Short-Term Distance Learning

Reynolds Middle School Transitioning Back to In-Person Learning Beginning December 7th!

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UPDATE:  December 3, 2021

Dear Reynolds Middle School Families and Staff: 

We are excited that students and staff will begin the transition back to in-person learning at Reynolds Middle School starting next week!  The move to Short-Term Distance Learning occurred as a way to focus on ensuring students and staff have the necessary social-emotional supports and safety protocols in place to provide safe in-person learning for all students.  We would like to update you on what has occurred over this time and what students, families, and staff can expect in the near future. 

Teachers and support staff will be provided a day to transition and prepare for the return of students on Monday, December 6, 2021.  Students will return with a staggered start for in-person learning beginning with Grade 6 (only) on Tuesday, December 7th, Grade 7 (only) on Wednesday, December 8th, Grade 8 (only) on Thursday, December 9th, and all Grades 6-8 on Friday, December 10th.  This staggered re-entry week will allow students a more individualized, grade-specific approach to allow students and staff opportunities to participate in culture-building activities. 

As students return, it is important to note that many changes have occurred or will occur throughout the rest of the school year to ensure safe and effective learning while in-person.  These include: 

• Parent/Guardian and Student Listening Sessions were held to gain a deeper understanding of what student and family needs are and how to build connection while supporting those needs.  Thank you to all the families and students who participated!  Reynolds Middle School will continue actively engaging with families and students to review and reflect moving forward. 

• Multiple meetings with building leadership team occurred and will continue in the future to collaboratively review and make decisions on student and staff safety and additional supports. 

• The hiring of two additional Campus Monitors occurred to help support safety while building relationships with students.  Campus Monitors provide necessary supervision during passing time in hallways and help students learn skills to self-regulate in their interactions with each other. 

• Teaching staff are participating in Mandt de-escalation training to better understand the escalation cycle and appropriate methods for prevention and support for students.  The Mandt system is a healthy, relationship-based learning and development platform designed to promote prevention, de-escalation, and intervention approaches. 

• A full review of campus safety occurred to make improvements such as providing adult supervision in more challenging areas of the campus. 

• Recess activities have been modified and will include high-interest games, competitions, and celebrations for students to ensure active engagement. 

• Lunch periods have been reorganized to provide more efficient traffic flow and optimize community building. 

• A peer mediator program is under development to allow students to actively participate in helping students resolve conflicts peacefully and with longer lasting results. 

• Additional mental health practitioners are being recruited to support student well-being. 

• Engaging social skills campaigns will occur monthly to provide student learning and practice for socialization in small and large settings. 

• Social-emotional learning is being revised to include consistent restorative practices, Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) standards, and ongoing practice in self-awareness, social awareness, and responsible decision making. 

• Students and staff will participate in Challenge Day in January 2022 to build empathy and compassion in our school community.  The Challenge Day program helps youth and adults unlearn harmful habits, experience vulnerability as a pillar to restore strength, and enable the experience of freedom of full expression through compassion, connection, and diversity.     

We are also asking our parents and guardians to join us in this work.  We would like our families to have conversations together to discuss your student’s social and emotional health, constructive ways to de-escalate feelings of anger and frustration, the importance of physical boundaries, and the impact of bullying while in person or through social media.  We can only make a difference in the lives of every student if we lean into this process and conversation as adults to promote positive mentoring relationships with our youth.  Thank you for your help. 

With the above measures, and more to come, we are confident that students and staff at Reynolds Middle School will work collaboratively to build safe learning environments for all.  Administrators, teachers, and support staff are excited to welcome Reynolds Middle School students back to in-person learning next week, and we look forward to seeing your smiling faces behind masks once again!  If you have any questions, please contact the school directly.   

Thank you! 

November 16, 2021

Dear Reynolds Middle School Families and Staff:

The safety and security of our students, families, and staff is our highest priority.  This priority is even more significant as we continue to navigate a global health crisis which required schools to provide distance learning in the spring of 2020, then slowly move into hybrid in-person and distance learning in the spring of 2021, and finally move back into full in-person learning this fall. 

The shifts in learning methods and isolation caused by COVID-19 closures and quarantines have taken a toll on the well-being of our students and staff.  We are finding that some students are struggling with the socialization skills necessary for in-person learning, which is causing disruption in school for other students.  To ensure Reynolds Middle School has the necessary social-emotional supports and safety protocols in place to provide a safe learning environment for all students, the school will be temporarily transitioning to Short-Term Distance Learning for approximately two weeks.  During that time, administrators, teachers, and support staff will be working together to implement operational safety procedures for the return to in-person learning again starting on December 7, 2021. 

To transition into Short-Term Distance Learning, we are providing two days for teachers and support staff to prepare - there will be no school for Reynolds Middle School students on Thursday, November 18th and Friday, November 19th.  The Short-Term Distance Learning schedule will begin on Monday, November 22nd and students will begin the transition back to in-person learning again starting on December 7th (see calendar below).
 

During Short-Term Distance Learning, the following schedule will be held from 9:30am-2:45pm:

Student Schedule - Monday
9:30-10:00       Foundations
10:00-11:45     Asynchronous Learning (student works on their own)
11:45-1:15       Lunch (curbside meal pickup daily at school 11:30am-1:00pm)
1:15-2:45         Asynchronous Learning (student works on their own)

Student Schedule - Tuesday to Friday
9:30-11:45       Classes
11:45-1:15       Lunch (curbside meal pickup daily at school 11:30am-1:00pm)
1:15-2:45         Classes
2:45-4:00         Teacher Office Hours for Students and Student Homework
 

Student devices and curriculum materials will be sent home with students on Tuesday, November 16th, and Wednesday, November 17th. 

Meals (breakfast and lunch) can be picked up curbside each day (except November 25-26) at the front of Reynolds Middle School from 11:30am-1:00pm.  Time is included in the daily schedule to allow students to pick up meals.

Short-Term Distance Learning Schedule: 

We realize that transitioning to Short-Term Distance Learning for even a short time can be a hardship on our families.  We apologize for any inconvenience this temporary transition may cause.  We are confident that we can put necessary supports and operational procedures in place to effectively provide a safe learning environment for all students and staff during this time. 

If you have any questions, please contact Reynolds Middle School at (503) 665-8166.  We appreciate your patience and support!

Respectfully,
Dr. Danna Diaz
Superintendent of Schools