Our school year 2020-2021 -Covid 19 blended & remote learning plan

Student Returning to Blended Learning & Weekly Covid-19 Testing-Starting December 7th.

Parent letter from our Chancellor:

Weekly random testing of students are mandatory for all students grades 1st-5th grade returning to blended learning starting December 7th. There is a new consent form that ALL parents of blended learning students must fill out prior to December 7th, even if you filled out a consent form previously. The new consent forms specifically indicate weekly testing.

In the attached letter from the Chancellor there are links to the consent form that parents are able to access via their NYC Schools Accounts. If you do not have a NYC Schools Account set up please email Ms. Reyes, ereyes37@schools.nyc.gov

Any parent that does not give consent for their child to be tested, their child will have to participate in 100% remote learning.

Welcome to our COVID response page. Below you’ll find all the critical information about how PS/MS 108, School of Authors is changing the way we operate to reduce the risk of COVID infection.

We are doing everything we can to make sure staff, students, and families are safe.

Please check back regularly, as we will update the information here as conditions change.Last updated: September 1st, 2020

School Re-opening Date Pushed Back

On September 1st, 2020, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a delay to the start of the 2020-21 school year. All students will start with remote learning on September 16th. Then, on Monday, September 21st Blended Learning will begin in the school building for parents who have selected that option.

PS/MS 108 Reopening Schools Plan

The Chancellor, based on the answers from family surveys, provided Blended Learning models fr September reopening. PS/MS 108 is looking to use Model 1A. Students will be placed in one of 3 groups A, B or D.

That means that your child will be in school some days and working from home some days. If our district moves into a Level 4 Health Emergency, we will switch to 100% remote learning for all students. Check this page for updates.


  • Group A and B will come in two days a week for week 1 and 3 days on week 2.

  • Group D will be 100% remote learning.

  • Based on the size of our classrooms we will have 7-10 students per room with 1-2 adults during in school learning day.

  • If you need to switch your child's in-school learning days, contact Ms. Tegano via email.

  • If you are not comfortable with your child returning to the school building for classes you have the following option:

    1. 100% Remote Learning: Opt in to have your child learn 100% remotely (all online, from home). To choose this option for your child, fill out and submit this form (click here). If you are having difficulties completing this form online, call 311

    2. If you chose 100% Remote Learning but want to change your child’s preference back to Blended Learning, complete this form again by August 7.

    3. After August 7, any family who chose 100% Remote Learning will have the option to change back to Blended Learning at a few specific times during the school year.

    4. If no form is submitted for a child, the default for that student will be Blended Learning using the model described above.

  • K-8th Grades: The school day will run from 8:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

  • 3K and 4K: The school day will run from 8:40 a.m. to 2:10 p.m.

  • Students are to be dropped off on time and not earlier.

  • All students will come to school either Tuesday and Thursday OR Wednesday and Friday. They will also come to school every other Monday based on the group they are in. Please let us know as soon as possible if there are specific days that your child/children need to attend school in person. If you have more than one child in our school, or in other schools, we will try to help make the days they are in school the same for each of them.

Key school contacts

If you have any questions about the COVID-19 plan, please contact Bill Gladstone:

Emailbgladstone@psms108.org

Phone

212-860-5803

*You can also connect with your teachers directly using the Staff Directory.

Safety Requirements for Students, Families, and Staff

Your Responsibilities While in the Building

We have put safety procedures in place to keep our students and staff healthy.

  • Masks: Masks must be worn at all times by all adults (teachers, staff, and visitors) and by students in grade 2 and up while in the building. If your child is unable to wear a mask for medical reasons, they must have an excuse signed by a doctor on file in the office.

  • Handwashing: Students and staff are expected to wash hands thoroughly before and after eating, after using the bathroom, if exposed to body fluids (like saliva or a sneeze), and at other times necessary throughout the day.

  • Drop-off and pickup procedures: Please maintain social distancing between families during drop-off and pickup. Parents are not allowed to enter the building with their child unless arrangements have been made in advance with the office. Please move through the drop-off and pickup line as quickly as possible to make room for families behind you.

  • Visiting our school: We are limiting visitors to the school during this time. Parent and community volunteer and in-person tutoring have been suspended until further notice. Most parent-teacher conferences and other meetings can be held virtually. All visits must be pre-approved and scheduled with the office.

  • While in the building: When you enter the building, please check in at the front desk. During check-in, you will be given a nametag and reminded to wear your mask at all times.

  • Traffic flow in hallways and common areas: Hallways are marked with arrows. Please keep at least 3 ft. distance between yourself and others.

