In an effort to keep students on campus for in-person learning and immediate access to social-emotional supports amid a rise in COVID-19 cases associated with Alta High, a temporary split schedule will be put into effect at the school on Monday, Nov. 2.
This schedule is familiar to the Alta community. On Oct. 7, after a pivot to online learning, Alta students were placed on the split schedule until it was safe for the school to return to the four-day-a-week blended-learning model currently in use at all Canyons District schools. It’s expected the split schedule will remain in effect at Alta High until Friday, Nov. 13.
While confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus associated with Alta High are currently hovering near 1 percent of the school population — the level at which CSD would consider additional mitigation efforts under its COVID-19 response guidelines — the upward trend of transmission rates in Sandy ZIP codes was weighed heavily in the District’s decision to reinstitute the split schedule, which allows students to remain on campus while also decreasing the number of students in the building at any one time.
Starting Monday, Nov. 2, Alta High students will attend on the following schedule:
- Monday, Nov. 2 (A Day) For students with last names starting with letters A-K
- Tuesday, Nov. 3 (B Day) For students with the last names starting with letters A-K
- Wednesday, Nov. 4 (A Day) For students with last names starting with letters L-Z
- Thursday, Nov. 5 (B Day) For students with last names L-Z
Friday, Nov. 6 will be a day of virtual learning, or independent study, for students. Teachers will be using that day for planning, responding to student emails, collaborating with colleagues, and preparing for the coming week.
The following week, starting on Monday, Nov. 9, the pattern will repeat.
Siblings from blended Alta High families who have different last names can pick a day to attend together.
When students are not at school, their learning will be supported through Canvas, the District’s online common-learning management tool. To ensure students are able to keep up with their studies, Canyons has prepared the following list of expectations for those learning under a split schedule:
- Students should attend their classes in person and virtually on assigned days.
- On remote-learning days, students should be logging in to CSD’s Canvas each morning and reviewing the synchronous learning or livestream schedule for each class period. They should also review the weekly instructional summaries in the module for each class period.
- Students are expected to submit all assigned work and encouraged to contact their teacher with any questions.
- Parents wanting to monitor their student’s progress and help keep track of assignments and due dates are encouraged to create a Canvas Observer account. Here’s a video with step-by-step instructions: https://youtu.be/XCy-M5SdlKA
In addition, students and their parents can expect the following teaching expectations for faculty operating under a split schedule:
- Teachers will continue to use Canvas to support student learning while attending class in-person and online.
- The week’s learning schedule with instructions for how students can access synchronous learning will be posted on the home page.
- A summary of the week’s learning objectives and learning tasks will be posted in each week’s module.
- A deliberate sequence of asynchronous learning activities including a combination of instructional videos, presentations, reading material, practice, research, etc. will be embedded in each week’s module.
- Synchronous learning or livestream will be provided for at least 30 minutes daily per class period for students online.
- Recorded synchronous or livestreamed lessons or comparable asynchronous supports will be embedded in Canvas modules to support students in both learning environments.
All students should adhere to their assigned day on the split schedule, even those who have a class period dedicated to sports or performing arts practices. Unfortunately, no exceptions can be made at this time. After-school activities and sports events will continue as scheduled in line with the guidelines set forth by the Utah High School Activities Association. Those guidelines include required temperature and symptom checks as part of student participation.
Please note that if confirmed active COVID-19 cases associated with Alta High remain at a concerning level, the temporary schedule may remain intact or other additional precautionary measures may need to be taken after Canyons District consults with the Salt Lake County Health Department. Parents will receive updates so they can plan for their families accordingly.
Canyons District asks the Alta High community to re-dedicate themselves to following COVID-19-related safety precautions as outlined by health authorities. Both at and away from school, please be vigilant about wearing masks and remain physically distant from others who do not live in the same household.
Canyons District recognizes there may be concerns or questions. Please direct questions by email to communications@canyonsdistrict.org. Parents also can call the District Office at 801-826-5000 or Alta High School’s Main Office.