Battle Creek Times

Battle Creek Central High School issued the following announcement.

We’re looking forward to welcoming all students back remotely on January 4. But we also want to make sure to communicate our plans for a return to in-person learning in January with plenty of advance notice.

• Grades Pre-K–5 will return to in-person learning five days per week on January 18, 2021.
• Grades 6–12 will return to in-person learning using a hybrid scheduling model on January 25, 2021.
• All families will have the option to opt their students into the self-paced Virtual Academy, if they do not wish to return to in-person schooling.

As always, BCPS is working under direct guidance from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the Calhoun County Department of Public Health. We will only proceed with returning to in-person instruction if it has been determined it is safe to do so. Changes in local virus spread and data could impact our ability to return to in-person learning, and we will keep you notified if any changes occur.

For more information about the health and safety measures that have been implemented in all elementary, middle and high school buildings, click here.

Key Dates & Important Deadlines

• Bus Cards, Schedules & Transportation Updates
  • January 11–15, 2021
  • Building-specific details about transportation, bus routes, and pickup/dropoff times and procedures will be shared by the week of January 11, when students will also receive their bus cards for the second semester in the mail.
• Virtual Academy Signup Deadline
  • Sunday, January 17, 2021

SIGN UP FOR VIRTUAL ACADEMY HERE

Grade 6–12 Return to In-Person

If it is safe to do so on Monday, January 25, 2021, all middle school and high school students will return to class based on a hybrid model. Under the hybrid model, students will attend school in person two days per week and engage in remote learning three days per week. One cohort of students will attend in person on Mondays and Tuesdays and the other cohort will attend in person on Thursdays and Fridays. All students will attend remotely on Wednesdays. Cohort assignments will be mailed home and posted to Skyward by January 5.

On remote learning days, students will utilize a blend of pre-recorded and live Google Classroom sessions, small group sessions, breakout groups with classmates, virtual lessons, online assignments and more.

We know that you are likely to have many questions about a return to in-person learning for middle and high school students. We are hosting a district-wide information session on January 7 and school-specific information sessions on January 13 to ensure you have all of the information you need about what school will look like in a hybrid model. Please RSVP on Facebook to receive reminder notifications for the info session you would like to attend. If you are unable to attend a live info session, recordings will be available on our Facebook page as well.

SAVE THE DATES:

Thursday, January 7, 2021

6:00 p.m.

BCPS Grades 6–12 Instructional Plan Info Session

RSVP FOR 6-12 INFO SESSION HERE

Wednesday, January 13, 2021

5:30 p.m.

Battle Creek STEM Innovation Center Instructional Plan Info Session

RSVP FOR BC STEM INFO SESSION HERE

Wednesday, January 13, 2021

5:30 p.m.

Northwestern Middle School Instructional Plan Info Session

RSVP FOR NWMS INFO SESSION HERE

Wednesday, January 13, 2021

5:30 p.m.

Springfield Middle School Instructional Plan Info Session

RSVP FOR SMS INFO SESSION HERE

Wednesday, January 13, 2021

6:30 p.m.

Battle Creek Central High School Instructional Plan Info Session

RSVP FOR BCCHS INFO SESSION HERE

Return to In-person Learning for PK–5

If Calhoun County Public Health Department guidance permits, elementary school students not enrolled in Virtual Academy will return to face-to-face instruction on Monday, January 18, 2021. Students will attend school in person, five days a week, with the same safety measures and precautions that were in place this fall.

Virtual Academy Option for All Grades

All students have the option to sign up for an all-virtual, self-paced school option called the BCPS Virtual Academy.

Virtual Academy provides online lessons, weekly check-ins and support from BCPS teachers, but please note that the program is largely self-paced and is different from remote schooling in which students remain with their class groupings and classroom teachers.

Virtual Academy will be best suited for students who are able to thrive in either a self-guided or a parent- or guardian-supported learning environment, with less frequent teacher interaction.

If you’d like to sign your student up for Virtual Academy, please fill out and submit this form by Sunday, January 17.

Original source can be found here.