By Allison Perrine | aperrine@tworivertimes.com
Whether it’s called “remote,” “virtual” or “distance” learning, as the COVID-19 outbreak continues to spread nationwide and globally, it’s the new normal for school students in New Jersey.
On Monday, March 16, Gov. Phil Murphy ordered the shutdown of all state schools, pre-K through 12th grade and higher education institutions, effective March 18. Now, children are learning from their homes, connecting electronically to their teachers – Two River area students included.
In the Rumson School District, March 16 counted as a “snow day” without virtual learning to give staff and parents time to plan and organize. Current plans are to make up the day June 19 at the end of the school year. But on Tuesday, children began their at-home learning experience. The learning program was developed by the district’s faculty, with the support of administrators and technology department staff. All before- and after-school activities have been canceled.
“While we cannot replicate the great teaching done in our classrooms, I am confident in our teachers and the experiences they have designed,” said John E. Bormann, superintendent of Rumson schools.
As part of the remote learning schedule, every morning before 8:45 a.m. teachers will share the learning plan for the day through the Rumson Google Calendar and/or Google Classroom. It will include all the work for the day. Students will be able to access their teachers in real-time through Google Hangouts. Completed assignments will count toward attendance scores.
Outside of the “classroom” while children are at home, Bormann has social-distancing tips for parents. “As a proactive measure and in support of the purpose for our school closure, it is extremely important that during this time parents carefully consider play dates and other social gatherings,” he said.
A similar routine and schedule are running in the Fair Haven School District. “Please know that I am acutely aware that any type of home-based learning plan could never replace the meaningful interactions and instruction provided by our incredible staff on a daily basis,” said Sean McNeil, superintendent. “For those families who have students with more profound special needs, we will be following up with you when our Home-Based Learning plan is shared to provide more information about services and specialized learning.”
Little Silver was the first Two River-area town to have a publicly confirmed positive case of COVID-19. The 27-year-old person infected by the virus is a relative of a Red Bank Regional High School student, who soon after also tested positive. Because of this, RBR was one of the first schools to shut down so the custodial staff could do a deep cleaning of the school.
As part of RBR’s virtual learning plan, teachers will have virtual check-ins with students and students can ask questions if they have any. Teachers are also offering at least two hours of direct support each week, broken down into subject categories.
Thinking about students on the free and reduced lunch program in school, RBR partnered with the Red Bank Borough School District to provide breakfast and lunch services to those students, Louis Moore, Red Bank Regional superintendent, posted on the school website March 16. There are now free grab-and-go meals for RBR students at Red Bank Primary School, 222 River St., and Red Bank Middle School, 101 Harding Road. Meals are available from 9 to 11 a.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, two breakfast meals and two lunches will be served.
According to the virtual learning guidelines established in the Shrewsbury Borough School District, all students in grades pre-K through eight must have access to at least four hours of daily virtual learning instruction from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday through Friday. Those four hours are broken down into approximately 45 minutes of English language arts, math, science and social studies, as well as 30 minutes of specials – including Spanish and library – and gym.
On March 17, superintendent of schools in Middletown Township William O. George III, said the district is “uniquely positioned” during this time. “The abrupt circumstances surrounding the transition to district-wide virtual home instruction has and may continue to present challenges that our school community will face,” he said. George advised parents and/or students with questions to first contact their teachers and building level administrators.
Private schools are also closed. Mater Dei Prep students and faculty spent March 17 learning the ins and outs of the online system they will be using to continue classes. The system allows the students and teachers to see each other on their computer screens during instruction and also get assignments.
While attempting to educate students with as little disruption as possible, the staff was also trying to boost student morale.
“Positivity is crucial for this time and making the most out of this situation will help everyone adjust properly,” the school said in an Instagram post, which showed picture of teachers and students virtual learning. Another post encouraged “special guests” with a range of photos of students and teachers with their pets.
The article originally appeared in the March 19-25, 2020 print edition of The Two River Times.
