Here’s how many days Eatonville K-5 students will return to in-person learning
Elementary students in the Eatonville School District will return for in-person learning at the end of September as part of a hybrid model.
In the hybrid model, students are split into two groups and spend two days of the week learning in-person at school and three days learning remotely at home.
The district of about 2,000 students shared the timeline for the first two weeks starting Sept 28.
Week 1:
Sept. 28: A Group attends half day in person, in the morning — no live instruction in the afternoon to allow teachers to prep. School hours on a half day: 9:00am-12:30pm.
Sept. 29: B Group attends half day in person, in the morning — no live instruction in the afternoon to allow teachers to prep. School hours on a half day: 9:00am-12:30pm.
Sept. 30: Remote learning from home for all students.
Oct. 1: B Group attends full day.
Oct. 2: B Group attends full day.
Week 2:
Oct. 5: A Group attends full day.
Oct. 6: A Group attends full day.
Oct. 7: Remote learning from home for all students.
Oct. 8: B Group attends full day.
Oct. 9: No school - State In-service Day
Typically, A Group students attend Mondays and Tuesdays while B Group students attend Thursdays and Fridays. When students are not in-person, teachers will provide students with materials to work on at home.
The schedule applies to grades K-5 in three schools — Eatonville Elementary, Weyerhaeuser Elementary and Columbia Crest A-STEM Academy, totaling roughly 950 students, according to OSPI data.
Parents will be informed of their child’s grouping on Monday (Sept. 21) from their child’s teacher via email. Families who don’t want their children to return to school in-person may enroll them in the Elementary Virtual Academy (EVA) or Mount Rainier Parent Partnership (M.R.P.P.).
Michael Sniezak, president of the Eatonville Education Association union of about 105 members, said that teachers are excited to be with their students, but there is some anxiety.
“It is happening fast,” he told The News Tribune on Friday. “There are a lot of what-ifs right now.”
One of those what-ifs are about breaks in the schedule, Sniezak said. Right now, it’s not clear when teachers and students will be able to take breaks.
“We’re hoping that the district will develop a schedule for students and for teachers that isn’t just the letter of the law, but is really what’s best for everybody,” Sniezak said.
Teachers are still trying to figure out the remote learning phase and are now having to do a quick turnaround — but they’re resilient, Sniezak said.
“They do a great job of making things work,” he said.
For more information on the schedule, visit eatonville.wednet.edu.
