3-30-2020 HCS COVID Closing Update

Dear Honeoye Central School District Community,

Welcome back for another remote week of learning at HCS. I hope you were all able to enjoy the weekend and the sunshine on Sunday!

Speaking of Sunday, during his press conference on 3/29, President Trump extended our national CDC social-distancing guideline through April 30. At the time of this writing, we are still operating under NYS Executive Order 202.11, which mandates emergency closing due to COVID-19 through April 15. It is important to note that Executive Order 202.11 also stipulates that Districts must continue to provide instructional materials (see below) for students, meals for students, and child care for essential workers (see below) through April 14, 2020, even if the district is scheduled to be on spring break during that time.

We still hope to welcome HCS students back to school in April, though this decision hinges upon NYS and / or Federal Executive Order. In the event that HCS must be closed beyond April 14, 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.

Gratitude Forward for Your Patience
We are all on the front line together as we weather the COVID-19 global experience. The school related angst associated with the extended closing is multifaceted and spans a range of urgent and sensitive considerations for our students: graduation, Regents exams, prom, credit accrual, credit recovery, Spring Athletics, etc. Every worry or concern you may have regarding these important considerations, we share with you. On behalf of HCS, please know how much we care about and miss your children - our students and our very purpose. We thank you for your patience, support, and understanding as we navigate each new obstacle associated with COVID-19. We will continue to keep you apprised of updates and information as it becomes available.

Updates for Your Consideration

School Board Elections and Budget Vote

Because of concerns related to social distancing, Governor Cuomo recently issued a new Executive Order postponing all school board member elections until at least June 1. It is believed that a similar Executive Order will be forthcoming surrounding School Budget votes.

PreK and K Student Registration

As has been historical practice, HCS will be mailing registration packets home to families of incoming Pre-Kindergarten students and to incoming Kindergarten students (for those who did not attend our PreK program) week ending April 17. Registration packets will also be available to families who may not have previously expressed interest / intent on sending their child to HCS on the Elementary School Homepage beginning on April 15.

ES Parent Teacher Meetings Scheduled for 4/23 amd 4/24 Cancelled

Due to concerns surrounding COVID-19, HCS Elementary School Parent Teacher Conferences scheduled for 4/23 and 4/24 have been cancelled. Parents will still have the opportunity to connect and engage in discussions with teaching staff about student performance via conference call and / or virtual meetings. More information will be forthcoming from Elementary School Principal, Margie Wright, in the near future.

2019-20 Marking Period 3 Ends April 3

Progress Reports will be emailed to families on or around 4/17. Paper copies will be mailed to any families who request them and to families who may not have an email address included in their SchoolTool account contact information.
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.

Distribution of Additional Instructional Materials and Devices for Students in Grades 3 - 5

Please plan on picking up the next wave of instructional materials for all K-12 students at the Honeoye Central School District on Thursday, 4/2, between 5:00 - 6:30 or on Friday, 4/3, between 9:00 - 3:00.
Additionally, HCS will distribute 1:1 devices to ES students in Grades 3 - 5 during these times. Parents will be required to sign an Acceptable Use Agreement document at the time of pick up.
Materials for Elementary School students may be picked up in the Elementary School Main Office Entrance on Thursday, 4/2, between 5:00 - 6:30 or Friday, 4/3, between 9:00 - 3:00.
Materials for Middle School and High School students may be picked up at the High School Main Office Entrance on Thursday, 4/2, between 5:00 - 6:30 or Friday, 4/3, between 9:00 - 3:00.

Continuity of Instruction During COVID-Related Closing at HCS

All districts across the state are tasked with providing continuity of instruction throughout the extended closing due to COVID-19, including during the period of our scheduled spring break. As you know, HCS has approached this task to date from the lens of providing relevant, spiral review and skill development of standards and concepts already taught. Moving forward, we will shift to the delivery of universal, first instruction of new content, beginning on or around 4/15. As such, students and families will experience two waves of instructional approach over the next few weeks:
WAVE 1 - CONTINUITY of INSTRUCTION: Continued Spiral Review and Skill Development of Previously Taught Concepts / Standards through April 14
- Additional materials will be distributed for all students in Grades K - 12 on 4/1 and 4/2 (see above).
- NOTE: Spiral review and reinforcement of skill development will be a continued emphasis throughout the remainder of the extended closing.
WAVE 2 - CONTINUITY of INSTRUCTION: Delivery of first instruction commencing on or around 4/15 (either synchronous, live instruction if back in school, or remotely delivered if still closed)
- Our administrative team is collaborating with HCS teaching staff to develop the following:
  - Remote Instruction Articulation Documents at the ES and HS levels
  - Professional learning opportunities for teaching staff to support development of enhanced remote first instruction.
- Our administration is diligently pursuing identification of WIFI "hot spot" access for our families. We encourage you to consider the following:
  - HCS campus has reasonable strength WIFI signal in both upper and lower level parking lots. Social distancing norms applicable.
  - Empire Access is offering free internet access to students who do not currently have internet at home. Thank you to the Daily Messenger for sharing this information with the community. Disclaimer: This is not an endorsement of Empire Access, nor an advertisement to encourage purchase of any product or service.
  - Spectrum is also offering free access to the internet and WIFI for 60 days to students of families who do not currently have internet services. Disclaimer: This is not an endorsement of Spectrum, nor an advertisement to encourage purchase of any product or service.

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 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

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. Event access information will be shared Tuesday afternoon / Wednesday morning via email to our families.
The HCS Town Hall will center around community feedback and response to 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?"
Thank you in advance for your participation! The district looks forward to visiting with you virtually on Wednesday evening, 4/1.

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.

As always, please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions about this information or otherwise. Thank you for "hanging in there," despite the rapidly evolving, and unsettling, COVID-19 global experience.

Warmest Regards,
Bridget Ashton
Elizabeth Bridget Ashton
Superintendent, Honeoye Central School District
8528 Main Street
Honeoye, New York 14471
[email protected]
On Twitter: @EBridgetAshton