Elementary students begin in-person hybrid learning, secondary students start virtually as 2020-21 school year begins
(09/18/20) Even though smiles were hidden by face-coverings, it wasn’t hard to see the twinkle in the eyes of excited elementary students and staff on the first days of the school year this week.
On Sept. 15, for the first time since the state-mandated COVID-19 closure last March, elementary students participating in the hybrid model were back to school for in-person learning, with Cohort A students attending school on Tuesday and Wednesday. Then, on Sept. 17, Cohort B students, who had been distance learning while their Cohort A classmates were in school, had their chance for in-person learning, which they did Thursday and Friday. (Check out scenes from the first days of school at a number of sites around the district.)
“It's sure great to see students back in class and to be interacting with them face-to-face,” said Johnsville Elementary School fourth grade teacher Scott Zachmann. “I sure have missed it.”
That said, Zachmann is Johnsville’s fourth-grade distance learning teacher, meaning that, while working from his classroom, he’s working with students who opted to continue learning virtually.
“Even behind a computer, it's been fun seeing my students personalities start to come out,” he said. “Yesterday, during our morning meeting, we did a quick little scavenger hunt. I told the kids they had 30 seconds to find items in their house and present it to us on their computers. I flashed ‘something loud’ on the screen, and the kids took off looking for an item (that was loud). Within a few seconds, one of them had their two-year-old sister sitting on their lap. It made my day seeing them have a little fun, and I know it brightens theirs.”
That said, being a distance learning teacher hasn’t stopped Zachmann from interacting as much as he can with the students who are at school. As students participating in hybrid learning are coming into the school, “you can see their smiles under their masks,” he said. “They were delighted to be back and that just warms all our hearts.”
Meanwhile, for secondary students, the year officially kicked off Sept. 14 with students starting school in a distance learning format — a mode they’ll remain in until the week of Sept. 28. At that point, in-person learning will begin for students who chose the hybrid learning model, following the same Cohort A and B system.
Anoka-Hennepin invites parents/guardians and students to share back-to-school photos they may have taken, or plan to take, on social media by using #AHReturnToSchool2020.