UPDATED ON THURSDAY, MARCH 26 at 3:20 P.M.:
The South Park School District has two (2) remaining flexible instructional days available. Tuesday, March 31 will be Flexible Instructional Day #4. Wednesday, April 1 will be Flexible Instructional Day #5.
The South Park School District will then commence regular remote instruction on Thursday, April 2 and continue remote instruction through the closure period. Remote instruction procedures will vary by grade-level or school building. Communication specific for your child’s grade level or school building will be shared with you early next week.
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The South Park School District continues to seek additional guidance from the Pennsylvania Department of Education in the midst of this unprecedented situation. Based on some of the information received and to keep our students engaged in learning, the district plans to begin using flexible instructional days on Thursday, March 19. However, instead of using all of our allotted flexible instructional days in a row, we have elected to distribute them throughout the closure period. As a reminder, flexible instruction allows students to complete classwork at home should a situation occur which would prevent normal operations in one school or throughout the district.
Therefore, the flexible instruction schedule for this closure period is:
Thursday, March 19 - Flexible Instructional Day 1
Tuesday, March 24 - Flexible Instructional Day 2
Thursday, March 26 - Flexible Instructional Day 3
SOUTH PARK ELEMENTARY CENTER SPECIALS CLASSES
On Flexible Instructional Day 1, all South Park Elementary Center students should complete their art assignments.
On Flexible Instructional Day 2, all South Park Elementary Center students should complete their library assignments.
On Flexible Instructional Day 3, all South Park Elementary Center students should complete their music assignments.
SOUTH PARK MIDDLE SCHOOL ROTATION SCHEDULE
Flexible Instructional Day 1 will be Rotation Day 6 for all South Park Middle School students.
Flexible Instructional Day 2 will be Rotation Day 1 for all South Park Middle School students.
Flexible Instructional Day 3 will be Rotation Day 2 for all South Park Middle School students.
KINDERGARTEN, FIRST GRADE, AND SECOND GRADE
In the South Park School District, flexible instruction for kindergarten, first grade, and second grade is implemented through the use of assignment and activity packets. Students in these grades brought home the assignment packs for flexible instructional day 1 and flexible instructional day 2 on Thursday, January 23, 2020. They brought home the assignment packs for flexible instructional day 3, flexible instructional day 4, and flexible instructional day 5 on Thursday, March 12. These grade-level assignment and activity packs have also been posted on our website. Attendance for students in kindergarten through second grade will be recorded when students submit their FID assignments.
THIRD THROUGH TWELFTH GRADES
Flexible instruction for students in grades 3-12 will be implemented through district-issued Chromebooks and Google Classroom. Students in grades 3-12 will receive their assignments and activities for a flexible instructional day through Google Classroom. Students in grades 3-12 will also be responsible for reporting their attendance on each flexible instructional day by 10 a.m. This can easily be done through an online attendance form which will be posted on sparksd.org that morning. An online attendance form must be completed for each child in grades 3-12, each time there is a flexible instructional day. Families without internet access or who may have trouble accessing or completing the online form can report their child’s attendance by calling their child’s school office and leaving a voicemail with their child’s name, grade, and homeroom teacher. Building voicemails will be monitored via email by school office staff.
WHEN FID ASSIGNMENTS ARE DUE
Currently, all flexible instructional day assignments will be due three (3) school days after the reopening of school.
INTERNET ACCESS ISSUES
There are resources to keep families connected during this closure.
Xfinity WiFi hotspots across the country will be available to anyone who needs them for free – including non-Xfinity Internet subscribers. There are hotspots located throughout South Park Township. For a map of Xfinity WiFi hotspots, visit www.xfinity.com/wifi. Once at a hotspot, consumers should select the “xfinitywifi” network name in the list of available hotspots and then launch a browser.
Comcast also is offering new Internet Essentials customers two free months of internet service. Internet Essentials provides affordable internet at home for eligible households. For more information, call 1-855-8-INTERNET (1-855-846-8376).
Families without internet access are asked to call their child’s school office and leave a voicemail with their child’s name, grade, and homeroom teacher. A South Park administrator will reach out directly to those families.
CHROMEBOOK TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
Students who need support with Chromebooks or accessing online resources, can submit a ticket through the "Chromebook Support" link under "Student Links" on each school website.
COMMUNICATING WITH TEACHERS
Teachers will be available for assistance via email and Google classroom on flexible instructional days during normal school hours.
As we continue to monitor the situation as it evolves, we will make a determination about the remaining two flexible instructional days. Please understand that as we work through this unique and changing situation, procedures may be enhanced. Thank you for your continued support.