April 3, 2020
While school closures extend through April 24, 2020, Lee’s Summit R-7 Schools will provide virtual learning. On April 3, 2020, the district announced updates to its virtual instruction plan. Starting this Monday, April 6, 2020, the district will designate Mondays as a planning and collaboration day for staff. Students will access virtual lessons Tuesday- Friday. Read the FAQ below for additional updates.
Virtual Instruction
NEW: Virtual Instruction Plan Updates FAQ.
Virtual Instruction Links and Resources
Technology
How to use Chromebooks offline
For more information, visit lsr7.org/coronavirus.
Below is a message sent to families April 3, 2020:
Thank you for your patience and understanding as we continue on our unexpected virtual learning journey together. Throughout this experience, we’ve told our teachers and our families that we will navigate this new reality with flexibility, grace and patience. That means adjusting the plan and adapting the way we support students as our virtual experiences continue to inform the way we provide an online learning environment.
We know that service interruptions due to high traffic nationwide within our learning management system have challenged our students, families and staff. As more and more organizations transition to online learning, Schoology is troubleshooting capacity issues. Earlier this week, the company announced measures it plans to take to support their clients and improve access.
We will work proactively with Schoology to resolve issues when we can. But we also know that serving our students, families, and staff means adapting our own practices, philosophies and protocols to meet the demands of this new learning environment. That’s why the district is incorporating new action steps into our virtual instruction plan that aim to mitigate the inconvenience of Schoology interruptions, address questions of grading and testing as our school closures continue and ensure that students, families and staff are not overburdened by virtual instruction expectations at this time.
Starting this Monday, April 6, 2020, the district will designate Mondays as a planning and collaboration day for staff. Students will not have virtual lessons provided on Mondays, but they may use this day to catch up on previous assignments. (Keep in mind that the district will not hold virtual instruction on Friday, April 10 and Monday, April 13 per the regular school calendar.)
The district will also:
- Decrease the duration of time students spend on learning activities based on grade level
- Discontinue formal, daily attendance checks; continue student connection and check-ins
- Shift to extended deadlines and due dates as much as possible
- Share grading plans based on grade level for the remainder of the school year
- Continue to connect with students and families on a regular basis to support student social and emotional well-being through virtual instruction
Virtual instruction is a new learning experience for everyone, including for those who are working diligently to provide it. This experience has and will continue to inform the Lee’s Summit R-7 School District approach to providing learning and engagement opportunities without overburdening our students, families and staff. Please read the attached FAQ for additional details and plans.
We miss you! Know that we appreciate your feedback and will continue to consider steps we can take to ensure that our students, families and staff can thrive until we see you in our buildings again.
Nutrition: Nutrition Services has released information about its plan to provide meals throughout closure to families who rely on the district for meals. Any student 18 and under can receive a breakfast and a lunch Monday through Friday. Click here for locations and times.
Events: During the closure of school buildings through Friday, April 3, all extracurricular activities, athletics and school-related events, as well as student and staff travel and Before and After School Services, are cancelled. Please refer to the School Closures FAQ for more specifics about events, testing and elections. Right now, the district is working with building leaders to communicate impacts closures and other executive orders will have on prom and graduation.
