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3-27-2020 HCS UPDATES: Governor Extends School Closings thru April 15

Dear Honeoye Central School District Community,

 

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced this morning that schools would remain closed until April 15th because of the coronavirus pandemic.  Schools were initially supposed to be closed for two weeks from March 18th until April 1st as per the governor's executive order issued on March 17th. 

 

Honeoye Central School District remains closed, as follows:

  • Wednesday, March 18 through Friday, April 3:  Emergency closing due to COVID-19
  • Monday, April 6 - Monday, April 13: Spring Break
  • Tuesday, April 14:  Emergency closing due to COVID-19
 

At this time, we anticipate welcoming HCS students back to school on Wednesday, April 15.  That said, the Governor was succinct in messaging specific to reassessment of the COVID-19 situation and its impact on school closings. In the event that the above timeline is altered in any way due to State or Federal Executive Order,  Honeoye Central School District will communicate with the HCS community via email, ConnectEd robocall, and on the website. 

 

Additional Updates for Your Review and Consideration

 

Honeoye Central School DistrictTown Hall Meeting, Wednesday, 4/1/2020

  • The Honeoye Central School District will be hosting a Virtual Town Hall Meeting on Wednesday, April 1, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m in effort to provide an update on the HCS COVID-19 related school closing. This event will be hosted through Google Meet and more information about the event will be shared next week on our Honeoye Central School District website. 
  • To help drive the conversation, we are asking for your input. The input received through this exchange will allow us to answer common questions and to identify areas of concern. The platform by which we will secure your feedback is Thought Exchange. ThoughtExchange is a tool that analyzes trends and data based on the thoughts and ratings gathered. Initially, the exchange will ask you to list a thought. It is also important to go in and rate the thoughts of others and to return to the same link and to continue to rate responses until the thought exchange ends.  To participate, please access this link: https://my.thoughtexchange.com/761469046 between now and Monday, 3/30/2020 at noon. 
  • Respondents will be asked to share their thoughts surrounding the question: "What are your thoughts and questions surrounding our current COVID-19 HCS school related closing, and how might we best support one another as a community?"
  • Please note, responses are anonymous. Inappropriate, hurtful and off-topic responses will be removed and are deemed not appropriate for this platform or for the purpose of this outreach. Information collected will be used to allow us to better assist our students and community. We hope to use this tool again in the future, as applicable, to gather feedback from the HCS community.
  • Thank you in advance for your participation! The district looks forward to visiting with you virtually on Wednesday evening, 4/1.
 

Continuity of Meals During COVID-Related Closing at HCS

  • Our Food Service Director, Sheila Lowe, collaborated with our Business Official, Mike Bastian, to launch the HCS Meal Plan program on 3/18/2020.  HCS has been providing meals daily.
  • PLEASE NOTE:  UPCOMING CHANGES TO HCS MEAL SERVICE DURING COVID-19 CLOSING GO INTO EFFECT MONDAY, MARCH 30th.
  • Starting Monday, March 30th we will  be providing meals every other weekday rather than every weekday.  We will also be extending meal service through the April Spring Recess week.  That means there will be NO meals served on Tuesdays and Thursdays the next two weeks.  We will be providing meals for Tuesdays and Thursdays as part of the Monday and Wednesday pickups.  You may want to bring additional bags as you will be receiving meals for two days at a time (on Mondays and Wednesdays).  
  • Please note that pickup time will continue to be from 10:00 - 12:00.   Our schedule moving forward:
    • Monday, March 30th - Receiving meals for two days
    • Wednesday, April 1st - Receiving meals for two days
    • Friday, April 3rd - Receiving meals for one day
    • Monday, April 6th - Receiving meals for two days
    • Wednesday, April 8th - Receiving meals for three days
    • Monday, April 13th - Receiving meals for two days
  • Additional Clarification:  HCS is providing breakfast and lunch for all school-aged district resident students.  Meals are available for pickup at Honeoye Central School from 10:00 - 12:00 on days noted above for any school-aged child residing in the Honeoye Central School District, regardless of where they attend school.  Please complete the Google Form by clicking on this link:  https://forms.gle/za3Yk9tpXQURcr7x8 .  Once you've completed the form you can come to school during the meal pickup time.  Questions or concerns may be sent to [email protected].  

 

Continuity of Instruction During COVID-Related Closing at HCS

Our Plan to Date:

  • As outlined at the onset of our COVID-19 related closing, we recognize that we cannot replicate the invaluable learning experiences inherent of our dynamic teaching staff for students to complete independently at home. 
  • As such, our teachers and teaching assistants planned for and prepared high quality, targeted skill development and spiral review for students in Grades K-12.
  • Related service learning tasks were provided, as applicable, to students from our Speech and Language Pathologist, Occupational Therapist and Physical Therapist.  
  • Teaching staff are available daily, Monday - Friday, in multiple and varied ways - phone, email, Google Classroom, Remind, and / or “Office Hours,” to respond to inquiries surrounding the instructional materials or to request additional work for your child.  
  • Gemini coursework and that with accreditation from outside agencies, online platforms and equipment continued with instruction.

Moving Forward (In the event of an extended closing beyond 4/14): 

  • HCS will plan for delivery of new instruction for all students, PreK-12.
  • HCS will develop and implement a plan for distribution of devices for ES students at intermediate grade levels.
  • HCS will develop and implement a plan for access of devices to families (as necessary) of ES students at primary grade levels.
  • More information to follow, as applicable!

