NEWPORT —Within 48 hours of the Governor’s school closing, Newport’s staff and administration have crafted a remote learning plan for school children to continue their learning throughout the CORVID-19 emergency. Instruction will begin on Monday, March 23.
The plan combines consistency and flexibility for remote instruction and learning. Teachers will set early morning and late afternoon/early evening “office hours” when they will be available to their students in real time for support with remote assignments and projects.
“The plan helps learners build the competencies in innovative and relevant ways,” states Dr. Brendan Minnihan, Newport School Superintendent.
Chromebooks are being distributed to all students who need a computer for their work at home. On Tuesday, the SAU office at Towle distributed Chromebooks to over 260 students. Pick-up continues on Wednesday and Thursday. Families who do not have access to a device can call the SAU 865.9500 to sign up.
Children in grades Pre-K to three will be using a combination of digital and traditional materials to continue learning at home. “Tiger Learning Kits” containing safety scissors, glue sticks, construction paper, and other hands-on learning supplies will be available on Friday. Teachers are calling families to arrange pick-up or delivery of materials to young elementary students.
Online CTE curriculum will be used by teachers for welding, cosmetology, and other technical courses. “It will not be the same as fixing a car in the shop, but it will still give learners the opportunity to build competence,” reports Minnihan.
“All families will be contacted by at least one teacher prior to the start of instruction next week,” stated Minnihan. “We are seeing this emergency as an opportunity to increase our contact with families to build relationships.”
Assignments will be distributed and picked-up on the daily food runs, which will deliver free lunch and breakfast food for the next day.
All Newport citizens are encouraged to participate with the school district. Interested volunteers can contact the SAU at 863.9500 or reach out to any of the school offices. This and recent school board meetings can be viewed by going to NCTV.com. The next school board meeting will be held by remote participation on Thursday, March 19 at the SAU Office in Towle.
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