-19 information is ever-changing and the district will continue to update our families of any changes to our plans, if they occur, as soon as possible. Thank you again for your patience, encouragement, and support. Please contact your child’s main office with any questions.