The Woods Academy campus and buildings are open to all faculty, staff, and students for in-person learning with health, hygiene, and protection measures in place. This scenario would happen if local COVID-19 transmission levels were reduced and allowed for safe re-entry to school, with safety measures continuing to be in place as determined by our state and local jurisdictions. Social distancing measures would still be in place and we would have instructional plans for any student unable to attend in-person.

• Bimodal instruction would be provided for all students in grades K-8 that are not able to attend school in person for whatever reason. Core subjects (math, English, social studies, science, world languages) would be delivered synchronously with the regularly scheduled class through Zoom or Google Meet. Asynchronous work would be provided for all other academic subjects through Google Classroom. Students will be expected to be “in class” for synchronous classes. Parents choosing this option will do so by (month/trimester- we are evaluating these options). There will be limited synchronous instruction for M4 (Owls) and Kindergarten students. All M3 instruction will be asynchronous in this model.

The Woods Academy campus and buildings would be open to faculty, staff, and students with limitations on the number of people allowed on campus due to size restrictions and guidelines. Schedules would be created where students would rotate between in school and out of school instruction. New technology has been upgraded and would be implemented to allow for more synchronous instruction in core subject areas (math, English, social studies, science, world languages). This model would occur if there were an increase in transmission in our area that warranted such restrictions on numbers and space and potentially defined by our state and local authorities.

The Hybrid Model we have designed for The Woods Academy is as follows:
Montessori Preschool (M3, M4, and K) as well as Grade 1 will all come to school, full day in person for 4.5 days a week. Students will be spaced at least 6 feet apart and be required to wear masks. Students would remain in their cohorts throughout the day. All social distancing and health check rules will remain in effect.
Grades 2-8 will be divided into two groups (Woods Group and Owls Group) and only one group at a time (no more than 50% of maximum capacity) will be on campus for in-person instruction. Class sizes will range from 6-9 students. All social distancing and health check rules will remain in effect. Students will remain in their cohorts throughout the day.
The two-week rotating schedule for Grades 2-8 will go as follows:

• Week 1
  • Group 1 (Woods) learning in-person Monday through Thursday with Group 2 (Owls) learning at home virtually. Friday will be an asynchronous class day for all students with morning check-ins among teachers and students, and teacher prep and meeting time in the afternoon.
• Week 2
  • Group 2 (Owls) learning in-person Monday through Thursday with Group 1 (Woods) learning at home virtually. Friday will be an asynchronous class day for all students with morning check-ins among teachers and students, and teacher prep and meeting time in the afternoon.

Our plan accounts for equity and allows students to experience all appropriate classes live in an equal manner over a two week period. Our current academic schedule will largely remain the same. Cohorts of students throughout all grades have been established which will help maximize safety measures. All students choosing to stay at home will be able to attend synchronous classes. Some classes, specials and world languages, will be taught virtually with occasional in-person sessions.

The Woods Academy campus and facilities are closed and we are delivering instruction through our distance learning program for all. We continue to update our platforms, digest feedback, and provide professional development to our faculty and staff in the event that this model is required. Synchronous and asynchronous schedules would be created for students by division to receive proper instruction and engagement on a daily basis. Core subjects (math, English, social studies, science, world languages) would be prioritized around synchronous learning. Teachers are going through additional professional development on building community and curriculum in a distance learning environment. Please see our updated Community Guide to Distance Learning here. This model would occur if transmission levels were higher in our area and health and safety guidance (medical, state, local authorities) determined this course of action is warranted and needed.

Visit the Distance Learning page to experience our plan in action this past spring.