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Consolidated School District of New Britain | 272 Main Street, New Britain, CT 06050 | 860-827-2200
On July 27, Governor Lamont and the State Department of Education announced that school districts in Connecticut could now choose to begin the school year in either a traditional all-in model or a hybrid model, a change in what had been previously directed by the Governor’s Office.
After careful consideration - and knowing that we want to maintain the highest level of safety and well-being for all students and staff - we will open the coming school year in our hybrid model through at least the remainder of 2020. A calendar that lists which days each cohort will attend school and which days they will participate in remote learning can be found by clicking the link below. More information regarding cohorts can be found in the dropdown tabs.
Click here to view the revised cohort schedule
Click here to view the CSDNB Reopening Plan
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We will continue to work closely with the New Britain Health Department and the State Department of Education, and will reassess before the end of 2020. At that time, we will make a determination as to whether we remain in a hybrid model to begin the 2021 calendar year or switch to the traditional model with all students returning to school.
Please note that even with this change, families may still choose to have their child fully opt-in to the 100% remote learning model. More details on remote learning can be found in the CSDNB Reopening Plan and also in the dropdown tabs below.
The hybrid model is a combination of in-school building instruction and remote learning from home. The hybrid model will allow your child to spend their remote school day virtually alongside their teacher and school peers for part of the school day. At other times, as directed by their teacher, they can work independently on teacher-assigned activities following a teacher-directed short lesson.
When your child is in school, they will follow the same schedule as when they are at home. Daily attendance will be monitored for in-school students and students working in the remote environment. All attendance will be taken in PowerSchool.
We will implement the following schedule while in the hybrid model:
To reduce the number of students on campus and riding in buses, all students in grades K-12 will be grouped into two separate, alternating cohorts. Cohort A will consist of students with last names beginning with A-L, and Cohort B will consist of students with last names starting with M-Z. Please note that our goal is to have all siblings grouped into the same cohort so they can all attend school and take part in remote learning on the same days. We will implement the following schedule pattern:
A calendar that lists which days each cohort will attend school and which days they will participate in remote learning can be found here. Please note that if school is canceled due to inclement weather, that cohort will revert to remote learning on that day, and there will be no adjustments made to the schedule.
Parents may choose to opt-in for 100% remote learning at any time instead of the hybrid model. Additionally, on any of your child’s ‘in school’ days, you may choose to send your child to school or keep them home.
Remote learning is the process of connecting virtually to the classroom during regular school hours and class times through a device issued by the district. This will feature a blend of synchronous and asynchronous learning environments for students who are virtually present.
If a student cannot connect during school hours because of a caregiver’s work schedule, lesson resources, including videos and/or recorded mini-lessons, will be available to view on demand. However, teachers will not be readily available to answer any questions a student may have.
Attendance for remote learning is monitored based on a daily virtual presence. All attendance will be taken in PowerSchool. Students will participate with other classmates through their remote connection.
With 25% - 50% of students in school, students with IEPs will receive services in the inclusive, resource, or self-contained settings. Services will be based on the IEP. Individual student needs and parent input will be used to develop alternative methods for service provision and will be reflected in the IEP either through the amendment or PPT process. The use of this setting will require approval by the building principal and district coordinator.
When students are learning in the virtual settings, the SDE Continued Educational Opportunities (template generated by the CSDNB Pupil Service Department) plan will be implemented. Ongoing monitoring of students with little or no engagement in remote learning will be invited to attend in-person school daily to receive direct instruction. Service Logs will be utilized to document IEP services and supports, and 504 Plan accommodations will be implemented per plan requirements.
Students in the district’s post-secondary transition program will continue to have access to vocational opportunities in the community where health and safety measures are instituted.
Students in the KEY program will attend school on the following schedule to meet their specific needs.
PreK KEY: AM or PM session Monday-Friday as assigned:
K-5 KEY: AM or PM session Monday-Friday as assigned:
6-8 KEY: AM or PM session Monday-Friday as assigned:
9-12 KEY: AA/BB/AA Schedule Pattern and will follow the NBHS schedule
Staff to student ratios have been considered in each of the learning settings to maximize adult assistance for social distancing, mask/face shield use, hygiene maintenance, and academic engagement. Appropriate PPE will be utilized by staff (gown, face shield, staff-owned facemasks) to allow for hands-on prompting and student assistance as needed. Hands-on student materials will be individually (by the student) stored, utilized, and sanitized to avoid cross-contamination.
Because we are starting the school year with a hybrid model, the district will provide each student and adult with face shields. Staff and students are responsible for supplying personal face coverings. Frequent breaks will be held outdoors or inside, where there is enough room to follow social distancing guidelines. Accommodations will be made for students who are unable to wear a face covering continuously. Rituals, routines, and expectations will be explicitly taught to all students. Social stories will be used to support student understanding and compliance for wearing face coverings.
50% of students will return to school for a six (6) hour day and face-to-face instruction, while 50% take part in remote learning. Identified EL students will be placed in mainstream classes. With caregivers’ consent, EL students will receive ESL, bilingual, and/or sheltered services. To limit contact and movement in the building, ESL services will be push-in unless the building administrator approves a small setting.
ESL and mainstream teachers will plan collaboratively to ensure that EL students’ language needs are met. ESL teachers will provide supplemental language instruction based on EL students’ proficiency level. EL students with 30 months or less in the states and those deemed in need of continued services will have native language support services via a push-in model to gain access to the grade-level curriculum.
High School EL students will be provided an extra period of ESL supplemental services. Dually identified EL students will be provided support based on district and individual student plans.
Disclaimer | Website Accessibility Statement | Privacy Statement
Consolidated School District of New Britain | 272 Main Street, New Britain, CT 06050 | 860-827-2200