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Hamilton County Schools is working on safely reopening schools in August for students and staff--and they have provided three options for you to choose from that will best fit the needs of your family. We understand from concerns parents have shared that they are uncomfortable sending their children back to school at this time. The district has developed an option for families called HCS at Home that will allow you and your child to be connected to Ooltewah Middle School but learn from home. OMS teachers will connect with HCS at Home students electronically with video lessons and Zoom discussions in order to keep your child moving forward and learning.
Students who sign up for HCS at Home will still be able to participate in clubs and athletics. HCS at Home students will still have a 7:15 start time and 2:15 end time if they are attending Ooltewah Middle School or Ooltewah High School or East Hamilton Middle/High, and attendance will be taken each day.
The learning at home process will work differently from the spring experience as teachers and students will work together to learn new material and concepts with the same curriculum and pacing as the students who are attending the physical building.
Option 1: The Learning Continuum--in person learning at school that will follow the 4 phases as the Task Force has established.
- Phase 1: Everyone is at home
- Phase 2: Students will go to school 2 days a week (either Mon and Tues or Thurs and Fri and at home for 3 days.
- Phase 3: Most schools will be open; some schools might be in a different phase based on triggers in their zip code
- Phase 4: Everyone is attending school
Option 2: HCS at Home--your child is still tied to OMS or your zoned school for the 2020-2021 school year. You will commit to HCS at Home for a semester. Here is a One Pager
One-Page-Hand-Out-HCS-at-Home.pdf
Option 3: HCS Virtual School--your child will be disenrolled in zoned school and will be enrolled in HCS Virtual School. HCS Virtual School requires students to do much of the learning on their own through the Edgenuity program that has videos and the virtual school teacher will do check-ins.
Here is a chart of the differences between HCS at Home and Virtual School
Here is a video that will walk you through the process of signing up for one of the three options: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1UW5DZp19o
*The default option for every student is Option 1– the Learning Continuum. You do not have to complete the Family Learning Options form in the Parent Portal if you plan for your child to attend on the phased plan learning continuum. So, completing the form is optional if you simply plan to have your child attend in person.
If you haven’t seen the HCS reopening plan, you can find it here.
https://emma-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/o9web/ac1b2e8059f1bedafdf68237333344ec/Reentry___Continuous_Learning_Plan_2020-2021_School_Year_22258_.pdf
Here are a few commonly asked questions and answers.
If we opened today, what Phase would we be in?
The best way to answer this is to compare the chart on page 14 of the reopening plan with the daily-updated data presented here: http://health.hamiltontn.org/AllServices/Coronavirus(COVID-19).aspx .
If school opened July 8, Hamilton County Schools would be in Phase 3, and OMS would probably be fully open. It changes rapidly.
Will each school determine what phase it is in based on the active COVID cases in each community?
The “gating criteria” on page 14 shows how decisions about phases will be made. Phase 3 is the only phase that has school-specific decisions. Phases 1, 2, and 4 will be county-wide phases.
What does “reduced hours” mean?
Phase 2 will have reduced hours for on-campus instruction. In Phase 2, students will be sorted into two cohorts – a Group A and Group B. Each cohort will come to the campus two days per week and have three days of at-home learning directed by the classroom teacher. Arrival and dismissal may also be staggered to manage the social distancing details, and this may also reduce the hours a student has on campus in Phase 2.
Will masks be required of students?
Students will be required to have and wear a mask. More details about how masks will be used are on pages 17, 18, and 33. In some phases, students will not be allowed on a bus without a mask. Social distancing, in some situations, will not be a logistic possibility. Masks will be needed throughout some portions of each day. Face coverings may be relaxed if distance can be accomplished.
What curriculum will be used for HCS at Home?
HCS at Home is really OMS at Home for our community. Parents that select Option 2 (HCS at Home) will have children that are enrolled at OMS, assigned a classroom and teacher, and will engage in the same or similar learning as their class or through Edgenuity with teacher support and supplements – albeit completely online.
If we sign up for Hamilton Co Virtual School can we still participate with OMS activities?
No. If you sign up for Hamilton Co Virtual School, you are unenrolling as a student at OMS, thus not being eligible to participate in Ooltewah activities. Hamilton Co Virtual School is a completely different school and you would no longer be a OMS student.
Has there been any guidelines set for how they will handle exposures? Deep clean and move on, isolate the class, or does the whole school shut down?
Appendix C (p. 46) in the reopening plan gives details about this. Also, in Phases 2 and 3, schools and classrooms will be “fogged” weekly (pp. 19-20).
What happens if I start school through online learning and change my mind in the middle of the semester?
Hamilton County Schools will not allow students to re-enter in-person school until the 2nd semester, if the family selects the OMS at Home option for the 1st semester.
Do you happen to know when bus routes / pick-up times will be announced?
Not yet. During July, bus drivers try out the new routes, time them, make notes, make changes, try out the changes, etc. Traditionally, I don’t have access to bus route info until the first week of August.
Withdrawing Students:
Student withdrawals are completed in the front office. Parents must come in and sign a withdrawal form before their child’s last day at Ooltewah Middle. Contact the front office at 423-498-6910 with any questions.
REGISTRATION:
New Students:
All student new to the HCDE system should visit hcde.org, click the parents tab and register as a new sudent. You will also need to upload all required docuents and may then contact the school secretary, Maribeth Lawrence at lawrence_m@hcde.org to schedule a time to come by the school if needed.
Returning Students:
A link is provided to the parent portal on the Hamilton County Schools website at www.hcde.org, as well as a short video walking parents through the information update process on PowerSchool. Additional assistance is also available by contacting the PowerSchool contact at the local school. The school contacts will be available to assist with difficulties logging on to the PowerSchool Parent Portal.
OMS Attendance Policy:
- When your student has 5 unexcused absences, you will receive a letter informing you that your student has 5 unexcused absences, and you will have to attend an Attendance Meeting with an administrator.
OMS Tardy Policy:
It is very important that all students arrive on time to school so that they are in their first class no later than 7:15. An Administrative Detention will be assigned when students have reached five (5) tardies in first semester
(August – December). For every tardy after five (5) in first semester, another Administrative Detention will be assigned. Tardies will start over for second semester which begins in January.
All Administrative Detentions will be held on Mondays, from 2:25 – 3:30. Students assigned are to report to the theatre following afternoon dismissal and lockers. Failure to report may result in a suspension to a parent conference or further consequences.
Parents are responsible for transportation and should pick up the student in front of school at 3:30.
Ooltewah Middle School Administration
School Meals:
Reminder: OMS is not a CEP school; students have to pay for their meals. I encourage everyone to fill out a free/reduced lunch form online at this link: https://www.nlappscloud.com/Welcome.aspx?api=4440375fbce149aec588846b0f2bc5e5#loaded.
If you need a form in Spanish, please ask your student to come to the Main Office to pick one up.
If you would like to put money into your student's account, you can either give your student money; you can bring in money, or you can put money into your student's account online here: https://www2.mypaymentsplus.com/welcome
8th grade: Future Ready Institute
information can be located at:
www.hcde.org/myfuture
Click the books for:
2019-2020 School Supply Lists, Dress Code, and Important Forms
Learn about our Chromebook Policy: parent one to one info