Students in Prince William County Public Schools will not be returning to school for in-person learning in August -- but they will line up for the SAT.
In August, September, October, November, and December, Prince William County high schools will be hosting the SAT and ACT tests in-person, with 'guidelines for safety to include cleaning procedures, physical distancing, and the use of face coverings,' according to Diana Gulotta, Prince William County Schools Director of Communications Services.
These tests come after the Prince William County School Board decided to have students participate in virtual learning for the first nine weeks of school, from September 8 to October 30.
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Prince William County Public Schools students will be learning from home during the first nine-weeks of the school year online, with exceptions for certain students with additional needs.
This, however, will be very different from the virtual spring semester that occurred during the beginning of the pandemic, as students will have structured schedules, regular start/end times, and learn new content, school officials said.
Virtual learning, which will begin September 8, will be conducted through the learning management system, Canvas. The system allows teachers to create and assign assignments/projects/tests, and students to complete said assignments.
Students will also have access to the teleconferencing platform, Zoom to participate in live lessons with instructors. Students can access Canvas through their school’s webpage or by logging into Clever with their school-assigned Microsoft 365 accounts.
“The Canvas platform will provide specific lessons tied to Standards of Learning and create a consistent curriculum for students in any format. This new platform will also be connected to a [Prince William County Public Schools] license of Zoom teleconferencing platform, that will provide a secure method of live student-teacher interaction when needed,” said Kasey Ruben, who works for the school division.
For students who do not have a device at home, the school division will supply one, based on grade level. Under plans approved by the school board, all high schoolers will receive a device at the beginning of the year. For middle and high school students who need access to technology, the school division ‘will work with families to prioritize distribution of devices to students with none at home,’ according to a press release from the county schools.
In addition to the new system and devices, online learning within Prince William schools will be formally structured into a schedule, with students’ regular start and end times, in which all students will receive virtual instruction Tuesdays-Fridays.
Mondays will be reserved for teacher office hours.
“Mondays will be an all virtual day at all levels, used for a variety of purposes for students and teachers. Monday may be used for teacher-student check-in, mental health and/or counselor meetings, teacher planning, and professional development,” stated a press release on the schools website.
Each schedule will be different for each student’s grade level, as well as each student’s additional needs.
Students in preschool will be offered live virtual learning, as well as prerecorded content on Canvas.
Elementary school students will attend school from 9 am-3:4o p.m. and receive ‘live instruction of at least 60 minutes for pre-kindergarten, 90 minutes for kindergarten-grade 2, and 120 minutes grades 3–5, plus additional teacher interactions as needed including Monday virtual-support days,’ according to the school division’s website. Elementary students will also receive 10-25 minutes of extra assigned language arts, social studies, science, and/or math work on Canvas, depending on their grade level. As with in-person learning, students will receive breaks to prevent them from being in front of a screen constantly.
“As with in-person instruction, our teachers will provide students with brain breaks and movement time during these live virtual sessions,” stated a press release on the schools’ website.
Students and families who cannot participate in all of the live virtual instruction will be able to view recorded content on Canvas.
“If a student cannot participate in some of the live virtual instruction, Canvas learning content and assignments can be accessed at any time that is convenient for the family,” states a schools press release.
Middle school students will attend school from 8:30 am-3 p.m. and receive live virtual instruction for 50% of their class periods, as well as ‘plus additional teacher interactions as needed including Monday virtual-support days.’
High school students will attend school from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., with a minimum of 30 minutes of live virtual instruction in each of their classes daily. Students will also have live access to their teachers during the entire class period.
“Students attending in person will need bus transportation as well as consistent times for classes just as in a ‘normal’ year for scheduling purposes. Additionally, the direction of the school board for the second quarter is to return to in-person learning for most students under a ’50 percent model.’ In order to maintain consistency of schedules from the first to second quarter, the times and schedules must be developed now with this in-mind, including class scheduling and staffing,” the school division states.
More information on the upcoming school year will be released as the academic year draws nearer. More information about Canvas and student schedules can be found here.
After delaying its initial vote and calling for a special meeting, the Stafford County School Board has made the decision to reopen schools fully virtually.
During its July 29 meeting, the Stafford County School Board approved Superintendent Scott Kizner's return to learning plan, which begins the school year virtually for students, with exceptions for those in special groups such as special education. For middle school and high school groups, this means students won't be stepping foot inside school buildings until at least after winter break.
The division's students will be utilizing the learning management system Canvas, which allows students and teachers alike to conduct education from home.
