Dear Long Reach Community:
I hope this finds you and your loved ones safe and healthy. Please take a moment to review the important updates and information highlighted below in regard to the upcoming school year.
SCHOOL CALENDAR: To begin, the school system calendar, including start dates and school closings for holidays, has been adjusted. The first student day has been pushed back to September 8, 2020. Please take some time to review the adjusted calendar and to make adjustments to your travel plans accordingly. In particular, take a look at the dates for Spring Break, as well as, the last possible day for the school year (June 22, 2021).
SCHOOL SCHEDULE & STUDENT COURSE REQUESTS: Schools will operate virtually for Semester 1 following a 4x4 semester schedule. This scheduling format will allow students to enroll in eight courses, as opposed to the seven they usually take in the traditional schedule. In a 4x4 schedule, students take four courses each semester. Full credit courses are taken every day for two quarters. Half credit courses will be taken and completed in a quarter.
To fill student schedules, we have already added courses in consideration of the following factors:
Student participation in a performance group (instrumental and vocal music, dance, and theater.) The majority of these students will participate in their fine arts course for the entire year and earn two credits.
Students enrolled in an ARL program will be enrolled in those courses year long.
Students who require additional support in core content areas may have been scheduled to take a tutorial course or an academic seminar.
Students who had requested alternate courses that are currently closed had those requests removed and a similar alternate course added.
There will be no student aides, lab assistants, or office aides this year per HCPSS.
STUDENT /PARENT ACTION REQUIRED
We anticipate that students/parents will be able to view their current course requests in the near future. I will send a follow-up message once we have this capability. As part of the follow-up message, we will ask you to review the course requests. Should there be an issue with the current course requests, please immediately submit the course change request online form: Long Reach HS Course Request Change Form (this form will be open for responses as soon as course requests become available for students/families to view.)
Please note that students must log into hcpss.me in order to access the form. Parents cannot fill the form out from their own accounts. Due to the high volume of responses expected, requests for access to the form from email addresses that are not HCPSS accounts will not be granted.
Expanded Electives at LRHS
The 4x4 schedule presents us with the opportunity to offer courses that had to be cancelled due to limited enrollment and to open sections of other courses that were at capacity. Students may want to consider adding time for study and work completion. Therefore, we are offering a study course first semester (Academic Seminar) and an AP test prep. Students who select one of these courses should be able to work independently in a structured setting.
Expanded elective selections at Long Reach include (*Note - only courses with adequate requests will run. Please see the course catalog for course descriptions and pre-requisites - HCPSS Course Catalog 20-21):
Academic Seminar [Focus on organization, study skills, and academic support] (1 credit)
African American Studies (.5 credit)
AP Calculus B/C (1 credit)
AP Chemistry (1 credit)
AP Mastery Seminar [Review course, not weighted] (1 credit)
AP Macro Economics (1 credit)
AP Micro Economics (1 credit)
AP Psychology (1 credit)
AP Seminar [Review course, not weighted - Offered Q3] (.5 credit)
AP Statistics (1 credit)
Chinese 1 (1 credit)
Chorus (1 credit)
Environmental Science (1 credit)
German 1 (1 credit)
Latin American Studies (.5 credit)
Marine Science (1 credit)
Musical Theatre Company/ Musical Theatre Company GT (1 credit)
Psychology (0.5 credit)
Specialty Sports/Sport for Life (0.5 credit)
Theatre Company/ Theatre Company GT (1 credit)
Weights/Aerobic Conditioning (0.5 credit)
Requests for Release Time
Students who would like to request Release Time (to drop one or more credits in order to work, attend classes at HCC or fulfill family responsibilities) may do so, as long as they have met the following criteria:
12th graders: All graduation requirements are met, with the exception of courses the student is currently taking (up to two periods of Release Time each semester)
11th graders: On track for graduation, with the exception of English 12 and other 12th grade classes (up to one period of Release Time each semester)
10th graders: On track for graduation, no incomplete grades for Q4 in Spring 2020 (one period of Release Time per year)
9th graders: Case by case basis only, not recommended (one period of Release Time per year)
The requirement to take CRD 1 (Career Research and Development 1) in order for a 12th grader to be granted work release time is now lifted, so students who had registered for CRD 1 for this purpose may request to drop the course, and may request Release Time.
Students who are planning to participate in Jump Start classes will not see those requests reflected at this time - after the schedules are actually set, students will be able to request the class equivalents at Long Reach be replaced by the HCC courses. This will occur near mid-August and we will notify students/families at that time.
There is a separate form to be completed by students requesting Release Time and Release Time must be approved by the Principal. The form is not yet available, but we will share as soon as it is. Release Time will not be added to a schedule (and other courses dropped) until the form is submitted and approved by the Principal.
ATHLETICS and ACTIVITIES: The start date for Athletics has been postponed to September 8, with the possibility of additional changes in the future. We are awaiting further information regarding other extra-curricular activities and SAT administrations.
NEW STUDENT ORIENTATION: High School Orientation for the new school year will be held virtually on Thursday, September 3rd in the morning. Specific times will be sent to you in mid-August.
TECHNOLOGY REQUESTS: As we move into August, the school system will be sending out instructions for requesting technology (laptops and/or hotspots) for families in need. We will send you an update as soon as the system begins accepting requests for the fall term. For more information about technology and internet access, please visit: https://help.hcpss.org/technology/ or contact your counselor.
As always, do not hesitate to reach out to me or any other member of our staff. We are here to help you as we navigate these adjustments together.
Joshua Wasilewski
Principal