SPSD Learning Team mobilizes in time of COVID-19

Schooling, teaching and learning in a virtual environment is a new experience in the Sauk Prairie School District (SPSD) for students and their families, teachers and staff, and administrators. In interviewing Jeff Wright, Superintendent of the SPSD, he said, “I am incredibly proud of our teachers, administrators and staff” in how they have rapidly moved to virtual teaching. “We miss our students very much.”   “I’m not made to sit at a desk!”, Wright remarked because he is used to spending most of his day away from his office visiting the District’s six schools. Bridges Elementary is in the same building complex and Grand Avenue, Middle School and High School are several blocks away.  Visits to Tower Rock and Merrimac happened often as well- before COVID-19. When the Stay at Home order was given to schools to close, the district immediately took action.  “Our district is better equipped to support our students and families than most other organizations,” Wright said. Teachers and staff delivered school texts and technology to as many homes as possible.  SPHS students all have a Chromebook.  Elementary and middle school students without devices at home were provided technology either through one-on-one pick-up or home delivery.  “Hot Spots” were provided in some situations and the internet signal strength was boosted at Bluffview thanks to donations by local citizens and a church group. This was a huge mobilization by the SPSD Technology department and staff. In addition, meal service for students was instituted.  Wright shared, “We are now up to nearly 5000 meals provided per week.  We have a moral obligation to rally to support our students and families” not only with learning but food as well. Teachers and administrators immediately started making plans for virtual learning.  Middle School teacher Chelsey Larson commented about this mobilization, “I was impressed by how the school district handled and responded to this epidemic.  I feel very supported by them.”   Perhaps echoing what a lot of teachers might say, Larson also commented, “There was a lot to create and not much time to do so.”  But do it, they did! Google Classroom is the technology used to interact with students.  Larson says she and her seventh grade English colleague have “redesigned the curriculum by determining the most important objectives to teach, and use Hyper Docs to make different versions of the same assignment for the varying levels of students. Collaboration is the key.” Their focus is mainly on writing.  Feedback on writing assignments is given to students.  They try to anticipate what needs and questions on assignments the students might need ahead of time.   Larson and other teachers use videos to reinforce concepts taught and some use Flip Grid, an online space that allows video to be created by students.  Google Meet “office hours” are the norm where students can ask them questions, check in and so they can catch up with students. Google Meet is used at all levels and can be used to group students in small groups for discussion that then report back to the teacher and the class about their results.  It can also be used for live video group presentations and discussion by teachers and their students. In the core classes of English, reading, social studies and science, teachers at the elementary level coordinate across the district by grade levels to meet curriculum objectives. Virtual morning class meetings have been held by many to read to students and then to discuss the readings.  Larson shared that Middle School “teams” that normally meet daily in person use Google Meet to continue to converse daily to discuss curriculum, student needs, and plans.  The guidance counselor and principal can join into those meetings as well.  They have a total staff meeting once a month on Wednesdays using this format. At the High School level an example of collaboration has been occurring in the history department. Using Google Classroom, teachers teaching the same course each took a portion of the curriculum to teach to all in a virtual format.  In the areas of art, music, and physical education, sometimes teachers collaborate on activities for all elementary on multi-grade topics such as patterns. Music and voice lessons are taught as well as some small group instruction.  Art classes use lessons geared to supplies that might be at home or instruct about art making methods and artists.  Wright gave the example of elementary music teacher Dennis Kahn creating a recent lesson on listening and movement.  Wright and administrators can see lessons created by teachers in Google Classroom and are frequently invited by teachers to join their lessons.   Encore classes at the Middle School and elective classes at the High School such as agriculture, foreign languages. technology education and others continue to teach using Google classroom as well and to make adjustments for “hands on” learning. Of grave concern for all members of the school district are the social and emotional needs of students.  Wright remarked, “Addressing students’ social and emotional needs when we are not with them every day is difficult. We know that all students do not have equal support at home and that some are dealing with hardships. It’s an incredibly lonely and challenging time for some.  When we can’t see their faces in the classroom to check in one-on-one, is difficult.”  Each school is providing social and emotional learning experiences and staff strive to connect with their students on this level daily.  Counselors are providing information on social emotional wellness. “I miss seeing and being with my students.  I worry about them a lot,” says Larson.  As the advisor for a student group at the Middle School, she uses Flip Grid to communicate with them and have discussions.  She has urged them to make videos for all in their group to see and they talk about the videos and strategies to cope with pandemic mental health issues.  She notes that some students’ sleep cycles are “all messed up” with not having a school schedule to follow which causes the students some problems.  Attendance of students and their well-being is checked daily by school personnel. Principals offer feedback, problem solving and assistance to teachers and coordinate their schools through departments, team, staff, and grade level contacts and meetings. Mary Bittdorf, a sixth-grade teacher, shared with Superintendent Wright that virtual teaching has “increased my professional growth.  Teachers share their work with other teachers and learn from them.”  She asks herself, “What are we going to learn from this experience to teach even better?” Both Bittdorf and Larson have said that it amazes them that some of their students who didn’t do so well in traditional schooling are thriving with virtual schooling. Some can do their school work in the evening instead of during the day and like that flexibility.  They can take a break when they need it, not just when it’s scheduled. Moving to other district staff members, Wright shared that teaching assistants, both regular and special education, keep direct contact with the teachers and their students and families to assist in learning, help to provide assistive technology to students with disabilities, remain working with such duties as recording audiobooks, long term projects for students, organizing book rooms, cleaning of 4K Early Childhood spaces, helping with meal delivery and distribution of books, computers and Chromebooks, to name a few.   Food service staff are busy preparing meals and delivering five days of lunches and breakfasts on three days each week. Custodians spend their hours cleaning and disinfecting buildings and preparing for the return of students. Building administrative assistants continue to work at their jobs with the main goal of wrapping up the 2020-21 school year with grading, records, attendance etc., working on scheduling of students and teachers for next year with their principals and much more. Coaches and advisors of clubs continue to have contact with students.  Wright said spring sports are having training sessions via video. There is an old adage that states. “Through rain, snow, sleet or hail, the mail must be delivered.”  In the case of school district employees, they might say, “Through rain, snow, sleet, hail, or pandemic, education must be delivered.”  They have mobilized to do this, are overcoming obstacles and hurdles along the way, learning a lot about teaching virtually in the process, and continuing to do the job of educating their students.