SCHOOL DISTRICT OF THE BOROUGH OF BRENTWOOD

Administrative Offices 3601 Brownsville Road Pittsburgh, PA 15227-3117 Phone:412-881-2227
Fax:     412-881-1640

Brentwood High School 3601 Brownsville Road Pittsburgh, PA 15227-3117 Phone:412-881-4940
Fax:     412-881-4170

Guidance Office
3601 Brownsville Road Pittsburgh, PA 15227-3117 Phone:412-881-4940 x2131 Fax:     412-881-4170

Brentwood Middle School 3601 Brownsville Road Pittsburgh, PA 15227-3117 Phone:412-881-4940
Fax:     412-881-4170

Special Education Office 3601 Brownsville Road Pittsburgh, PA 15227-3117 Phone:412-881-4940 x2215 Fax:     412-881-7195

Elroy Elementary School 3129 Elroy Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15227-2824 Phone:412-881-4484
Fax:     412-881-9448

Moore Elementary School 3809 Dalewood Street Pittsburgh, PA 15227-3509 Phone:412-881-7776
Fax:     412-881-8994

Athletic/Activity Director 3601 Brownsville Road Pittsburgh, PA 15227-3117 Phone:412-881-4940 x2720 Fax:     412-881-1640

April 1, 2020

Dear Brentwood Families,

During this unprecedented time, you have been extremely patient, kind, and understanding as we are planning for remote instruction. We thank you for giving us time over the past two weeks to collaborate and prepare. On Thursday, April 2, our administrative team will deploy approximately 150 devices to our students. Our goal is to begin remote instruction on Monday, April 6, 2020. We ask that on April 6, 2020, we continue to practice the patience, kindness and understanding as we are all new to remote instruction.

We understand that our families are juggling sharing devices, parents/older siblings working from home, and many other personal/family challenges. The purpose of this letter is to provide our families with information about the Brentwood Borough School District’s Continuity of Education Plan (COE) as required by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE).

1) On Monday, April 6 will my child(ren) be expected to login at the traditional school start time? Will my child(ren) be required to remain logged in all day?

The District is utilizing a process called asynchronous learning. This means that teachers will post assignments to a learning platform and students can access the assignments at any time during the week. Students will not be required to login to complete work every day. For families that must share devices, this enables students to have multiple opportunities to complete the required work.

Minimum Guidelines for Mandatory Assignments:

Elementary- English Language Arts (ELA) and Math assignments will be required each week. To begin, one (1) hour of ELA and (1) hour of Math assignments will be required per week in grades K-2. Two (2) hours of ELA and two (2) hours of Math per week will be required for grades 3-5. Special area courses, enrichment, and review lessons will be optional.

Secondary- Essential concepts have been identified by course and assignments will be posted accordingly. The essential concepts will require about one (1) hour a week per course. This is more than is being required at the elementary, but understand that in a typical school year, secondary students participate in ninety (90) more hours of instruction than elementary students.

2) Are my child(ren) permitted to complete additional work?

Yes, students may continue to work on enrichment skills and review skills via the online resources shared by the teachers and administration. A list of all resources has been added to the student section on the Brentwood Borough School District website. Students may move at their own pace on enrichment and review skills.

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3) What learning platform will the District use?

Elementary- At the elementary level, the learning platform that will be used is ClassDojo. This method was chosen because most of our teachers and families were familiar with the platform. In order to utilize this platform, parents must be connected to their child(ren)’s teachers. ClassDojo expanded the functionality of the platform which is enabling the teachers to post assignments.

Secondary- At the secondary level, the learning platform is Microsoft 365 and Teams. Our staff has been piloting Microsoft 365 for the past two years. Professional development has been provided to teachers. Professional staff in grades 6-12 received new laptops this school year to prepare for the transition.

4) What counts for my child’s attendance?

Our priority is to ensure that teachers and administrators remain in contact with our students and families, so attendance will look very different from the traditional school setting. The amount of time a student is logged into the system will vary depending upon a family dynamic. Teachers and administrators will monitor responses to assignments that are posted on the learning platforms. If a student or family does not respond to weekly assignments, then phone calls will be made by school personnel. This communication between our staff, students and families will count towards attendance.

