(Atlantic) The Atlantic School District is ramping up on Monday to begin remote learning for the district’s students.
One week ago, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds ordered schools to remain closed until after April 30, 2020. One option available for school districts is to provide voluntary continuous learning opportunities to all district students. The Atlantic School District is moving forward with that option. Two of the criteria include; providing enrichment opportunities developed by the teachers and for them to engage with students starting on April 13, 2020. School officials realize not all of the students in the district have access to the internet or a device, so in addition to the online activities, the teachers will mail packets containing activities found online.
Washington Elementary Principal Stacey Hornung is sending out 100 packets to students. “We’re hopeful parents will engage at home with their kids,” Hornung said.
Teachers are required to collaborate in teams and continue to update enrichment opportunities on the school district COVID-19 website, distribute packets, as well as engage with students, whether it’s a small group or individually.
Middle School Principal Josh Rasmussen secured 76 computers with internet accessibility now available at the school parking lot.
Rasmussen praised the teachers for their efforts over the past two weeks.”We’ve asked them to do a lot of things over the past two weeks that they weren’t planning on doing, and they’ve answered the call,” said Rasmussen. “The positive out of all this is the amount of teamwork I’ve witnessed sitting in on all of those team meetings. They’re putting out some excellent stuff for the parents and the students. We’re going to make a positive out of this and grow from this and learn some new things about ourselves. And hopefully, bring that back to the classroom, whether it is in May or next fall.”
School officials encourage all of the students to engage in these learning opportunities, however, since they are voluntary, they are not required, and there is no grading.
Parents are encouraged to go to the school’s website and review the format on the COVID-19 information page.
To access the online learning resources, please click on this link (also located on the left-hand side) to access the resources for each building and grade. Please communicate any questions or concerns as we begin this form of learning.
