Reopening Middle School

Monday - Thursday Remote Learning

The Trimester 3 Monday -Thursday remote learning daily schedule will be adapted to optimize student wellness, including fewer class period transitions and longer office hours.

The Middle School teaching team is acutely aware of the social-emotional impacts of remote learning. We know that our Middle School students need to physically be around their peers and teachers to maintain academic motivation and engagement. As much as our teachers are reaching out to your kids in multiple ways and providing opportunities for online communities, many of our students are not thriving socially and emotionally.

National education publications continue to discourage schools from trying to recreate long online school days. They encourage school administrators and parents to understand that it is not reasonable to assume students will follow the academic trajectory of a typical in-person school year.  National experts also stress the focus on the emotional wellness of students is paramount during this pandemic. Westside’s Educational Leadership Team continues to encourage teachers to focus on essential skill building this spring and to not overtax Westside students with an unrealistic learning pace to reduce burnout and keep engagement high for the remainder of the 2020-2021 school year.

Flex Fridays

 

Drop off & Pickup

• Drop off for Grades 5 & 6 is 9:15 - 9:30 a.m. Dismissal for Grades 5 & 6 is 2:30 - 2:45 p.m.
• Drop off for Grades 7 & 8 is 9:00 - 9:15 a.m. Dismissal for Grades 7 & 8 is 2:15 - 2:30 p.m.
• Drop off and pick up will occur at two locations within the Westside Parking Lot - the Front Doors and the North Side of the building (by the Red Doors). Exact locations for drop off and pickup will be determined by your student’s cohort. You will receive this information after Mid-Winter Break.

In person Flex Fridays will consist of class meetings, arts classes, physical education, and the return of our beloved Westside Flex (elective) classes. Throughout Fridays on campus, students will stay within the same learning pod all trimester for safety purposes.

Flex Fridays and Flex Week (June 1-4) will be a time when the Westside community recognizes the fact that education does not only take place in the classroom. Flexes provide an opportunity for growth, improved self-confidence, learning, and of course, fun. Flex offerings are as varied as the young people who participate in them. Westside believes students should have choice and voice in their school experience. Students will get an opportunity to participate in one of several Flex choices. In March, we will publish a Flex Catalog that families can review to rank their choices. Flex choices will focus on one of the three areas of explanatories:

• Project-Based (ex: Rube Goldberg, Flight & Aviation, Coding, Ceramics, Art, Musical, Models, Song Recording, etc.)
• Service-Based (ex: Community Care, Activism)
• Outdoor Based (ex: Hiking, Biking, Sports, Parkour)

Flexes will either be based at Westside or within a five-mile radius of the school. On Flex Fridays, pods will be learning about their Flexes as well as preparing for project-based learning during Flex Week. During Flex Week, pods will either be on campus or out locally in West Seattle.

Daily Schedule

Schools around the country have re-tooled the way they schedule student/teacher engagements in remote learning environments. By design, active time between teacher and student will not be the same as it was in brick-and-mortar school. Through research, survey data, and Spring experiences, Westside teachers have iterated on how they will be using their time with students throughout distance learning days.

By design, remote days are shorter than regular in person learning school days. Teachers will create short, more targeted lessons so our students do not disengage while learning remote. They will start their block with mini lessons, breakout into small group learning activities, and finish the block with guided practice. Our focus will be on consumption, practice, and demonstration of mastery. Learning tasks will be chunked in this way so students will be apt to see the “light at the end of the tunnel” and keep themselves focused autonomously while at home.

*Visual, Theater, and Music will rotate on a trimester basis

Coursework vs Homework

The design of instructional time will be developmentally appropriate. We aim to maintain the bounds of coursework for 5th-6th grade to occur throughout the learning day with little to no after-school homework. Grades 7 and 8 will have some nightly homework to complete prior to their next class session. Best practice benchmarks aim to discourage schools from trying to recreate long, traditional school days that would be unmanageable at home. Our teachers’ focus at Westside will be on content mastery, within the bounds of the remote learning day, whenever possible.

Advisory

To support small group learning cohorts during times of hybrid learning, middle school advisories will be divided by grade level for the 2020-2021 school year. Advisors will continue to serve as the primary point of contact for each student and family in the Middle School. As it has been so far, advisories will start each remote day. This consistent touchpoint with adults and peers will provide structured weekly opportunities for students to build skills in social-emotional learning, executive functioning, and study skills. And, as always, advisory will also provide plenty of opportunities for community building, games, and other fun activities!

Office Hours

Westside faculty will set aside time outside of class to meet with students every weekday afternoon. Office hours will be by appointment, and all students are encouraged to use Office Hours to meet with faculty to discuss the material being presented or other related content being covered within courses.

The Role of Optional After-School Clubs

Westside’s optional club program offers students an opportunity to pursue interests and passions that they otherwise might not have the time or opportunity to develop during the school day. Clubs will occur on every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 2:30-3:15pm in the fall. While participation in clubs is optional, Westside strongly recommends that students use this time to get involved to not only pursue passions of interest but maintain connection and community with their peers in an informal group setting. In the Middle School, club leadership and sponsorship will be co-led by Westside faculty and 7th & 8th grade club leaders. Leadership in after-school clubs by our upper-class students at Westside provides an opportunity for them to develop the skills necessary to create unique offerings and guide their peers in activities for which they have a passion.

Bi-Monthly In Person Experiential Learning Days

Experiential Education is one of Westside’s core ethos. We believe that hands-on projects, learning through service, field trips, and outdoor experiences provide opportunities for students to engage in authentic learning. Our Bi-Monthly In-Person Experiential Learning Days during full remote learning have been immensely successful. We will suspend further scheduled outdoor in-person experiential days after March 5, as we prepare to transition to our hybrid learning model. Experiential Education will continue to be a component of our Flex Friday classes.