Date of Adoption: June 30,2020
Changes to program offerings we have made in response to school closures to address the COVID- 19 emergency and the major impacts of the closures on students and families
Heartwood Charter School is an independent study charter and as such was able to continue much of our program as originally planned, however there were some significant changes that were required to fully meet the needs of our students due to the COVID 19 emergency. We currently have two resources centers in two different counties. We closed the resource centers simultaneously with the public school closures in the counties where the resource centers are located. In order, to continue to provide the services that were part of the resource center programs, classes were converted to an online format. All direct instruction from credentialed teachers became virtual and any use of educational vendors was restricted to those vendors that provided virtual instruction. All in person instruction was suspended. Any students who required technological support to be able to participate in zoom meetings and/or virtual instruction were provided with all necessary equipment. Special education services continued through virtual services, and the needs of our students with IEPs were fully met. Teachers worked together as a community, supporting each other and the entire student body. Teams of teachers were formed to help provide both academic and social support for students and families in need.
How we are meeting the needs of its English learners, foster youth and low-income students
English Learners: We were unable to complete the summative ELPAC assessments due to the closure. Teachers continued to embed ELD standards into their instruction and support of parent homeschooling efforts, utilizing best practices in all their interactions with both parents and students. Additional individualized support was provided where necessary via zoom instruction or curriculum materials.
Foster Youth: At this time we have no students who are foster students
Low-Income Students: Heartwood Charter School teachers and administrators remained in constant contact with our families throughout this time period, reaching out to support them in a variety of ways including providing technology, in the form of computers and any other supporting hardware or software, providing recommendations for community resources, and constantly updating our parent portal with support materials for both academic and social services.
Steps that have been taken to continue delivering high-quality distance learning opportunities
As stated above Heartwood is an IS charter school and as such all of our students are regularly participating in distance learning. With the closure of the resource center and the loss of the in person connection with the credentialed support teachers, we worked to bring on more opportunities for the teachers to connect with the students and the families they support via zoom and other online platforms. Packets of support information were sent via email to parents. Certain instruction was recorded to allow students and parents to watch content at a time that was most convenient for the unique schedule of their family. Professional development was provided for teachers regarding their engagement with technology and how best to support their students via this platform. Teacher met regularly with their students, often one on one to enable a personal connection and the best possible evaluation of the students’ progress and mood. Weekly virtual faculty meetings were held throughout this time period and best practices actively shared in the ongoing development of virtual teaching guidelines.
Steps that have been taken to provide school meals while maintaining social distancing practices
Our students are homeschool students who do not come to a site for meals. Regular check-ins with families were done to ensure that students and families had access to necessary resources during this time.
Steps that have been taken by the LEA to arrange for supervision of students during ordinary school hours
Our program is based on an independent study model. As a result, our parents are already actively engaged in the supervision of their children during ordinary school hours. As part of our contact with families during this time period, we confirmed the needs of our homeschooling families to ensure that the ability of parents to provide supervision of the students during school hours had not changed.