El Monte City School District has provided a video overview of its 2020-21 Distance Learning Plan, which combines modern technology with innovative teaching practices to deliver a rich and rigorous instructional program for students in transitional kindergarten through eighth grade. The video provides a look at sample schedules and re-affirms the District's pledge to provide technological tools for all students.
Every West Covina Unified student – from transitional kindergarten to 12th grade – will be equipped with a device in 2020-21, ensuring equity in access to high-quality virtual instruction during state-mandated distance learning. The District will continue to offer technology support to parents and students in distance learning, providing comprehensive resources through its dedicated distance learning website. Those resources include tutorials on using digital learning tools and access to the District’s tech support line.
Monrovia Unified School District’s elementary and secondary task force groups, in collaboration with District administrators, Monrovia Teachers Association, Parent Teachers Association and the California School Employees Association, developed an instructional schedule that provides structure and support for students and families. The distance learning schedule provides virtual instruction with teachers through Zoom or Google Classroom and also sets aside time for students to focus on enrichment opportunities and social-emotional well-being.
Lynwood Unified School District convened in an online forum July 29 with over 300 staff to share questions and concerns regarding distance learning plans for the upcoming school year. The District organized the forum to empower employees, teachers and administrators to answer questions regarding the fall semester from concerned parents and families. Forum participants included Lynwood Teachers Association President Debbie Diaz, administrators, principals and teachers. More information can be found on the Lynwood Unified website.
El Monte City School District is welcoming families to ParentSquare, a smartphone app that will keep parents more connected than ever to their children’s teachers, schools and District news. ParentSquare includes alerts, tools for confirming participation in conferences and events and the ability to respond to teachers and administrators. Families can customize the app to receive information in the formats they prefer.
Fontana Unified School District is preparing students for a successful start to the 2020-21 year, which begins Monday, Aug. 24 in online distance learning, with the continued distribution of laptops to students from transitional kindergarten to 12th grade. During a video interview between Mayor Acquanetta Warren and FUSD Superintendent Randal Bassett, Fontana Unified received a $25,000 donation from the National Real Estate Development Association's Inland Empire chapter. The donation will help offset the costs of providing the District’s 36,000 students with laptops.
West Covina Unified educators are preparing for a strong start to the 2020-21 year on Monday, Aug. 17 through a series of teacher trainings meant to enhance instructional strategies and ensure rigorous educational opportunities during state-mandated distance learning. Offered throughout the summer and in the week prior to the start of the school year, the trainings provide in-depth exploration of digital tools like Google Classroom and discuss instructional shifts that benefit students during distance learning, such as additional hands-on activities and student-led discussions.
Whittier Union High School District will begin the 2020-21 school year with a 100% distance learning schedule, converting the fall semester into a quarter system in which students will take three online classes in each of two nine-week periods starting Wednesday, Aug. 12. The Board of Trustees unanimously approved the 3x9 instructional model and launching the school year in Stage 1 of the District’s four-stage reopening plan during a July 28 virtual board meeting.
When Hosler Middle School students are safely reinstated in school they will return to a new state-of-the-art U.S. Soccer pitch, one of the many new facilities the District has recently unveiled as it utilizes the period of distance learning to improve facilities across campuses. The soccer field was awarded through a grant program from the U.S. Soccer Foundation, which installs a mini-pitch that comes complete with fencing and built-in goals. The hard-court space is perfectly suited for organized soccer programs or pick-up games between students.
Buena Park School District recently received a donation of 37,000 see-through face shields to protect students, teachers and staff, providing an additional barrier to slow the spread of COVID-19. The District received the face shields from Westminster-based company Tru-Form Plastics. Tru-Form Plastics Engineer Ed Hentges, a Buena Park resident and friend of Beatty Middle School Principal Erik Bagger, recommended that his company donate face shields to protect students and staff during the pandemic.
