Whitko High School Goes To Virtual Classes Today
November 18, 2020 at 11:49 p.m.
By Teresa [email protected]
“We knew Monday that Whitley County would probably be in the red,” Penrod said of the state’s color-coded COVID-19 surge indicator. “Virtual learning will continue until Dec. 4, however, we’ll keep evaluating the situation. Some schools are virtual until mid-January.
“Scott tries to give us a heads up so we’d have a plan,” he said of Whitley County Health Department director Scott Wagner. “If we don’t feel we can provide a quality, in-person instruction day or the county is red and stays red determines how long this phase will last.
“Following Indiana state guidance, we now know we are in an area with very high positivity and community spread.”
Sporting event attendance at all school levels will be limited to the athletes, support personnel and parents or guardians. Everyone, except the athletes, is required to wear face coverings during these events. Fans can observe the games through live broadcast events on Facebook or on the Whitko Athletics web site.
This weekend’s musical, ‘Honk!’, will be performed before parents only, according to musical director Dawn Hinthorn.
Large events and social gatherings are canceled along with most extra- and co-curricular activities for all grade levels.
“We recognize that students in kindergarten through sixth grade may not be able to stay home alone and that in many families both parents work during the school day. Current state guidance calls for schools to consider a hybrid approach for elementary schools, which we have through our distance learning program,” Penrod said.
“We will continue in-person instruction at the elementary schools and will exhaust every possible resource to provide in-person learning for as long as we can.”
He recommends families with students in grades Kindergarten to six begin making plans to prepare for a possible move to virtual learning, too.
Since the beginning of this school year up to 20% of teachers or staff members have missed school because of positive COVID-19 test results, close contact with a positive case or feeling symptoms related to the virus.
“They may be off because day care for their children has closed, too,” he said.
Depending on the position the staff member holds depends on whether or not their responsibilities can be covered.
Help is on the way.
“Many colleges and universities are graduating students now, instead of waiting until December. We’re able to hire mid-year grads interested in being temporary teachers to provide distance learning only to kindergarten through sixth grade students,” he said. “Our teachers are spending the day in class then going home and putting together a virtual class. That’s too much.
“We should be able to start hiring in the next couple of weeks to alleviate the pressure on our current staff.”
About 90 to 100 students from each building – South Whitley and Pierceton elementary schools and the junior senior high – are on distance learning day-to-day. This number increases or decreases, depending on various situations.
“On certain days absences will spike then the students return. Right now, we’re flexible as the students are in class and move to distance learning,” the superintendent said. “At the start of the third nine weeks, we’re going to ask them to choose one or the other at the high school level.”
Next semester classes will be held at one time for virtual learners instead of throughout the day. For example, all ninth grade math students will view the math class at one time.
Students in the newly opened Whitko Career Academy will have more book-learning through this phase of distance learning and will probably receive more hands-on training when they return.
“The teaching stafff, bus drivers, the administrators, everyone has been outstanding, rolling with the punches,” Penrod said. “The nursing staff stays after school until every close contact is called.”
School bus routes will change considerably without secondary students and transportation personnel will be contacting elementary-school aged families about these shifts.
More information about WJSHS student meal pick up locations and event schedules for live broadcasts are expected to be forthcoming.
“We knew Monday that Whitley County would probably be in the red,” Penrod said of the state’s color-coded COVID-19 surge indicator. “Virtual learning will continue until Dec. 4, however, we’ll keep evaluating the situation. Some schools are virtual until mid-January.
“Scott tries to give us a heads up so we’d have a plan,” he said of Whitley County Health Department director Scott Wagner. “If we don’t feel we can provide a quality, in-person instruction day or the county is red and stays red determines how long this phase will last.
“Following Indiana state guidance, we now know we are in an area with very high positivity and community spread.”
Sporting event attendance at all school levels will be limited to the athletes, support personnel and parents or guardians. Everyone, except the athletes, is required to wear face coverings during these events. Fans can observe the games through live broadcast events on Facebook or on the Whitko Athletics web site.
This weekend’s musical, ‘Honk!’, will be performed before parents only, according to musical director Dawn Hinthorn.
Large events and social gatherings are canceled along with most extra- and co-curricular activities for all grade levels.
“We recognize that students in kindergarten through sixth grade may not be able to stay home alone and that in many families both parents work during the school day. Current state guidance calls for schools to consider a hybrid approach for elementary schools, which we have through our distance learning program,” Penrod said.
“We will continue in-person instruction at the elementary schools and will exhaust every possible resource to provide in-person learning for as long as we can.”
He recommends families with students in grades Kindergarten to six begin making plans to prepare for a possible move to virtual learning, too.
Since the beginning of this school year up to 20% of teachers or staff members have missed school because of positive COVID-19 test results, close contact with a positive case or feeling symptoms related to the virus.
“They may be off because day care for their children has closed, too,” he said.
Depending on the position the staff member holds depends on whether or not their responsibilities can be covered.
Help is on the way.
“Many colleges and universities are graduating students now, instead of waiting until December. We’re able to hire mid-year grads interested in being temporary teachers to provide distance learning only to kindergarten through sixth grade students,” he said. “Our teachers are spending the day in class then going home and putting together a virtual class. That’s too much.
“We should be able to start hiring in the next couple of weeks to alleviate the pressure on our current staff.”
About 90 to 100 students from each building – South Whitley and Pierceton elementary schools and the junior senior high – are on distance learning day-to-day. This number increases or decreases, depending on various situations.
“On certain days absences will spike then the students return. Right now, we’re flexible as the students are in class and move to distance learning,” the superintendent said. “At the start of the third nine weeks, we’re going to ask them to choose one or the other at the high school level.”
Next semester classes will be held at one time for virtual learners instead of throughout the day. For example, all ninth grade math students will view the math class at one time.
Students in the newly opened Whitko Career Academy will have more book-learning through this phase of distance learning and will probably receive more hands-on training when they return.
“The teaching stafff, bus drivers, the administrators, everyone has been outstanding, rolling with the punches,” Penrod said. “The nursing staff stays after school until every close contact is called.”
School bus routes will change considerably without secondary students and transportation personnel will be contacting elementary-school aged families about these shifts.
More information about WJSHS student meal pick up locations and event schedules for live broadcasts are expected to be forthcoming.
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