Green Dot Public Schools Tennessee Re-Entry Updates 11/23
GDPST Family,
It is hard to believe we will soon celebrate Thanksgiving. Though this is a different holiday season than any of us has ever experienced, there is much to be thankful for in the last few months of 2020. We continue to ask everyone to be as safe as possible as you celebrate with your loved ones.
Because every decision we make is all about the students, we believe that an in-person learning option is best for academic success. However, we (still) believe in science.
With COVID cases hitting over 800 per day in Shelby County, our collective anxiety is rising. We remain hopeful that conditions will allow for the safe return to school but in case the city moves into a larger shut down similar to the beginning of the pandemic, we wanted to provide you with an updated timeline below for decision-making:
- December 7: Teachers and staff will return to campuses as planned. It will be important to prepare classrooms and build proficiency with the In-Person Learning tools.
- December 8-11: Student orientation and testing will still happen; however it will be virtual for all students. It is critical that we accurately assess student learning, and that we provide them with an opportunity to learn more about what a return to school entails. School leaders are working on a modified orientation schedule that will allow for successful orientation and assessment in the Distance Learning model.
- December 11: We will make a decision on whether to start second semester as planned or to continue with Distance Learning for the month of January.
We’re hoping that providing a clear timeline for decisions will help lower anxiety (at least a bit). We will host another virtual community meeting, December 3, 2020 at 6:00 PM to answer any questions you may have about the second semester re-entry plan. Please keep an eye out for a newsletter on December 3 with a link to join the meeting.
In preparation for a return to in-person instruction, we’ve made the following video to illustrate how all GDPST classrooms will be set-up.
Parents, don't forget to complete the Re-Entry Survey on SchoolMint!
- Log into your SchoolMint account, using your username and password.
- Click on the Re-Entry Survey and let us know your decision for returning.
This survey will be sent out every 4 weeks to help GDPST gauge the number of students returning to in person instruction when it happens.
If you need help accessing your SchoolMint account, please contact your student’s school directly.
Here's what we've heard so far:
In Case You Missed It
Need WiFi at home?
Green Dot Public Schools TN understands the technology gap that exists for families in our communities. We are proud to be able to partner with Comcast to provide six months of free internet service to enrolled families who qualify. After the six months of free service, families will have the opportunity to continue, with a nominal fee.
We have extended this opportunity to all of our current students and have received an overwhelming response. Fortunately, we are able to extend this to newly enrolled students as well. So, if there are families contemplating enrollment but are afraid they will not have access to internet for their students to attend distance learning, we will work to get them enrolled, assign a laptop and set them up with Comcast for WiFi.
Please email your full name, your student's full name, and your best contact number to [email protected] or call your student's school to sign up today!