Dear Evergreen Families,

As a result of last night’s Board meeting, we wanted to reach out to inform you of some changes that will be occurring with regard to elementary school this year. Hopefully you have read the district communication that came out earlier today and explained that the start of the school year has been moved to Sept. 8, and if criteria are met, students will be phased in for on-site instruction effective Sept. 29 in a half-day model at the elementary level.

The elementary administrative team believes the half-day model is the best way to deliver instruction for our youngest learners because it brings children in front of teachers, every day, for half a day. For the remaining half of the day, students will participate remotely in primarily asynchronous learning, with the exception of their special areas subject, and possibly related services and small groups to meet the needs of exceptional learners. This model offers consistent face-to-face time with teachers, as well as smaller groups for intervention and extension time – all while allowing us to keep students socially distanced.

Currently the plan is to bring K-2 students back on Sept. 29, while grades 3-5 would return on Oct. 19. The half-day schedule would be 8:30 to 11:30 am for the morning session and 12:40 to 3:15 pm for the afternoon session. Students would be divided into sessions primarily based on last name (AM would be made up of students with last names A-K, and PM would be made up of students with last names L-Z), and siblings will be assigned to the same session.

If you would like more information about the half-day model, we invite you to review last night’s presentation or to visit our website, where there are sample schedules and other background information. Specific grade level schedules are being finalized, and I plan to share these with families prior to the end of the week.

We recognize that when you completed last week’s survey, it was with language that referenced only the hybrid model. If you have changed your mind about whether or not you would send your child back for on-site instruction based on the shift to the half-day model, please let me know by Thursday, August 27th at 10:00 AM via email of your decision. This information will help me to plan schedules accordingly. If I do not receive a response from you, I will assume that the choice you elected in last week’s survey is what you are committing to for the first semester (end of January).

OTHER NOTES:

• Grab-and-go dates will not change. As a reminder, they are August 31 and September 1.
• Kindergarten orientation has been rescheduled for Sept 8 and 9. Another communication will be sent about orientation prior to the dates.
• When students return on-site, care for interested K-6 students will be offered by the Freedom Valley and North Penn YMCAs at Evergreen and Skippack beginning Sept. 8. Students can attend half-day and will be transported to their school (if needed). Full day care, as well as before and after care, will also be offered. Meals will be available through the Food Service Department while students are in the care of the Ys. Questions about Food Service can be directed to Beth Yaksich at byaksich@pvsd.org. More information will follow regarding how to sign up for student support care and what the costs will be.
• We may be shifting the AM/PM sessions for your children if there are siblings involved attending school on a different portion of the day. Any changes will also be shared in a forthcoming communication.