Elementary, Junior High, and High School
Remote Learning Program

Updated on April 22, 2020
Version 1 April 13, 2020

Parents, Families, Students, Teachers,

To say our current situation is unprecedented is an understatement. The coronavirus epidemic has challenged the world and every individual in it, from our neighbors around the globe to our neighbors next door. The reach of this situation is nearly absolute, as almost all aspects of our lives have changed. One thing that has not changed, though, is the fact that Sylvania is a community. Sylvania Schools has always played a key role in this community, not only to provide education to every child, but also to provide social and emotional support, food, entertainment, and community service. The pandemic will not stop us in providing those services to the Sylvania community.
Every employee of Sylvania Schools has committed themselves to working for the community during this period of closure. From the teachers to the principals to the cafeteria staff to our custodians and beyond, we are working to the extent that we can because we believe that the Sylvania community needs us more than ever before.
It is with that spirit of commitment that the teachers and administrators of Sylvania Schools have worked since before the closure to design a remote learning plan that provides continued learning opportunities. We believe that this crisis requires us to do everything we can to continue learning and growing opportunities for every student, to provide support for parents looking to maintain activity and structure for their children, and to make sure that our resumption of normal school is as seamless as possible. This remote learning plan has been developed over weeks to reach those goals.
Our plan enables each teacher to develop activities and set goals, communicate with students and families, meet live with classes, and reach support as needed. Teachers will individualize their implementation of remote learning and communicate the activities and goals for their class. Building principals will provide central guidance and support and counselors will help students and families. All other Sylvania Schools employees will stand ready for support of the vital three players: teacher, student, family.
Sometimes, students and families will move through remote learning easily; sometimes, they will face significant challenges. Sylvania Schools educators are ready to provide support and guidance to enable all to participate in learning opportunities. The two key elements are communication and patience. We can solve every problem with both at hand. We can solve none without them. Please reach out for help as needed.
As our plan develops, we will continue to adjust to the needs of the pandemic and our community. Updates will be communicated, but we will seek to make as few changes as possible.
Thanks must be given to the teachers of the Sylvania Educators Association and staff of the Ohio Association of Public School Employees for their tireless, flexible, and charitable efforts that have readied Sylvania Schools to continue to support the Sylvania community.
Sincerely,

Alexander Clarkson
Director of Teaching and Learning

Table of Contents

Teachers, Students, and Families
Classwork
Junior High and High School
Elementary School
All Schools
Scheduling
School Days
Building Schedules
Hours of Work
Grading
High School Grading Policy
Graduation
Junior High School Grading Policy
Elementary School Grading Policy
Support Services, including special education
Counselors
Technology
Junior High and High Schools
Elementary Schools
Home WiFi Access
Communication
Building Access
Contact Information
Sylvania Schools Office of Academic Affairs
School Buildings
Guidance Documents and Online Resources

Teachers, Students, and Families

In this period of closure, every member of the Sylvania community has been affected differently, not only students and families, but also teachers and other district support personnel. These different situations and the uncertain nature of the pandemic make personal and family health and safety a priority, one which leads to diverse needs. Added to that, situations change often, and every member of the community tries to adjust to those changes often. This makes the prospect of remote learning challenging, but not impossible.

A remote learning plan will only lead to learning if teachers, students, and families work together, reaching out to support staff for resources and solutions, but the district recognizes that students and families will face individual circumstances that will direct their work with teachers. Sylvania teachers and other support personnel will continue to provide learning experiences as appropriate and provide guidance and help to students and families. The opportunities for learning and growth will continue, and the essential trio of teachers, students, and families will be able to work together to access them.

Classwork

Junior High and High School

Work will vary from class to class, and teachers will determine the most appropriate remote learning experiences to meet students’ needs in each subject. This means that some material may be delivered in paper format, while other materials will be delivered through digital platforms. Health and safety needs may prevent the distribution of paper materials, but some paper activities may have come home on the day before closure. Since Chromebooks can record sound and video, some instructional material may include video and some assignments may require students to record themselves. The teacher will clearly explain the requirements for all learning activities.

