While the district nears the end of the current school year, work is underway in all buildings to prepare for 2020-2021. Paraprofessionals Makenzie Keller, left, and Michelle Weirich join teacher Melissa Vogt on Tuesday in looking over materials that will be placed in a “makers’ room” at Springmill STEM Elementary School. Vogt said the room, when not in use for art classes, will allow students to exercise their imaginations. “They might use index cards to build a bridge or other materials to make things that display their creativity,” Vogt said. Staff will
be at all Mansfield City Schools buildings from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday
and Thursday to receive completed at-home lesson assignments.
Three
separate packets of assignments have been sent home since schools were closed
March 17 by order of the governor in response to the COVID-19 threat.
In his weekly fireside chat Sunday evening, Superintendent Stan Jefferson emphasized the importance of dropping off the completed work from packets 1, 2 and 3.
“Returning these assignments is extremely important for two reasons,” he said. “First, this work counts the same as classroom instruction; second, completed work allows our teachers to assess student achievement and respond accordingly.”
There are 49 days in the fourth quarter of the 2019-2020 school year, but students were in their classrooms for only one day, March 16, before schools were shut down. In accordance with Ohio Department of Education guidelines, and after collaboration with school and teacher leaders, Mansfield City Schools has decided to designate students’ fourth-quarter work as passing, not passing, incomplete or unable to assess.
Students
will continue to earn letter grades for semester or year-long courses that
normally receive a final mark.
When
dropping off completed work on Wednesday and Thursday, students will receive a
packet of summer resources and activities for math, reading and social and
emotional learning.
Completed
work also may be placed in drop boxes at the entrance of each school through
June 1.