2020-2021 School Year
Fall Opening Q & A
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1. What is the status for the start of the 2020/21 school year? The first day of school is August 11, 2020. Based on the guidelines from the Santa Clara County Public Health Department and the continuing rise of COVID-19 cases, ESUHSD will begin the 2020/21 school year in Distance Learning. All comprehensive schools will follow a block period schedule (see schedule below). For Foothill, Calero, ACCEL, and our other alternative high schools (Apollo, Pegasus, Phoenix) students will follow a schedule that may include in-person instruction. These school sites will follow up with students soon. Due to Governor Newsom’s order on July 17, 2020, all schools in counties that are on the state COVID-19 watch list, must start the school year in all distance learning. Santa Clara County is on the state watch list.
2. Will teachers be required to teach and be available to students in all assigned courses that they teach?
All teachers will be required to provide instruction and support in each assigned period that they teach. Teachers will be using either Zoom or Google Meet for video conferencing, and Canvas (JL) or School Loop for digital classroom management to engage and provide feedback to their students. We are working to develop common assurances across every classroom in the district to ensure equitable high-quality instruction.
3. When and how will students receive their class schedule for the start of the school year?
How will schedule changes be addressed? Student class schedules will be emailed, available by accessing our Infinite Campus portal, posted on School Loop, and mailed home. Students will receive instructions about how to access their class schedules from each of their school sites no later than August 4th.
4. What will the first day of school look like? How will students access the video conferencing link for each of their classes? On August 11, 2020 (first day of class), students will log into their first class as per their schedule using the video conferencing link that will be provided by their teacher. Students will then follow the schedule for the day, logging into each of their classes using the links provided. Attendance will be taken. For the first week, students will
follow the schedule below:
2. Will teachers be required to teach and be available to students in all assigned courses that they teach?
All teachers will be required to provide instruction and support in each assigned period that they teach. Teachers will be using either Zoom or Google Meet for video conferencing, and Canvas (JL) or School Loop for digital classroom management to engage and provide feedback to their students. We are working to develop common assurances across every classroom in the district to ensure equitable high-quality instruction.
3. When and how will students receive their class schedule for the start of the school year?
How will schedule changes be addressed? Student class schedules will be emailed, available by accessing our Infinite Campus portal, posted on School Loop, and mailed home. Students will receive instructions about how to access their class schedules from each of their school sites no later than August 4th.
4. What will the first day of school look like? How will students access the video conferencing link for each of their classes? On August 11, 2020 (first day of class), students will log into their first class as per their schedule using the video conferencing link that will be provided by their teacher. Students will then follow the schedule for the day, logging into each of their classes using the links provided. Attendance will be taken. For the first week, students will
follow the schedule below:
5. Will attendance be taken and how will it be monitored? Will students have to show their
face while video conferencing? Yes, attendance will be taken and will be monitored using our student information system (Infinite Campus). Parents/guardians will be able to monitor attendance using School Loop and automated phone calls will be made to households when a student is marked absent. An absence refers to a student not logging onto the video conferencing link for each of their designated periods where their teacher can verify their attendance. Although students will not be mandated to show their face while video conferencing, we highly encourage them to do so even if just for attendance verification.
6. What will be done when students are absent and not participating online even after
repeated contact? School staff will outreach and communicate with students and parents/guardians to assess the situation to determine what supports are needed. Depending on the student situation, we will consider a program shift which varies according to the grade level of the student. Current options include, attending Independent Study, attending our Alternative Education programs, Adult Education, and credit recovery. Parents/Guardians can use the link below to request assistance once the school year begins.
Parent/Guardian Request For Assistance
7. Will letter grades be Issued in the fall semester?
Yes, all courses offered will assign letter grades for the fall semester (A,B, C, D, F). Grades will be determined by each teacher based on performance and mastery of skills and concepts. Please note there will be no grade floor as student grades may fluctuate based on performance.
