New Salem-Almont Parents and Guardians,
As winter approaches, I feel it’s essential to share our protocol and plan for possible weather-related disruptions to our normal school day. We understand the importance of maintaining your child’s education while ensuring their safety, and want to share how we will address distance learning for days we cannot attend in person.
Your child’s safety and well-being are our top priorities, and decisions made regarding school depends on several factors including visibility, road conditions, and the track and timing of the weather event. Information-gathering typically occurs throughout the preceding day into the night before the event, and very early in the morning on the day of the event.
Our plan is, whenever possible, to inform families by 9:00 pm the preceding night or by 6:30 am on the morning of the event if a closure or late start is necessary. Late starts, whether a 1-hour or 2-hours is as simple as it sounds. If you typically drop your child off at 8:00 and there is a 2-hour late start, plan to drop them off at 10:00. We will utilize our notification system as well as social and local media. This timeline is followed to allow the school to adequately make a decision, while also recognizing the need for families, childcare and the workforce to plan.
If school time is missed, the distance learning plan will be utilized. This plan looks a little different for each building. Prairie View Elementary will use packets of work for each student when there is a greater chance that inclement weather will trigger a virtual learning day. For unexpected weather days, snow choice boards will be used; any work completed by the student should be sent back when school resumes. Teachers of each grade level will have a live virtual meeting every snow day regardless of being unexpected or planned to connect with students. Each teacher will email or post the link to their class communication application. For more information, contact Mrs. Bennett.
Teachers for grades 6-12 will post assignments to google classroom or email them to students by 9:00 am. All teachers will have an assignment for each virtual day. Virtual meetings will be held with certain class groups each day over Google Meet. That day's schedule for meetings will be posted on the school’s website and Facebook page. Please have your student complete all assignments and show up for the virtual meetings, as this day counts for us and will not have to be made up. These two factors will be used in determining attendance for the day. If your student is having problems logging on, please have them reach out to the teachers or Mr. Olson for help.
Thank you for your understanding, cooperation, and support during these times. It is appreciated. The district is committed to ensuring your child’s education continues without interruption, even when faced with inclement weather. If you have any questions or concerns about our weather-related protocols or distance learning plan, please feel free to contact us at 701-843-7610.
Sincerely,
Brian Christopherson