During the entire period of closure, classwork will be required and counted for a class grade, even if that work constitutes review (see the grading section below for details). Due dates will be assigned to help students plan their work and to keep steady progress toward learning goals. While teachers will be more flexible with this work than they would with regular classroom work, they will still require students to complete the work to build a grade. Teachers will provide feedback for this work, which will include both review material and new instruction. Student communication with teachers is essential to ensuring that this work is understood and completed.

Elementary School

Classwork will vary from subject to subject, and students and families will receive work that relates to diverse subjects such as reading, math, art, music, and social studies. Sylvania elementary teachers are working to produce activities that cover our students’ range of learning experiences and provide opportunities at home for engagement and growth. Elementary classwork will include both review activities and new instruction.

All Schools

Health and safety concerns limit the district’s ability to distribute and collect physical materials and assignments. On April 3 and 6, elementary schools distributed a second round of closure materials, along with Chromebooks to students that need them. The development of the pandemic and continued guidance from the Governor of Ohio will determine whether the district will be able to distribute another round of materials should the closure extend past May 1. As of this time, distribution for physical materials in grades 6-12 has not been scheduled. As plans change, parents will be updated.

Any paper assignments that have been completed should be kept by students and families until the school is able to collect them safely.

In the absence of safe distribution and collection methods, teachers and students will add or rely on digital learning approaches. Teachers will communicate guidance for these digital learning activities. Students and families can go to Sylvania Remote Learning for help in digital activities or contact their teacher with questions. In some cases, teachers will connect students and families with district technology support.

Scheduling

School Days

Teachers are treating every regularly scheduled school day as a workday. This does not include previously-scheduled breaks, such as spring break, holidays, or weekends. On school days, teachers will manage the course of learning and communicate with students and families. Please feel free to communicate with teachers during that time and expect a turnaround of no more than one business day for such communication. 

Students should treat these days as days of school as well. While remote learning activities may not take the amount of time a normal school day would require, consistent attention to those activities will be necessary for successful learning. Families will face challenges at home, and teachers will present flexible learning opportunities to be sensitive to those challenges, but a regular schedule will allow students to remain engaged in learning.

Building Schedules

Teachers and building principals will provide guidance in scheduling classwork. High schools and junior high schools will post a weekly building schedule showing suggested times for meetings and work. Elementary teachers will provide guidance for the duration of activities and their sequencing throughout the week. These schedules and guidance are meant to help students and families complete remote learning activities, but they do not constitute a requirement for pacing.

Hours of Work

In remote learning, the time students devote to learning activities will vary. Unlike a school schedule, where students all attend classes and activities for the same amount of time, remote learning will leave students and families to determine schedules based upon home factors. The district recognizes this and encourages all teachers, students, and families to prioritize health, safety, and family needs. Despite these individual circumstances, Sylvania Schools aims to provide clear structure and expectations to help everyone continue to learn. These structures and expectations are only guidelines for all, not requirements, and show what the district will provide to every student and family.

Teachers are committed to providing activities and learning experiences that lead to active engagement with students. That active engagement could be reading, completing a worksheet, following through on a project, working with other students, participating in live sessions, or completing an assessment. Around that active engagement time, students will find themselves completing other tasks, like studying, reviewing, communicating, and more. Active engagement plus these other tasks should result in work close to a normal school day. As stated, that time will vary, but teachers are committed to producing materials and activities to provide the following amount of active engagement:

●	Pre-Kindergarten: up to 5 hours per week
●	Kindergarten through Grade 2: up to 10 hours per week
●	Grade 3 through 5: up to 15 hours per week
●	Grades 6 through 12: up to 2 hours per week per class

Grading

Grading during a period of remote learning will look different from grading during normal school business. This is both true in general and true because of the brief and interruptive transition of this specific period of closure. Some general guidelines for grading will hold true for the remote learning program:

●	Teachers will provide feedback whenever possible. This feedback does not always constitute a grade, but will help students and families measure learning progress.
●	Teachers will provide more flexibility in grading activities to be sensitive to student and family concerns. They will balance this sensitivity with learning expectations and include participation grades when possible and appropriate.
●	Teachers will determine the balance between quality and participation grades as necessary for their subject and student grade level.
●	For grades 6-12, grade information will be posted in PowerSchool.
●	Different grade levels will determine different grading approaches. See details below.
●	Teachers will use the grading system adopted by the level of the class, not the level of the building. For instance, a junior high teacher teaching Algebra I, which is a grade 9 level class, will follow the high school grading system.

