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Return to Learn for the 2020-2021 School Year

Return to learn, Extended learning plans, Covid-19 info. photo of an elementary student on a computer, and high school student in a classroom with a mask on

We are committed to every student entrusted in our care and to make this year the best year yet for our students. We promise that your child will continue to learn, grow, and thrive whether you choose the in-person option or the virtual option. Together, we are all one Forest Hills, and together we will make this year exceptional!

Please frequent this page often as additional information is being uploaded.

In-Person Schedule for Students as of May 3, 2021

  • Kindergarten through 6th Grade – in person.
  • Central Middle School – in-person.
  • Eastern Middle School – (grades 7-8) in-person.
  • Northern Hills Middle School – in-person.
  • Central High School – in-person 5 days a week.
  • Eastern High School – in-person 5 days a week.
  • Northern High School – in-person 5 days a week.

Should you have additional questions, please contact your school or email your child’s principal. Thank you.

COVID-19 Dashboard

Coronavirus imageWhen Forest Hills Public Schools receives the notification of a COVID-19 positive test result within our school community, we work with the Kent County Health Department to inform any other student/staff that were in close contact with the person who received the positive case. When a student or staff member tests positive for COVID-19, it is the responsibility of the Kent County Health Department to contact those identified as close contacts. The Kent County Health Department looks back 48 hours before the onset of symptoms when reviewing who may have been exposed and determining who may be a close contact. If you do not qualify as a close contact, you will not hear from the health department.

To see the current numbers of confirmed cases of students/staff in our district, please visit the FHPS dashboard on the Kent Intermediate School District’s website, linked here.

FHPS Extended COVID-19 Learning Plan

On August 20, 2020, Governor Whitmer signed House Bill 5913 into law as Public Act 149. Section 98a states that in order to receive state aid for 2020-2021, districts must provide for instruction under an extended COVID-19 Learning Plan (“Plan”) that has been approved by an intermediate district or authorizing body. The Plan does not replace the District’s/PSA’s COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Plan, it is an additional plan that includes new assurances and sections on educational goals, instructional delivery, grading, and equitable access. PA 149 does not apply to districts that operate as a cyber school.

Daily Health Screener for Students

sick boyThe Kent County Health Department (KCHD) requires school personnel and students to be screened for symptoms of COVID-19 before entering their school every day. As of Monday, Oct. 5, 2020, Forest Hills Public Schools is using a new electronic COVID-19 symptom checker for students in our in-person learning model that must be completed each morning prior to attending school. The electronic tool was developed for the KCHD for use by schools and is available in seven different languages. Here is what families need to know:

  1. A parent/guardian must complete the electronic health screener for EACH child daily before sending them to school.
  2. The parent/guardian will receive a text message and/or email to the primary contact listed in PowerSchool for EACH child at approximately 5:30 a.m. each school day.
  3. The text message/email will
    1. contain a unique link for each child; and
    2. be pre-populated with the child’s initials, grade, and date of birth.
  4. You will be asked to respond to three yes/no health questions.
  5. You will be asked to give authorization for school officials to access the information.
  6. If you receive a ✓, your child may attend school. If you receive an X , your child cannot attend school and you are asked to phone in your child’s absence to the school’s attendance line.

Family Response Guide: Questions about Symptoms and Sending Your Child to School

stay homeAs we experience a new surge in cases of COVID-19, officials from the Kent County Health Department (KCHD) are discovering clear findings in the data. First, transmissions within school buildings during the academic day are very rare. Schools across the area are doing a good job with consistent implementation of strong mitigation measures. While schools are seeing students and staff members contract COVID-19, the exposure event where the infection occurred is most often traced back to an event away from school.

For students, transmission is coming most often from one of two sources: either household transmission (someone else in a family is positive for COVID-19 and it frequently spreads to other household members) or social gatherings. In the case of the household, it is imperative that everyone in a household quarantine if one or more family members test positive. Additionally, if someone in a household is awaiting test results for COVID-19, it is important that everyone else remain home until the test results are known. If positive, everyone in the home needs to quarantine. The KCHD will communicate with you when this quarantine period ends. Attached is a useful guide to assist families when making decisions about a child who may not feel well and when students must stay home from school and when they can return to school.