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Following in Prince William County's and Manassas City's footsteps, Fredericksburg City Public Schools (FCPS) will be completely virtual in the fall.
During its June 23 meeting, the Fredericksburg City School Board unanimously approved a plan to begin the school year with 100% virtual instruction for at least the first nine weeks of the year, beginning August 17 and ending October 16. All students will be participating in this plan, even those who are English-language learners and participate in alternative education programs.
The plan comes after the city's school board changed course, having initially proposed a hybrid model in which students would attend school both in-person and online various days during the week.
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Stafford County Public Schools (SCPS) students may no longer begin their year with a mix of virtual and in-person learning.
During its June 21 meeting, the county's school board reviewed and postponed its vote on an amended return to learning plan, presented by Superintendent Dr. Scott Kizner, in which most students would spend the majority of fall participating in virtual learning.
This is a stark contrast to Stafford's previously approved plan, but very similar to Prince William County's newly adopted plan to begin the school year virtually. The original hybrid plan in Stafford, approved last week, had students beginning the year with hybrid in-person and virtual learning.
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The sunflowers are in bloom and ready for picking at Burnside Farms in Nokesville.
Every summer in the middle of July, when the sunflowers bloom, Burnside Farms holds the Summer of Sunflowers: a sunflower festival that allows guests to pick sunflowers and participate in various fun activities. While certain portions of the event will be different this year due to the new coronavirus, namely their famous ‘sunflower maze,’ an abundance of sunflowers will still be available for guests to pick and take home.
“We plant over 30 varieties of cutting sunflowers on eight acres in successive crops to ensure at least six weeks of blooming flowers – through Labor day,” stated Burnside Farms’ website.
The event, which is open every day from 10 am-6 pm, allows guests to pick three sunflowers with the cost of admission ($12 for ages 13 and up, $8 for ages 3-12), as well as additional flowers for a $1.50 fee per extra flower. Children under 3 are free.
Aside from sunflower picking, the event also includes picnic areas, a JumpPad, a play area, and a short film cinema in the barn, most of which will go through daily sanitization for protection against the new coronavirus. The event also typically includes a ‘sunflower maze,’ but it has not been determined if it will open due to the current global pandemic.
“We have one of the nation’s only sunflower mazes! Due to COVID-19, our sunflower maze may not open,” stated Burnside Farms’ website.
For those looking for an evening event, the Summer of Sunflowers also hosts Sunflower Sunsets, an identical event that takes place on Thursdays and Saturdays from 6-8 pm. Adult tickets (ages 13+) are $14, while children’s tickets (3-12) are $10. Children under 3 are free.
Guests are encouraged to ‘treat a visit to the farm like you would for most any other establishment’ by wearing a face mask and social distancing, according to the farm’s website. Guests are additionally encouraged to bring their own hand sanitizer in the case of a shortage on the farm.
“We ask that you wear a mask or face covering in common areas (check-in, check out area) and maintain proper social distancing at all times,” stated Burnside Farms’ website.
The event will last until Labor Day and will only take place at Burnside Farms’ Nokesville location at 11008 Kettle Run Rd. More information can be found here.
Prince William County Schools (PWCS) students won't be headed back to the classroom to school in fall, but they will likely return later in the school year.
During its six-hour meeting on July 15, the county's school board unanimously approved a return to learning plan in which students participate in solely virtual learning for the first quarter, starting on September 8 and ending October 30. A goal of transitioning into a hybrid of in-person and virtual learning later in the school year remains in place, with the option for students to stay virtual.
Certain special education and other vulnerable student groups, however, will receive "some in-person services" during the completely virtual first quarter, as feasible, according to a press release from the division.
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Stafford County teachers overwhelmingly support police officers in the schools.
A Stafford Education Foundation survey found that roughly 90% of county teachers surveyed want school resource officers, while 5% surveyed were neutral, and 5% were anti-SRO.
The SEA 300 pages of comments that were heavily in favor of SRO's proactive roles in providing safety, guidance, mentorship, and community outreach for all staff and students.
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Stafford County Public Schools (SCPS) students will be attending school both in-person and online.
During its July 14 meeting, the county's school board approved SCPS Superintendant Dr. Scott Kizner's return to learning plan, which has students attending school both virtually and in-person when school resumes August 31. Parents, however, do have the option for their children to attend school completely virtually if they so choose.
"[Our goal is to] create a safe, return to school environment for students and staff, where students can actively participate in learning, having their physical and social-emotional needs met in their selected learning approach," stated Superintendant Kizner's return to learning presentation.