High School Grading Policy

Teachers teaching classes at the level of grades 9-12 will continue to use the Sylvania regular, honors, and AP grading scales. Assignments will be graded and reported in PowerSchool to calculate toward a final quarter 4 grade, and that grade will be calculated with the already-entered final quarter 3 grade to determine a semester grade for each class. No semester two exams will be administered, so semester two grades will depend on quarter 3 and 4 grades exclusively. Refer to this document for details.

Considering the individual challenges of remote learning, the high school grading policy includes a harm prevention clause. Any student who demonstrates reasonable effort in remote learning during quarter 4 will receive a quarter 4 grade that is no lower than their recorded quarter 3 grade. In the case that a grade is lower, the teacher will override the quarter 4 grade to match the quarter 3 grade. This policy does not take effect in cases where students have done little to no work and efforts from the school to support them have been refused.

Please note that some junior high students are taking high school-level classes, whether in their junior high building or by traveling to a high school. In those classes, students will adhere to the high school grading scale. Here is a list of common high school courses that junior high students take. If you are unsure about the level of a course, please contact the course teacher.

Algebra I
Geometry (Honors and Regular)
Algebra II (Honors and Regular)
Physical Science (Honors and Regular)
German I
Spanish I
Spanish II
French I
French II

Graduation

High school seniors and any other student in line to graduate in spring will only be required to complete the 22 credit hours required by Sylvania Schools policy. In light of recent state legislation, high schools will not hold students accountable for meeting Graduation Pathways based on Ohio State Tests, ACT, SAT, or other measures. Only the 22 credits will be needed. Reach out to a counselor for any questions regarding graduation status.

English Language Arts: 4 Credits
Mathematics: 4 Credits (including Algebra II)
Social Studies: 3 Credits (including World Studies, American History, and American Government)
Science: 3 Credits (including Physical Science, Biology, and one advanced science course)
Physical Education: 1/2 Credit (including two semesters of physical education or summer equivalent)
Health: 1/2 Credit
Electives: 6 Credits
Fine Arts: 1 Credit

Students not graduating this year will be required to complete these 22 credits, and the district will provide further information on other state requirements as state guidance develops.

For details and guidance from the state, visit this page.

Junior High School Grading Policy

Teachers teaching classes at the level of grades 6-8 will use a pass/fail grading system. Assignments will be graded and reported in PowerSchool, but they will not calculate toward a final grade. The posting will help students and families see progress in the course, but no final grade will be shown. Teachers will determine passage based on the needs of each course. Refer to this document for details.

Elementary School Grading Policy

During the remote learning period, elementary teachers will focus on feedback for parents instead of grades. Each teacher of general education content areas, specials content areas, and special education goals progress will provide feedback to students and parents that is appropriate to the content area and task. This feedback will come through a variety of forms, including responses to posted work, live video conferences, email communication, and responses to questions. 

In addition, toward the end of the year, general education teachers will provide a summative reflection of each student’s work over the year. This summative reflection will take the place of a final grade card. Teachers have provided feedback through grade cards and progress reports from the first to third quarter. The summative reflection will address those points and any extra evidence that has been accumulated through remote learning. The emphasis here is on useful feedback that will help students and parents reflect on each student’s progress throughout the year and provide a focus for next year’s education.

Support Services, including special education

Students that receive special services, such as services related to a disability, reading or math intervention, language support, and more, will continue to receive accommodations and adaptations per their IEP, 504 or specific learning plans to allow them to access the curriculum and to complete assignments. District teachers and other personnel will be in contact with students and families to assist if needed.  Please look for additional communication regarding the specific support being provided based on your child’s needs. Always contact a case manager first in the case of need for guidance and support.