Contact Tracing in the School Setting Video by the Kent County Health Department

Please watch the following video for information on contact tracing in a school setting, or visit the KCHD website, https://www.accesskent.com/Health/CommDisease/school_daycare.htm.

FHPS Second Semester Orientation Videos for Virtual Learning

Return to Learn Plan

Return to Learn Plan coverThe Forest Hills Public Schools released its Return to Learn plan in August of 2020. Included in this plan are the details for how our schools will operate under each of the six phases of Michigan’s reopening plan, the MI Safe Start plan.

Our plan’s primary emphasis is the health and safety of all students, staff members, and families. Secondly, our plan is designed to engage students in rigorous, high-quality instruction designed to foster deep learning, mastery of essential standards, and social and emotional well-being and growth. Finally, our plan is designed to align with our district’s Guiding Principles.

In this plan, you will find details about what schedules will look like, both for in-person and virtual learning models, more specifics about a child’s day, expectations, details about immersion, social-emotional wellness, safety protocols, screening students, spacing, food service, transportation, extracurriculars, and much more.

Historical Information on the Return to Learn Plan released August 2020.

Superintendent Behm’s Forest Hills Forecast Videos

Forest Hills Forecast logo

Previous editions of the Forest Hills Forecast

The Forest Hills Forecast was a weekly video series compiled during the summer of 2020 to help keep the community, families, staff, and students in the know regarding all things back-to-school. It provided updates on return to learn plans, safety protocols, expectations, candid conversations, and what the district was learning from resources and entities such as the Kent County Health Department, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and more. During the school year, Superintendent Behm’s main mode of communication is through SchoolMessenger via emails through this notification system. These emails are only sent to FHPS families who have a currently enrolled student in the district. If you would like to learn more about our SchoolMessenger system, need assistance, or wish to check to make sure you are receiving superintendent message, click here.

 

Overview of the Return to Learn Plan

return to learn one page document PDF is available

PDF of Return to Learn Plan One-Page Overview

Our first day of school is Monday, August 31, 2020. We are pleased to release the highlights of our plan that describes how we will begin the 2020-21 school year. Our plan is based first and foremost on the health and safety of our students and staff members. Second, our plan is designed to deliver high-quality instruction, engage students, bolster social and emotional growth, and foster deep learning. The plan was developed using the most recent data and science surrounding COVID-19 and reflects the differences in risk this virus poses for younger children compared to older students. We are grateful for the assistance of our West Michigan medical community in affirming the safety aspects of our plan.

K-6 In-Person Instruction

child in library giving thumbs up and a mask on

For the first two weeks of the school year, K-6 students will be in one of two groups – “group A” or “group B.” We will utilize the same system to group students at the elementary level as we will use at the middle and high school level, thus keeping families on the same hybrid schedule. Group A will come to school on Monday and Wednesday of the first week of school and Tuesday and Thursday the second week (the week of Labor Day). Group B will come to school on Tuesday and Thursday the first week of school and Wednesday and Friday during the second week. This will reduce the number of students in our elementary buildings by 50% each day. This will allow for physical distancing measures in addition to cohorting and face coverings. Additionally, teachers will use these first two weeks to explain and practice with smaller groups of students all of the new routines and protocols we will utilize. On the days that elementary students are not attending school, they will be engaged in learning at home. As we approach the second week of the school year, we will examine conditions and make a decision about bringing elementary students back to school more than two days a week for the subsequent weeks of the fall.