  • Illness: Students and staff exhibiting signs of illness or having a fever of greater than 99.9°F must stay home. If you or someone you know has COVID-19 (or shows symptoms of COVID-19 such as coughing or fever), it is required that you stay home or at a designated care facility for a minimum of 14 days. Please contact us via phone or email as soon as possible.

  • Directions for local COVID testing: Please visit the NYS Coronavirus Find a Test Site

  • Opens in a new browser tab page to find a test site closest to you.

Safety Precautions Taken By Our School

In addition to asking everyone to wear masks, wash hands, and maintain social distancing, our school has taken several steps to improve the safety of our staff and students. These steps have been recommended by local health authorities to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19 and other illnesses.

  • Changes in class sizes: We've reduced the average class size from 31 to 18 for in-person instruction.

  • Improvements in ventilation: In an effort to maximize air circulation, we are opening windows whenever possible and have added industrial fans to high-traffic areas.

  • Increases in cleaning frequency: Our custodial team is committed to cleaning all classrooms twice daily, once before the school day and once in the afternoon. In addition, all classroom teachers have been provided with sanitizing wipes to wipe down surfaces and shared resources on an as-needed basis throughout the school day.

  • Hand sanitation: All bathrooms have been stocked with extra soap for frequent hand washing. In addition, we have provided teachers with hand sanitizer for the classroom and added hand sanitizer stations in common areas.


How Hybrid Learning Works

Hybrid learning combines in-class instruction and at-home learning. This allows us to limit the number of students in the building each day for safe social distancing, while still ensuring that students can benefit from direct interaction with teachers and peers.

  • During days in class, teachers will provide direct whole-class instruction and small-group instruction. These days will be used primarily to introduce new topics, provide small group and one-on-one instructional support, and conduct assessments to monitor student progress towards standards.

  • Students will be assigned additional activities to work on independently for there at-home learning days. These activities will allow students to apply and practice what they learned in class. There may be a combination of technology-based learning activities and offline worksheets, projects, and writing assignments. At-home learning activities are an important part of the learning process and will be graded.

  • Teachers and intervention specialists will have limited virtual "office hours" (on Google Classroom, Meet, or Zoom) after school hours Monday - Thursday and during the day on Fridays. Students who have questions or need extra support can check in with their teachers during their office hours for help with at-home learning assignments.

  • Students with IEPs or 504 plans, or who have been identified as at-risk for not meeting academic standards, may have additional one-on-one intervention provided either virtually or in school on Fridays.

Gear up for the new school year

There are a number of DOE accounts that you and your student need to both learn remotely and to receive information. We know that it can be confusing, keeping track of all the different sites and how you access them, so we have provided this guide to the different accounts, how to access them, and what they are used for. If you need help accessing these accounts, please reach out to our Parent Coordinator, Estrella Reyes via email.

NYC Student Account:

  • Who needs this? Students who attend NYC public schools

  • What is it for? This provide students with a DOE username and password. Their new email will be username@nycstudents.net

  • How do I get an account? Click here to register for an account using your OSIS (NYC ID number on your report card) and your birthdate.

Starting in September all students will be using their nycstudents.net email account. We will no longer be using our PSMS108 accounts.

Once you have your DOE username and password you will have access to the following websites:

  1. TeachHub is a portal where your student can access everything they need for remote learning. By clicking on K-12 in the top menu bar, they can access a variety of applications including Gmail, Google Classroom and Zoom. They can also see their report cards, or important letters by clicking the Student Documents button. And they can enter the iLearnNYC portal by clicking on that button. TeachHub (Click Here)

iLearnNYC (Click Here)

  1. This is where students will be able to access classes, submit assignments and receive and respond to messages.


NYC Schools Account

  • Who needs this? Registered Parents/Guardians of students who attend NYC public schools

  • What is it for? This is the site where families can see their students' grades, attendance, test scores and more.

  • How do I get an account? Go to mystudent.nyc and click on the red Create Account button.

  • What information do I need to get an account? You need a valid email that you have access to and an account creation code that you can get by contacting Ms. Reyes via email.

  • If you have everything you need go get your NYC mystudent.nyc Account.

My Schools Account

  • Who needs this? Families of NYC Public School students who are applying for admission to NYC Public Schools.

  • What is it for? This is the site where families can get information about and apply to NYC Public Schools at various entry points - PreK3, PreK4, Kindergarten, Middle School and High School

  • How do I get an account? Go to myschools.nyc and go to the Get Started button.

  • What information do I need to get an account? You need a valid email that you have access to and an account creation code that will be provided at the beginning of the application process.