Counselors

Counselors will continue to provide support services to students. Please feel free to reach out to a counselor for help or continuation of services. Counselors will be an important support for students.

Technology

Junior High and High Schools

Sylvania junior high and high schools (secondary schools) are on a 1:1 plan, providing every student with a Chromebook and school Google account. Teachers will use that technology to provide remote learning. Each student should have a functioning Chromebook unless they have opted out of the Chromebook plan. In this case, the family has committed to providing an equivalent device. Learning will largely happen through the digital platforms with which students are familiar.

If technology problems occur, students may request help from the Sylvania Schools technology department. These problems can include broken hardware, lack of hardware, or account problems. Please use http://bit.ly/3d6Ld1o to request help. Families that are facing challenges in accessing the Internet should contact their building principal for support.

Elementary Schools

Sylvania Schools has been on a 1:1 plan with our secondary schools for several years, but not our elementary schools. While elementary students learn through technology every day, the district had not previously issued Chromebooks for students to take home. This changed when the district distributed Chromebooks to students and families that requested them on April 3 and 6. This distribution included paper materials as well, but it now enables teachers to include digital learning, including live class meetings, with their paper-based work.

Students and families moving to the independent digital world at home will face some challenges in the transition. These challenges can include hardware malfunctions, password and account difficulties, or any number of other roadblocks. The district is committed to helping each student access digital learning during the closure. Follow this guidance when facing a problem:

●	If the problem is associated with a class activity, such as accessing an online learning platform or managing a student account, contact the teacher for initial help. The teacher may connect the student or family with technology support.
●	If the problem is associated with malfunctioning hardware, including a broken or non-charging Chromebook, complete the technology help form for support.

Home WiFi Access

Sylvania Schools is working with Buckeye Broadband to ensure that all of our families have equitable access to the Internet for the completion of learning activities. If you do not have reliable Internet access at home, please notify your building principal. We will work with Buckeye Broadband to provide support.

Communication

Communication at this time is more important than ever before. It is vital that students and families check email accounts for communication from teachers, principals, and the district. The district will not have another method as simple and effective as digital communication to communicate with students and families. Any student or family facing a challenge in communicating digitally, should contact the building principal for help in establishing another reliable method of communication. 

The most important individuals to be able to contact are teachers, support personnel, and principal. These educators are best positioned to help or forward a need to other, specialized support. Each building and teacher will communicate the specific learning activities and other important information unique to them. This plan for remote learning is a general guideline and expectation for all of our schools, but individual teachers and building leaders will communicate how it will be tailored to each school, class, and student. Please look to teachers and building communication as the most specific and relevant to daily issues.

Teachers may be reached through email, and teacher email addresses can be found in this directory: http://www.sylvaniaschools.org/Directory.aspx. Teachers may not be able to access their voicemail, so email is the best way to contact them.

Building Access

At this time, students and families will not be able to access school buildings. The buildings will be closed to all activities, groups, classes, and similar gatherings. This also includes individual use of facilities, such as students using the gym for athletics, and outdoor facilities, such as playgrounds and tennis courts.

Contact Information

Please feel free to contact our schools or district offices for help. Visit sylvaniaschools.org for more contacts.

Sylvania Schools Office of Academic Affairs

Tim Zieroff, Ass’t Superintendent of Academic Affairs
(419) 824-8530 tzieroff@sylvaniaschools.org

Alex Clarkson, Director of Teaching and Learning
(419) 824-8578 aclarkson@sylvaniaschools.org

Rose Gaiffe, Director of Disability Services
(419) 824-8594 rgaiffe@sylvaniaschools.org

Lindsay Denny, Elementary Instruction Specialist
(419) 824-8532 ldenny@sylvaniaschools.org

Kathleen Pollock, Gifted Services Coordinator
(419) 824-8576 kpollock@sylvaniaschools.org

Alyssa Kuebeck, ESL Services Coordinator
(419) 824-8614 ext. 2582 akuebeck@sylvaniaschools.org