Continuity of Childcare at HCS

  • The Honeoye Central School District, in partnership with Wayne-Finger Lakes BOCES, is working with The Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) in order to find appropriate childcare during mandated closures due to COVID-19. If you are a parent or caregiver who needs child care, please complete the survey linked below. Based on the information you provide about your job, employer, number of children, and financial need, OCFS may be able to help you find the child program you need. It may be a challenge to find child care due to COVID-19 related program closures, however the staff at OCFS are trying their best to support families to find the high-quality child care that they need. Childcare availability now. 
  • If you are a parent or caregiver who needs child care, please complete this survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3HSNNYJ
  • The list of regional child care facilities can be found here: https://bit.ly/2Wqu3FQ
 

2019-20 Marking Period 3

  • HCS will move forward with plans to close out marking period three as scheduled, on Friday, 4/3. 
  • Progress report grades will reflect students’ current levels of proficiency in each of their courses / grade levels as informed by achievement data up to and including the date initiating our emergency COVID-19 related school closing (with exceptions specific to secondary courses such as Gemini, et al).
  • Incomplete learning activities, performance tasks, formative and summative assessments due to the emergency COVID-19 related school closing may not be utilized to assess proficiency.  HCS students shall be held harmless for incompletion of any task due to the COVID-19 closure. Note: Teachers may opt to measure student proficiency on longer, outstanding assignments to the extent of time students had access to materials, resources, and instruction available to them.
  • We encourage you to access SchoolTool accounts and refer any inquiries surrounding grades or academic proficiency levels directly to your child’s teacher(s), prior to the end of the marking period. 

 

NYSED Requests Waiver of Assessments, Accountability and School Identification

  • On 3/26/2020, NYSED announced that it had submitted a request for a waiver of assessments, accountability and school identification, and reporting requirements to @usedgov.  
  • Public comments can be submitted via email through April 9. More information is available here: https://bit.ly/3aq9f5C
  • Reminder:  The New York State Education Department (NYSED) shared a memorandum on 3/20/2020 indicating that they would be suspending all NYS Elementary- and Intermediate-Level State Assessments for the remainder of the school year in response to the statewide closures of schools and districts to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
 

March and May SAT Administrations

  • The College Board has announced cancellation of the May 2, 2020 SAT and SAT Subject Test administration.  The makeup exams for the March 14 administration (scheduled for March 28) have also canceled. Note: The College Board has indicated that students who already registered for May, whose March test centers were closed, or who do not receive March scores because of any irregularities will receive refunds.
  • Reminder:  Traditional face-to-face AP exam administrations will not take place. Students will take 45-minute online free-response exams at home. The full AP exam schedule, specific free-response question types that will be on each AP Exam, and additional testing details will be available by April 3.

 

HELPFUL REMINDERS FOR FAMILIES

Additional Nutritional Supports

 

Continued Usage of NPIs (Non Pharmaceutical Interventions)

  • During the extended school closing, it is likely that your children may want to engage in social activities such as get togethers, sleep overs, and play dates.  Please consider current guidance specific to social distancing when making plans.
  • Additionally, please adhere to the New York State Department of Health (DOH) recommendations for minimizing the spread of all respiratory viruses, including COVID-19:
    • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available.
    • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
    • Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
    • While sick, limit contact with other people as much as possible.
    • Stay home when you are sick.
    • Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when coughing or sneezing. If you use a tissue, throw it in the trash.
    • Routinely clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
    • Voluntary home isolation when students are sent home ill. Students should remain at home when ill, except to obtain medical care or necessities

 

Mental Health/Counseling Services

  • Our HCS psychologists and counselors have provided the following  information related to mental health/counseling services.   
  • For all students in K-12, we have several phone numbers/text lines to contact for support.  If a student is at-risk for self-harm or harming others, contact 911 right away. If a student is struggling and needs to talk, here are resources available 24/7:
    • Life Line: 877-356-9211
    • 1-800-SUICIDE
    • 1-800-273-TALK
    • Text HOME to 741741
  • 2-1-1 USA National 
    • Services: Crisis + Emergency, 
    • Disaster Assistance, Food, Health, Housing + Utilities, Jobs + Support, Reentry, Veterans
  • In the event that schools are closed for an extended period of time, please utilize community resources as warranted.

 

Technology Supports

  • The technology department will be able to supply a limited amount of remote technology support for students as they are utilizing district devices for remote learning during the period of extended school closure.
  • The district has created an email address for use during the duration of this situation.  Students should direct inquiries to [email protected]. Please note, while this address will be actively monitored, reponses may take up to 24 hours.
  • Effective immediately and throughout the extended closing, our Honeoye technology department will not be able to complete onsite computer repairs.

 

Updates and Communication

  • The COVID -19 situation remains fluid and rapidly evolving. 
  • As new information impacting HCS becomes available, updates will be communicated via email, ConnectEd calls, social media and on the webpage.  

 

Thank you to the entirety of our Honeoye Central School District Community for your support, patience and flexibility during this uncertain time.

 

Warmest Regards,

Bridget Ashton

 

Elizabeth Bridget Ashton

Superintendent, Honeoye Central School District

8528 Main Street

Honeoye, New York 14471

[email protected]

On Twitter: @EBridgetAshton