OCS School Reopening - FAQ's

On September 8, 2020. It will open in a virtual learning environment, using both synchronous instruction (students simultaneously logged into a live lesson with a teacher) and asynchronous instruction (students engaging with pre-recorded material).

The school is reopening in a virtual learning mode, and will only start bringing a small number of students back for short, specific activities later in September and early October. Just to clarify, there is currently no vaccine for COVID-19. A nurse may reach out to you to request an updated immunization (vaccine) record to update a student’s health record not related to COVID-19 but State of Delaware standards.

We all aspire to have all our students returning to campus as soon as possible. We must return to in-person learning in a way that ensures the health and well-being of both students and staff, and do it in a value-based * manner. We also want to minimize the need to move back to a virtual learning environment after reopening for in-person learning unless it is mandated by the Governor.

As such, we will slowly start rolling out a hybrid learning model after the first 30 days of school. Students will have the option to come to school for small group support, outdoor social events, micro classes (groups of six for labs, etc.), and to use outdoor classrooms and gardens.

Administration and faculty recognize that nothing can replace in-person learning. Learning from our spring remote experience we are working hard to provide the needed and possible touch points in a virtual learning environment.

By implementing synchronous learning environments, Odyssey students in all grades will be able to see and interact with their teachers and classmates face to face on the computer in real time This allows them to feel connected and engaged. Teachers will also be creating small groups using virtual meeting technology, allowing students to interact and become familiar with each other during the course of the day. Lastly, students will have the opportunity to further foster relationships with friends by joining an optional social hour during lunch, where they can interact with a small group of classmates on the computer while eating lunch under the supervision of a teacher.

Finally, these online activities will be complemented with back-to-school activities, to be held in small cohorts of students, starting in mid-September. The Academic and Equity Working Group is developing these plans at this moment, with the support of the Health and Wellness and Operations and Services Working Groups.

We are trying to accommodate as many requests as possible in order to make virtual learning successful for our families. Communication about homeroom will be sent out on 8/24. The state does not permit the sharing of class lists due to FERPA. Once a homeroom teacher creates Classtag or Schoology groups, it should be easier to coordinate with other families in your child’s homeroom. You could also use the parents’ Facebook page to coordinate.

It is mandatory for students to attend the synchronous sessions during the scheduled time. Asynchronous sessions are flexible and can be changed to fit the needs of your family. The times provided in the schedule for asynchronous instruction are merely suggestions.

We are sending out the postcards for grades K-5 the week of 8/24.
Students in grades 6-12 will be notified via their email the week of 8/24.

All synchronous classes occur in the morning.
Grades 6-8 will have synchronous sessions starting at 8am.
All other grades will start at 9am.

We are working on accommodations for students with 504s and special education needs as dictated by the IEP and required academics settings. Given the individual nature of each student’s support needs, these will be developed and implemented as required by federal and state requirements.

Students with IEPs will receive services during synchronous learning sessions. Special education teachers will also be available, by appointment, during asynchronous learning and on Flex Friday. OCS special education teachers are continually collecting data on student progress and IEP goals. IEP services will continue to be monitored and revised if compensatory services are required. Odyssey will not pay for tutors.

All therapies (speech, OT, PT) will take place virtually. The therapist will schedule therapy session times. As groups begin to gather on campus, therapies will begin meeting in person. Any evaluations will take place in a virtual or in person format when virtual is not possible.

The IEP dictates the service time given to each student with special education services. Most students get more time than is mentioned on the IEP. The special education teachers assess throughout the year, including during virtual learning. As mentioned above, if data supports that a student should receive compensatory services it will be discussed during IEP team meetings.

Get the virtual supply list for now and then when we return, you can get the items on the other list. Virtual supply lists can be found here.

The virtual supply lists and the process for ordering them can be found online at the OCS PTO Store page.

The Greek program is intrinsic to the Odyssey’s charter and academic model. Putting the Greek language classes on hold is not something we can consider.

Like other core content, Greek classes will also implement a synchronous learning environment this fall, which means that students will be attending their Greek classes online in real time and will be able to interact with both their teachers and their peers online. The synchronous mode of teaching includes face-to-face instruction and has several advantages over the asynchronous mode experienced last spring:

• Students will be able to address questions to their teachers and teachers will be able to provide individualized and targeted feedback,
• Students will have the opportunity to connect socially with their teachers and their peers,
• Learning will be more motivating but also more focused because the instruction time will be shorter. Additionally, during those months, we will continue to offer office hours for face-to-face meetings with teachers, on a set schedule. As before, any student who needs additional help or support will be able to get it.

We understand that this form of instruction is not ideal, but it affects Greek and American classes similarly. We will adjust our instructional practices and grading expectations to meet the needs of all students. Please note that in order to ensure progress in Greek as well as in the American classes, active student participation will be necessary and important. Teachers are going to do their best to create an engaging learning environment and students are expected to do their best to respond to the expectations set by faculty.

The dual language curriculum at Odyssey is not in sync with language learning apps, many of which are not developmentally appropriate for young learners. We encourage parents to attend the synchronous Greek class with your child before trying any apps. We are ready to discuss and make any needed changes as the year progresses.