8. What can students do if they do not have access to a computing device at home?
Consistent with our existing practice, students can contact their site principal to request the use of a Chromebook. Students should send an email to their principal with the request and provide the following information: Student Name - Student ID# - Expected Graduation Year - Your principal will follow up with a time to pick up the Chromebook. It will be distributed at the lunch drive up location during lunch distribution. If a different type of laptop is required for a specific course, such as Multimedia or Computer Science, the appropriate laptop will be provided. Please note that the Chromebook is for students to use for the school year and will be expected to be returned if the student is no longer enrolled with East Side.
9. How will students access other materials/equipment required for courses such as Music
and Art? We are working on a plan to ensure students are able to access all necessary materials for their courses. Students taking a music class, such as guitar or piano, may have to come on campus for those courses during designated times in small groups if possible based on class size and public health guidelines. At this time, given the Governor’s order, there will be no on campus instruction.
10.How will textbooks used from last school year be returned to school and how will students
pick up any needed textbooks for the 2020-21 school year? Most of our courses now have textbooks that are accessible online. For courses where there is no digital textbook, students will be allowed to pick up textbooks on grade level scheduled days for both return and pick up of materials. Sites will provide the process with details, including the dates and times, by mid-July.
11.What can students do if they do not have internet access at home?
If students do not have a district issued cell phone with a data plan and they cannot use an existing network, we will provide a hotspot for their use. In addition, we will be providing on-site access to students at the school sites during the school day with identified needs. Students needing to be on campus to access the District network or other resources will be organized in cohorts (groups) of twelve. School administrators will work to identify students needing on-site access.
12. How will a student receive social-emotional and mental health support if needed?
Any student needing support with mental health issues may contact the Mental Health Office at their school. Parents or guardians who are concerned about their student’s mental health should also contact the Mental Health Office. All contacts are available on the homepage for each school. Due to Governor Newsom’s order on July 17th, all mental health must be completed online.
13.How will seniors receive support for completing financial aid forms and college
applications? Counselors will continue to be available to provide support to all students. The fall schedule has tutorial/ advisory periods built in to allow for students to meet with counselors to receive support. Counselors will offer webinars, Zoom, and small group sessions to assist students with completing college applications and financial aid forms.
14.Which group of students will be allowed to come to campus for in-person class,
intervention or support? Students with disabilities scheduled in self-contained programs, such as our ID and Autistic programs, will have the opportunity for small group, in-person, on site instruction. Additionally, target student populations, such as foster youth, McKinney-Vento, and Short-Term English Learners will be provided opportunities for in-person onsite instruction and intervention. Due to Governor Newsom’s July 17th order, there will be no in-person teaching or support while Santa Clara County is on the state watch list. However, students that do not have broadband connectivity will be supervised in stable cohorts at our school sites.
15. Will there be athletics or any other extracurricular activities?
The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), which governs athletics across California, announced on July 20, 2020, that the fall sports season will be moved to winter. The following sports will begin practice on December 15th (Cross Country, Field Hockey, Football, Boys & Girls Water Polo, Boys & Girls Volleyball, Competitive Cheer). The following sports will begin practice on March 15th (Badminton, Boys & Girls Soccer, Boys & Girls Tennis, Boys & Girls Swimming, Boys & Girls Wrestling, Boys & Girls Basketball, Baseball, Softball, Boys & Girls Golf, Boys & Girls Lacrosse, Track & Field).
Fall Semester Schedule: The schedule below is a districtwide schedule to be followed by all comprehensive school sites. It consists of 4 days of distance learning with one day (Wednesday) scheduled for staff collaboration and professional development in the morning and tutorial/advisory period in the afternoon for activities such as academic counseling, sessions with social workers, schoolwide lessons, and academic support from teachers. Lunch will be provided at all sites as a grab and go from 11:45am - 12:50pm.
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Download the PDF file to use links ---->
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