What will middle school look like for me?

  • Buses

    This year students will be riding buses with reduced capacity.

    • You will be required to wear a face covering on the bus at all time.
    • You will be required to sit one student per row.
    • Siblings or those that live in the same household are allowed to sit together.
    • Bus arrival will be approximately 8:10 am.


    Arrival to the Building

    Once students arrive at the middle school, procedures will look different from last year.

    • Students will be dismissed at staggered times to promote social distancing.
    • Face covering must be worn.
    • Students will have their temperature checked prior to entering the building.
    • Students who are fever/symptom free will be admitted and cleared to attend school.
    • Students who show symptoms or have a fever equal to or higher than 100.0F will be sent directly to the health office to assess the situation.
    • Isolations rooms have been set-up to separate students should a nurse suspect a student of having COVID-19. Parents/guardians will be contacted for student pick up. 

    Once students have been cleared to enter the building, things may look and feel a little different from when you left.  Don’t worry, all of these changes have been put in place for your safety.

    • Students will not be issued a locker. Locker usage is not permitted.  Students will be required to carry his/her back-pack to each class and keep on the back of his/her seat or directly under the desk.
    • Students must report directly to his/her Period 1 class.
    • When traveling the hallways, face coverings must be worn.
    • Students will be traveling from class to class and should follow social distancing. There is no congregating in the hallways.


    Face Coverings

    The District is requiring students to wear face covering throughout the school day even when 6-foot social distancing is maintained. 

    • Students will be receiving scheduled face covering breaks during the school day.
    • Breaks will be scheduled at the start of period 2, 4 and 6.
    • If you require an additional break based on how you are feeling, students should speak to his/her teachers.
    • Failure to adhere to face covering protocols will result in disciplinary actions.


    Lunch and Learn

    This year, students will not be eating lunch in the cafeteria. Students will have lunch delivered to their classroom.  We have designed a “Lunch and Learn” period for students. 

    So what is Lunch and Learn? 

    • Lunch will be a 60-minute period.
    • Students will have 20-minutes to each lunch.
    • Face coverings may be removed when eating.
    • After students eat their lunch, they will have the opportunity to do an enrichment lesson/activity with a special area teacher.
    • Different special area teachers will rotate in each week.
    • Teachers who will be pushing-in during Lunch and Learn include: library media specialist; physical education teachers; home and career teachers; business teachers; technology teachers; art teachers; music teachers; guidance counselors; and social workers.


    Bathroom Protocols

    Bathroom passes will not be issued this school year.  Teachers will have a system for tracking students who are exiting and entering the classroom.  Within each bathroom there are signs identifying which sinks, stalls, urinals, etc. are to be used for appropriate distancing while in the bathrooms.  Additionally, six foot markers have been placed outside of each bathroom for students who are awaiting their turn to use the bathroom.  Bathrooms will be cleaned throughout the day.


    In-Person Instruction

    When we are on a hybrid model and students are in school for in-person instruction, we will follow a 6-period day.  All students will receive their schedule in their Period 1 class. Classes will run longer than last year.  Each class will be 60-minutes.  The bell schedule is below:

    Middle School Schedule

    • Students will receive in-person instruction two days per week. Monday/Tuesday for Cohort 1 or Thursday/Friday for Cohort 2.
    • Students will not be changing periods like they did in prior years. This year teachers will be moving from room to room and pushing-in to classrooms.  
    • When students report to their Period 1 class, they remain in that classroom for the duration of the day.
    • Students will take the following classes in school: Math; English; Science; Social Studies; and World Language.
    • Students who receive additional supports such as speech, resource room or reading will be pulled out for small group instruction as needed.
    • Students will be assigned a designated desk in each classroom. Students are not permitted to sit in any other desk except the one assigned to them. It is important that we have accurate records of where students sit.  This is a safety measure we have added.  This information is necessary for contact tracing in the event we have a confirmed case of COVID. 
    • In addition to the course work you receive in-person from your teachers in periods 1-6, additional work from these classes will be assigned on Schoology when you are home for Remote Learning.


    Remote Learning

    When students are home they will receive a combination of synchronous and asynchronous learning.

    Synchronous learning is when classes occur on set schedules and time frames. Students and teachers are online at the same time in synchronous classes. All students must be online at that exact time in order to participate in the class.
    Examples: Video conferencing, live chat, live streamed videos

    Asynchronous learning lets students complete their work on their own time. Students are given a specific timeframe and a clear deadline for the submission of assignments.
    Examples: Email, screencasts, Flipgrid, videos, blog posts/comments

    • For Cohort 1, Remote Learning will be Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. For Cohort 2, Remote Learning will be Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
    • Classroom instruction for all elective courses will be synchronous. Elective courses offered at each grade are listed below.           

    ch1   

    • Students will be required to sign-in at the designated time for LIVE instruction from their elective teachers.
      • Electives (not including physical edu.) for Cohort 1 will be Thursday and Friday
      • Electives (not including physical edu.) for Cohort 2 will be Monday and Tuesday
      • Physical Education for Cohort 1 will be Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Wednesday will be asynchronous.  All other days will be synchronous.
      • Physical Education for Cohort 2 will be Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Wednesday will be asynchronous.  All other days will be synchronous.
      • Electives will be offered remotely to students during four different session times listed below. Based on a student’s individual schedule he/she must attend one session for each elective on both days required for the Cohort.  A student will have the ability to select the session time he/she prefers. 
    • Students will receive a schedule of electives they are required to take on their first day of in-person instruction.

    Remote Learning Schedule for Specials

    • When home, students will receive asynchronous instruction for periods 1-6 classes. Teachers will be posting additional assignments for students to complete independently.  All assignments must be completed in the time lines established by individual classroom teachers.

    Extra-Help

    Extra-help will be scheduled differently from prior years.  When the District is following a Hybrid model, Extra-Help will take place only on Wednesday for 1-hour.  The schedule is listed below.

    • Extra-Help will be Live sessions with teachers using the Schoology platform.
    • Students requiring any assistance from guidance counselors, school social workers or school psychologists can reach out using his/her school email to schedule an appointment.

    Exta-Help

    Teacher Office Hours

    All teachers will be offering Office Hours on Wednesday.  Teachers will hold Office Hours from 7:30 am – 8:00 am or from 3:12 pm to 3:42 pm.  Teachers will post Office Hours on his/her Schoology page.  Students are encouraged to use Office Hours if they need to meet with their teacher(s) to discuss any concerns.

    Dismissal

    Dismissal from the classrooms will be staggered to allow time for students to distance themselves from others while exiting the building.  Since students will not have a locker movement at dismissal around the building should be minimal.  Students should promptly exit the building and board their bus, meet their parent or guardian for pickup, or exit school grounds if they are a walker.  Students should not congregate on school grounds after dismissal.

    Where do I go for Tech Support?

    Any student who is experiencing issues with a district device or is having difficulty logging into Schoology should contact tech support via email:  studenttechhelp@pmschools.org

    student's hybrid schedule

    Sample MS Student Schedule

    Example#1

    You are a grade 7 student in Cohort 1.  You are required to take Health, PE, Financial Literacy on remote learning days (for Cohort 1 this is Wednesday, Thursday and Friday).  Based on the remote learning session times listed above, this student elected to take the courses during the following session times:

    msrevex1

    Example#2

    You are a grade 6 student in Cohort 2.  You are required to take Home Careers, Technology, PE and Art on remote learning days (for Cohort 2 this is Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.  Based on the remote learning session times listed above, this student elected to take the courses during the following session times:

    ms ch2