School Buildings

Central Trail Elementary School
4321 Mitchaw Rd.
Sylvania, OH 43560
(phone) 419-824-8610
(fax) 419.824-8606
Principal: Amanda Ogren
aogren@sylvaniaschools.org
Central Trail Closure Website	Highland Elementary School
7720 Erie St.
Sylvania, OH 43560
(phone) 419-824-8611
(fax) 419.824.8635
Principal: Steven Swaggerty
sswaggerty@sylvaniaschools.org
Highland Closure Information	Hill View Elementary School
5424 Whiteford Rd.
Sylvania, OH 43560
(phone) 419-824-8612
(fax) 419-824-8639
Principal: Chad Kolebuck
ckolebuck@sylvaniaschools.org
Hill View Closure Website	
Maplewood Elementary School
6769 Maplewood Ave.
Sylvania, OH 43560
(phone) 419-824-8613
(fax) 419-824-8649
Principal: John Duwve
jduwve@sylvaniaschools.org
Maplewood Closure Site	Stranahan Elementary School
3840 N. Holland Sylvania Rd.
Toledo, OH 43615
(phone) 419.824.8614
Fax#: 419.824.8665
Principal: Jeremy Bauer
jbauer@sylvaniaschools.org
Stranahan Closure Website	Sylvan Elementary School
4830 Wickford Dr.
Sylvania, OH 43560
(phone) 419.824.8615
Fax#:	419.824.8679
Principal: Julie Gault
jgault@sylvaniaschools.org
Sylvan Closure Website	
Whiteford Elementary School
4708 Whiteford Rd.
Toledo, OH 43623
Phone: 419-824-8616
Fax#: 419-824-8697
Principal: Andrew Duncan
aduncan@sylvaniaschools.org
Whiteford Closure Website	Arbor Hills Junior High School 
5334 Whiteford Rd.
Sylvania, OH 43560
(phone) 419-824-8640
(fax) 419-824-8659
Principal Mellisa McDonald
mmcdonald@sylvaniaschools.org	McCord Junior High School
4304 McCord Rd.
Sylvania, OH 43560
(phone) 419-824-8650
(fax) 419-824-8619
Principal: Josh Tyburski
jtyburksi@sylvaniaschools.org
HW Matrix and Contacts	
Timberstone Junior High School
9000 Sylvania Ave.
Sylvania, OH 43560
(phone) 419-824-8680
(fax) 419-824-8690
Principal: Mike Bader
mbader@sylvaniaschools.org
Remote Learning Directory	Northview High School
5403 Silica Drive
Sylvania, OH 43560
(phone) 419-824-8570
(fax) 419-824-5115
Guidance Office ext. 5112
Principal: Mark Pugh
mpugh@sylvaniaschools.org	Southview High School
7225 Sylvania Ave.
Sylvania, OH 43560
(phone) 419-824-8580
(fax) 419-824-6108
Guidance Office ext. 6112
Principal: Kasey Vens
kvens@sylvaniaschools.org	

Guidance Documents and Online Resources

Sylvania Schools Main Site
This is the main site for Sylvania Schools.

Sylvania Schools COVID-19 Page
This web resource carries all district updates during our period of closure.

Sylvania Remote Learning
This web resource can provide support for students and families on the technology of remote learning, including passwords, access, and resource platforms.

High School Grading Policy	Junior High School Grading Policy	Elementary School Grading Policy
These are the guidance documents on grading for remote learning.

High School Weekly Schedule
This document shows the guidance schedule for both high schools.

Ethical Use of Technology
This document guides students and families on the school and district policies applying to activity online and through any technology resource.

Video Conferencing Notice
This notice will be sent by teachers using video conferencing during remote learning and will explain the purpose of the tool.

Technology Help Desk Form
This help form can be completed to request support 

Ohio’s Remote Learning Resources
This website provides guidance and resources for remote learning from the Ohio Department of Education.

Ohio’s Remote Learning Resource Guide
This document provides the vision and goals of a remote learning plan, as recommended by the Ohio Department of Education.