***Update – The return to school on campus date has been updated to December 1st, instead of October 5th.
Greetings Girls Global Academy Families,
I hope this message finds you and your family safe and staying healthy. The summer is filled with a time to rejuvenate and to make preparations for the upcoming school year. We have been working thoughtfully and diligently on the 2020 – 2021 school year opening. We are sharing our general plan to help all of our families plan for the school year starting on August 24.
Girls Global Academy will begin the 2020 – 2021 School Year virtually through October 2.
In order to come to a decision, we reviewed guidelines from the Center for Disease Control, the Department of Health, the Office of the State Superintendent of Education, and recommendations from the Deputy Mayor of Education’s office. Additionally, we reviewed our family feedback from those that participated in the citywide survey for the 2020-2021 school year open, reviewed our own GGA family survey data, analyzed the questions and comments from the GGA parent focus group, conducted one to one student/parent sessions, and heard from our teachers and leadership team.
Thank you for completing the survey. The input from our families and staff led us to the decision that Girls Global Academy will open in the fall with Virtual learning for the first six weeks. We want to see our students in our building but we know that the pandemic continues to be challenging. However, during this challenging time, we prioritize safety, engaged learning, and equity.
We believe that our families and staff are our partners in education. Your voices are valuable and we will continue to work collaboratively with you to create a learning environment that works for our families, students, and staff.
Although we are opening the first six weeks in a virtual learning setting, our goal is to make the transition from a virtual learning model to on campus learning over the course of the school year. This plan is subject to change based on local guidance and feedback from our school community.
We will continue to provide updates on pertinent information about our school operations, school calendar, cohort assignments, and procedures.
Next Steps:
- Please click on the GGA Opening Plan SY 20-21 link for additional details.
- Join us on July 30, 2020 for our next family forum from 6:00PM – 7:00PM to ask questions.
If you have additional questions or concerns, please contact me or our principal directly.
Together,
Karen Venable-Croft, Executive Director
Girls Global Academy is committed to balance three key areas as we open
school this academic year.
- Safety continues to be our top priority for our students, families, and staff
- Engaged Learning will continue whether students are learning on campus or virtually
- Equity is important to our model, we will provide the technology, special education services and social/ emotional supports throughout this year both on campus and virtually
QUICK OVERVIEW
- GGA will make an intentional and measured transition from virtual to on campus instruction over the course of the school year. This is subject to change based on local guidance and feedback from the school community.
- Start with 6 weeks of VIRTUAL instruction on August 24th
- Then on the week of October 5th (UPDATED TO DECEMBER 1ST), go to a hybrid model of 2 days ON CAMPUS and 3 days of VIRTUAL instruction
- December 1st (WILL ALSO BE UPDATED) starts a new trimester, where we would either continue this hybrid model or add more on campus time – this decision will be communicated by November 17th
- Each new trimester GGA will reevaluate this model and make adjustments, engaging families in the discussion and making a decision at least two weeks in advance of any shifts
- By the end of this school year, we would like to be fully ON CAMPUS
- Health and safety procedures on campus ○ Masks and social distancing is required at all times
- Schedules have been altered to keep students in small groups
- Additional entry procedures including temperature and wellness checks
- Additional cleaning and sanitizing procedures are in place
- Students and staff will be provided detailed training
- Families still have choices ○ Though our preference is that all families follow the plan outlined above, including the measured return to on campus instruction which utilizes the significant safety measures recommended by local agencies, GGA believes families should have the opportunity to opt out., especially if they are immunocompromised
- For those families who need their student to have a safe space to learn on virtual instruction days, GGA will work with each family to organize supports for those students
- This plan is compliant with guidance from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and other local agencies including the Deputy Mayor of Education (DME), Office of State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), DC Health, and the Public Charter School Board (PCSB)
- This plan represents our best efforts to provide you with a comprehensive plan for opening school in 2020-2021, however, it is subject to change at any time
- CHANGE: The in-person Grand Opening scheduled for August 1st and Student Orientation scheduled for August 17th-20th have been cancelled
