Benton Community Schools

CLOSURES
Benton Community schools, campus and all facilities are closed until further notice. No practices until further notice.

REGISTRATION SITE
2020-21

Welcome to Benton!

School Supply Lists 2020-21
**Keystone List Updated 7/29/2020**

2020-21 School Calendar (Updated 7/15/2020)

First Day of School -- August 24, 2020

2020 Cross Country Information

Benton Community Return to Learn Plan - updated information will be provided this week (Aug. 3-7)

March 16 - May 29th were unprecedented during the 2019-20 school year. Schools in Iowa and across our country planned and developed online distance learning to support our students during the era of a national pandemic.

Thanks to the hard work and dedication of our staff, parents and community, we persevered through the various stages of school closure. We provided online education for our students, distributed a multitude of iPads and other computers for students, disinfected and sanitized our school buildings and buses thoroughly, and served over 30,000 meals through our Food For Kids program. Fortunately, we waited to assess the situation of the pandemic and were allowed to celebrate our 2020 graduates in a fairly "normal" ceremony!

As Benton Community plans for returning to school in the fall, we have put together a brief summary of our Return to Learn Plan. We are expecting to begin school Aug. 24 as regularly scheduled. We believe our students are most safe when they are in school and supervised by our educational and support staff.

The Benton Community Return to Learn plan is shown below:
Benton Community School District
*Subject to change
Required Continuous Learning - onsite at school, Required virtual learning model (online)
Summary
2020-2021 School Year Overview:

School will begin as scheduled - Aug. 24, 2020
Students will attend school as planned, on-site
Use of PPE is a parent and student decision. Student Protocols will be shared with parents.
If we find (after the first week) a few students are not attending (parent decision), we will use a plan (Hybrid) with their core teachers, using online methods. Assess after the 1st month.
If school closes, we will implement our Required Learning Continuous Learning Plan
Days online count as a school day
Attendance, assessment, high-quality instruction
Employees will work as usual, allowing use of PPE if they so choose - See Employee Protocols.
Employees self-check health regularly before work

Leadership

District leadership team - continuous improvement process instituted, react and plan to changes from IDOE, BCPH, athletic associations
Communication with and between Board, staff, parents, student
Building Leadership Teams, Teacher Leaders, nurses, counselors assist at a deeper level in the planning and implementation
Sub-committee work to deploy professional development, online teaching strategies, platforms, high-quality instruction, safety, and security
Development of process, protocols, guidelines, rules, assistance for students, parents, staff
Communication system - deploy with SchoolMessenger, Webpage, Facebook page

Infrastructure

Student engagement equates to a typical school day unless school uses a hybrid model or closure.
This means a student day is a typical school day unless otherwise notified due to COVID-related situations
Seesaw will be the Learning Management System (LMS) used at the elementary level. Schoology will be the LMS used at the secondary level.
Devices & access
- Purchase of Chromebooks for HS, re-purposing iPads throughout elementary grades
- Survey - access - results from state survey
School Messenger will continue to be used as the main form of communication between the school and families.
Students will be transported to school using our regular bus system, using regular capacity process. If BCPH, Governor office requires specific protocols, we will institute new procedures

Health & Safety

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
- PPE allowed for students as per parent decision. Parent provides.
- Employees - provided as needed, not required
Health & safety
- Temp checks
  - Parents and staff responsible for temperature and health checks
  - During school hours, students identified with illness or temperatures will be sent to the nurse office for assessment
- Disinfecting
  - Routine cleaning and disinfecting approaches will be followed
- Health etiquette
  - Hand washing and other proactive health approaches will be taught and reinforced
Mitigation Strategies
- Schools
  - Limit others coming into the buildings
  - No field trips first 2 months of the school year
  - Assess all other situations involving outside contact
- Nurses - monitor daily reports, contact administration if absences warrant
  - Communication - CDC information, state reports, Benton PH
  - Students illnesses
  - Consults with families if high-risk student(s)
- Social distancing
  - Depending on current status - reports and guidance from IDOE, BCPH
- Transportation
  - Buses will undergo regular cleaning and disinfecting.

Iowa Academic Standards

The CL/DT structure will continue to be used for collaboration and consistency among staff.
In the spring of 2020, staff at Benton identified and communicated what standards had been taught completely, particularly or not at all in the 2019-2020 academic year. Staff then met in vertical teams to discuss prioritized learning standards for the next school year.
The data team process will continue to be implemented.
- This will require clear and consistent communication between leadership teams, including teacher leaders guiding the data teams process.
- A variety of assessments may be used to identify where students are in their understanding and the best steps moving forward.
- The data team process will also support teachers in implementing effective instructional strategies.
Data was collected from teachers to identify where support will be needed to deliver content online.

Social, Emotional, Behavioral Health

School counselors, administration and Tanager mental Health specialists will assist in the plan and improvement of helping students transitioning back to school as well as ongoing social-emotional guidance
Review the results of our staff and parent survey, determine staff who can plan and assist for connections, mental-health, other family needs
Deploy necessary mental well-being, health, safety needs to reduce influence or impact on instruction
Plan and deploy professional development for staff as necessary.
Access and use resources available at the district and community to support students and families in need;
Ensure internet safety and protect against cyberbullying, and appropriately engage the student’s voice.
Digital Literacy for Wellness & Safety Student

Equity

Survey data will provide us with information to support families who need assistance with devices, online learning, access
Implementation of additional portable learning devices
Student Services Administrator will coach and lead systems that need to be in place for various learners and their needs
Students who have a high risk or at-risk situations will be assessed and needs addressed.
Case management approaches will be instituted to assist students and families who have more serious needs.
Communications and systems will be translated and provided in Spanish.
Any student on a hybrid model will be managed by the classroom teacher(s).

Under the current requirements, we will deploy a cleaning and sanitizing regime on a regular basis. Students will social distance where appropriate and when possible. It is a parent and student decision as to wearing PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) such as a face mask.

We are limiting visitor and parent entrance into our school buildings during the first few months of the school year as we assess the situation of COVID-19. Open House will be scheduled as appointments. Please expect to hear from your school and/or teaching staff regarding Open House.

Please understand that our current plan is fluid and changes are anticipated as we navigate through the requirements from the Department of Health, the Iowa Department of Education, the Governor's office, and our decisions for a safe school experience.

School districts are expected to create various plans if schools are required to close due to the uncertainty of the pandemic situation. Online learning will be required if schools are again closed due to COVID. Our teaching and support staff have engaged in professional learning for deploying online teaching using SeeSaw for elementary and Schoology for secondary as our learning management systems.

NEW Online Registration Information Coming Soon!

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*NEW*
SCHOOL MESSENGER ALERT SYSTEM
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Weather Alerts Info
Bobcat Voicelink for latest updated announcements
(local landline) 830-2164 or (cell/long distance) 515-830-2164

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