K-6 Virtual Instruction

Forest Hills Public Schools is offering a full-time virtual learning option for FHPS families who do not want their children to attend school for in-person instruction. This option is being offered, initially, for the first semester (August 31 to winter break) of the 2020-2021 school year. It will include an assigned FHPS teacher, access to district instructional resources, curriculum, and standards.* In the event that there is minimal interest in full-time virtual learning with an FHPS teacher, students will be partnered with a local provider and a Forest Hills mentor.

child and mother working on a laptop computer

To enroll your child in the full-time virtual option for the first semester of the school year, please complete the FHPS VIRTUAL OPTION SIGN-UP form.

Please note that the first semester begins August 31, 2020, (the first day of school) until winter break. You may not move back and forth between the in-person option and the virtual option during the first semester. If you believe the virtual option is best for your child, you must complete the form separately for each child you are signing up for the virtual option. All sign-ups for the virtual option must be submitted via the form by 5 p.m. Friday, August 14, 2020.

7-12 In-Person Instruction

high school girl outside with a mask onFor students in grades 7-12, we will begin the first four weeks of the school year with a hybrid in-person learning plan. This plan is designed to reduce the number of students by 50% in the school, during passing times, and in classrooms to allow for maximum social distancing. Students will be assigned to one of two groups, based upon a family’s last name. This will allow half of the students to attend school while the other half engage in remote learning at home. The first group of students will attend in-person learning all day Monday and Thursday. The second group of students will attend in-person learning all day on Tuesday and Friday. When students are not attending school in-person, they will be required to participate in remote learning and complete assignments at home. Both groups will engage in mandatory remote learning at home all day on Wednesday. Given that the first two weeks of the school year are four-day weeks, the schedule will be slightly different for these weeks and eliminates the all-student remote learning day in the middle of the week. This plan will allow district and health officials to closely monitor student and staff member health and the prevalence of the virus in our community. As we approach the end of the four-week period, we will see if conditions safely allow for an increase in the amount of time students spend at school.

7-12 Virtual Instruction

FHPS is expanding its longstanding partnership with Michigan Virtual (MV) to provide a fully online option to our 7-12 students. Our secondary students have previously found success utilizing MV courses when a course is not offered within our school or when an online course solves a student’s scheduling conflict. MV is accredited and fully aligned with the State of MI Standards, the Common Core Standards, and the Michigan Merit Curriculum to ensure our students are on a pathway towards graduation. High school students enrolled in MV pursue courses that fulfill FHPS graduation requirements. Students, in partnership with their FHPS mentor, will individually select courses that best fit their needs and interests.

teen boy sitting at desk using a laptopTo enroll your child in the full-time virtual option for the first semester of the school year, please complete the FHPS VIRTUAL OPTION SIGN-UP form. You must complete the form separately for each child you are signing up for the full-time virtual option. All sign-ups for the virtual option must be submitted via the form by 5 p.m. Friday, August 14, 2020. (After the deadline, please contact your child’s school building.)

Some additional points to consider about Michigan Virtual:

  • Students, in partnership with their FHPS mentor and guidance counselor, will individually select courses that best fit their needs and interests. 
  • Students will receive grades from Michigan Virtual that will be placed on their FHPS transcript.
  • Students with IEPs will continue to receive services through FHPS.
  • MV offers dozens of core and elective courses, including Advanced Placement, statistics, economics, calculus, world history, US history, government, multiple world languages, music, art, chemistry, physics, and biology.
  • World language classes are available to immersion students in the case that immersion classes in the target language are not provided due to limited participation.
  • Key Features of Michigan Virtual:Michigan Virtual Logo
    • No scheduled synchronous learning
    • Full asynchronous learning with teachers providing weekly office hours for drop-in support
    • Teachers respond to student email within 24 hours
    • Teachers provide video and/or text-based feedback on assignments within 72 hours
    • Student-to-teacher and student-to-student interaction through email, text, discussion boards, and the Brightspace Learning Management System (LMS)
    • Link to Michigan Virtual class catalog
    • Link to Michigan Virtual class prerequisites and class syllabi

Useful Links to Additional Information (August/September)

The following links provide additional information to safety information, COVID-19 testing sites, and more.