So far Tom is the only one back in some form of in-person instruction. For him it was vital to get back to school; distance learning was a big challenge for Tom. Now he goes to school in the afternoons, 12-3 Tuesday -Friday. Monday is a shorter day via distance learning in the morning. Tom seems a lot happier with school. He loves walking to and from school, and he loves being at recess. And he seems to be doing better on the academic side too - engaging in his work more. So far it is a big win.
The downside is the timing, for sure. We used to have lunch in the noonish hour (highschool kids have lunch some days at 11:45, some at 12:45, and Will has lunch at 1:00 every day). Now we need to get T some food around 11, and then lunch later. Just adds a layer of complexity.
For the older kids, we are starting to see some changes coming soon. Our county needs to be under 7 cases per 100k to get into the 'red tier' before schools can open. We have seen very steep declines in case counts - from around 70 to now kind of hovering around the 10-12 range. The school districts are trying to model the curve, but it is tough to model human behavior, especially 1 year into the pandemic.
Once we hit the red tier and stay there for the required time, schools can open. Will's school will be 8-12 every day except Monday (everyone has distance learning on Mondays). So, similar to Tom, but opposite session time. Kate and Jack will go in person on Tuesday and Thursday, all day, 8-3. M, W, F they will be at home via distance learning. My head is spinning!
And that doesn't even take into account sports! All of a sudden the high school district is trying to simultaneously run EVERY sport in the last 12 weeks of the school year. Cross country and track are easy enough - they were OKed in the purple tier anyway, and somehow there are already a few meets on the schedule.
Football wasn't supposed to open until orange tier - but got special permission IF the players take a weekly Covid test. Just one more thing to do on a Monday! Today Kate is joining Jack to take a test, but she is not required to weekly like Jack. Football has 6 games scheduled before April 16.
Almost exactly a year ago was when the school schedule was disrupted so fiercely, and the fear is that this new hybrid model will be just as disruptive to students. I sincerely hope all of our students embrace the new on-campus opportunities the way Tom has. More updates coming soon as we get them!
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