5) How will my child(ren)’s assignments be assessed?

All assignments will be assessed, but not all assignments will be graded. This means that teachers will review the assigned work our students are completing, but a grade may not be issued for all
assignments in the Skyward grading system. An example at the elementary level would be that ELA and math assignments may be graded, while a social studies assignment may be reviewed for completion but not issued a grade. Teachers have been informed that any essential content that is not instructed be sent to the next year’s teacher to begin the school year. We want students to be successful.

6) What if my child has an IEP, GIEP, or a 504 plan? How will their needs be met?

The regulations for students with IEPs, GIEPs, and 504 plans are still in place. Dr. Winiarski, building administrators, and special education staff have been reaching out to our students and families to provide options for moving forward. The expectation is to abide by all special education regulations. For us to be successful, the phone conversations with students and families will be vital. Support staff such as paraprofessionals, school counselors, and nurses will also be used to connect with families. We thank you in advance for your willingness to work with us. In addition, related services provided by outside providers will also continue.

7) What if my child speaks English as a Second Language?

Dr. Winiarski, teachers, and staff are utilizing TransPerfect to assist in translating school assignments and messages into native languages of our students. Again, we greatly appreciate the conversations between school personnel and our students and families.

8) What if I am having difficulty with technology?

The District will have two staff members to assist with technology concerns

Software: Mrs. Melissa Fulmer can be contacted at 412-881-2227 ext. 2201 or via email at Remote.Support@bb-sd.com Daily Office Hours: 10:00am-2:00pm Monday- Friday when school is in session

Examples of issues: How do I log into a district program?
What if I forgot my district login information?

*Hardware: Mr. Thomas Aebi can be contacted at 412-437-3621 or via email at Remote.Support@bb-sd.com Daily Office Hours 12:00pm-2:00pm Monday-Friday when school is in session

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Examples of issues:	My District issued device will not turn-on, what do I do?
My District issued device keeps shutting down, what do I do?

*The District is not able to answer hardware questions on devices that were not issued by the District. Please contact the manufacturer for assistance with household devices.

9) My child was a part of the Student Assistance Program (SAP), will this continue?

Building administrators, school counselors, and school nurses will be reaching out to families to schedule end of year conferences. For us to be successful, we must be able to reach our students and families.

10) How long should we prepare to participate in remote instruction?

Governor Wolf stated that schools are closed “indefinitely”. At a minimum, remote instruction will continue through April 30, 2020. If the Governor issues an order that is different from the current order, we will review and adjust. Our school year will end on June 5, 2020. If we are directed by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) to end the school year earlier, we will. Until then, we will take it one month at a time.

11) What is happening with activities that are scheduled from now until the end of the school year?

We are keenly aware of the importance of end of year activities and celebrations to students, families, and especially our seniors. As of today, all activities are cancelled through April 30, 2020. We will continuously monitor the activities scheduled for May and June and will adjust accordingly. We must take care of each other individually first before we can all gather in large groups.

12) What if I have specific questions about my child?

We understand that individual questions may arise. Please email or call the school which your child(ren) attends to connect with a staff member. We are all in this together!

13) How will future scheduling, including kindergarten registration be handled?

Elementary- The District is in the process of exploring online registration, especially for our incoming kindergarten students. As soon as this has been resolved, we will share the information with families in our community. We will also ask our PTA and PTSS to assist us in sharing this information.

Secondary- The District is in the process of exploring online options. We will be sure to communicate the process once it is in place.

14) When is the next school board meeting?

The April 6, 2020, board meeting is cancelled. The meeting on April 20, 2020 will be a combined meeting. As with all the other challenges, we are working towards a solution to have the board gather via a videoconferencing platform. Information for public participation in the meeting will be shared as soon as it is available.

Sincerely,

Amy M. Burch, D.Ed.
Superintendent of the Brentwood Borough School District

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