Do not worry about teaching him any Greek on your own. The way we teach is very game-like. Even though the teaching is virtual, it will be very lively. Your student will be able to catch up quickly. Young children learn more quickly than we expect them to.

The older students who are new to Greek will begin with beginner language content that is presented in a way that is developmentally appropriate for older learners. We encourage parents to attend the Greek classes with their child to experience the class for yourself.

The curriculum is the same. The students in immersion get more exposure to the Greek language as Math and science classes are taught in Greek.

OCS will identify and communicate the testing and screening resources being made available by the county and state. Our goal is to make the process as easy and safe as possible while maintaining student and medical privacy required by FERPA (Federal Education Rights and Privacy Act) and HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act).

There are free community testing sites around New Castle County should you want to have your child(ren) and family tested. The sites and their testing schedules can be found here.

More information will be forthcoming as we get set to launch the program.

One of the primary reasons the school is opening using a virtual learning model is to allow school administration and the nursing staff to implement robust COVID-19 assessment/testing protocols. The school will only reopen in a hybrid or full in-person learning model when its leadership is confident in its ability to manage any positive cases that may happen once students and staff return to campus.

Currently the CDC does not recommend asymptomatic (no symptoms) testing. The governor has offered this service to all school staff, free of charge, to encourage community testing. “Know Your Status”. Our staff and student surveys have communicated that this data is important for them to feel comfortable in returning to the learning environment.Also the CDC has updated their evidence supporting that asymptomatic carriers also spread COVID-19.

Odyssey has received some $300,000 in CARES Funding from the state of Delaware. To-date, Odyssey has allocated these funds to purchasing PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), sanitization and disinfection supplies, and Chromebook devices to support 1-to-1 virtual learning in the fall.

The feeding program will be implemented under the guidelines established by the DE DOE. Should the school be implementing a feeding program, it will be in response to family needs and, unless it is a continuation of a summer feeding program, it will follow the school practices and fee schedules for reduced and paid meals. Pick-up and delivery protocols are currently being developed by school leadership.

Please refer to the distribution communication on the OCS website reopening page.

Yes, it can be found on the school’s website by clicking here.

Yes, there will be virtual meet and greets and the dates and times are currently being communicated by school deans.

Yes, hybrid learning will include on-campus learning and will be implemented during the semester to ensure that it is done safely. There are many moving parts to bringing students to campus, but we do plan on meet and greets, story hours for lower grades, etc. Plans will be shared as soon as they are finalized and approved by administration.

The OCS reopening committee will monitor state guidance and reevaluate its reopening strategy throughout the first semester. The safety and well-being of our students, staff and families is at the forefront of our decision-making process. Staffing and the implementation of the needed support structures are also critical for a successful hybrid or full in-person reopening.

Virtual learning refers to instruction that does not take place in person on school grounds. This fall Odyssey will implement a virtual learning model that builds and improves upon the experience we had this past spring. At the end of the last school year, we implemented an asynchronous learning model, with most work done offline by the students. This fall, we are adding synchronous learning to the teaching method.

Synchronous instruction means classes will take place in ‘real time’ online. OCS teachers will be teaching their class live and interacting with students to deliver instruction. This allows for instant feedback and live interaction with teachers.

Asynchronous instruction means pre-recorded classes or assignments that students can complete at any time. These assignments are self-paced and allow students more flexibility. Our students’ daily schedules have built in suggested asynchronous learning time for different content and classes to help families follow a learning schedule that will keep students on track.

Hybrid virtual learning refers to students having both in-person and virtual classes. The hybrid component will be slowly introduced over the course of the semester and refers to slowly bringing small cohorts of students back to school for specific activities.

Yes, it is. OCS will start the year conducting all teaching/learning activities in a virtual environment. Students and staff will receive a schedule that identifies synchronous (live) teaching times, as well as suggested times for students to be able to complete their work offline.

We are working toward implementing a hybrid environment which would include optional on-campus activities for small groups of students to attend following all safety measures and social-distancing guidelines.

Yes, lessons will be recorded, and attendance will be taken. If your child(ren) are unable to attend the synchronous learning sessions, you must email your teacher, the building office administrator and the school dean with the following information,

• Date and time of absence
• Reason for the absence

The teachers will be trained during in service on Schoology and the teachers will in turn be able to train the students. The goal is to help students be as independent as possible.

ClassLink is the login platform and Schoology is a learning management platform that can be found on ClassLink. By using ClassLink, students will not have to remember any passwords for the various websites they use. For example, once students log into ClassLink they can access educational websites such as Schoology, Newsela, Go-Guardian, Readworks, etc. in one place. Schoology, which can also be accessed via ClassLink, is where assignments are posted. Students will be able to take online quizzes there and submit assignments. In other words, Schoology is a self-paced and is a repository for all online learning resources, while ClassLink is a platform that gives students access to educational websites without having to log in to each individually.

A one-pager about how to log into Schoology and directions on how to use it will be sent out soon. Videos on how to use Schoology will also be posted on the website soon.