McMillin Elementary School

With extended school closures looming across the country and locally, parents are naturally wondering how their school-age children will progress academically while at home for the weeks or months ahead? While classes in our District will not resume on April 6 in the traditional sense, we are embarking on a Distance Learning Plan. The first week back from Spring Break (April 6-10) will be reserved for teacher planning, preparation, and professional development. Distance Learning will commence, to the extent possible, on April 13.

CVESD instructional leaders, in collaboration with teachers, school leaders and other curriculum and instruction representatives from throughout San Diego County, developed an engaging Distance Learning Plan that will support our students during the school closure period, however long it may last.

Distance learning means that learning opportunities are provided to students while the teacher and the student are in different locations, say outside the traditional classroom environment. Distance learning may include student-instructor interaction through the use of a computer and/or telecommunications technology to deliver instruction and check-in time. This may include video or audio instruction in which the primary mode of communication between the student and instructor is on-line interaction, instructional television, video, or other instruction that relies on printed materials (“packets”). The goal is to incorporate learning opportunities aligned to the core content areas of each grade level.

CVESD’s Distance Learning Plan will also include professional learning and grade level collaboration for our teachers to ensure they have access to strategies and resources that promote high-quality learning opportunities for our students. As noted previously, the first week back from Spring Break will be reserved for teacher preparation. Teachers will also be reaching out to students to check in and will primarily be focusing on connecting and sustaining positive teacher/student relationships. Distance learning for students will start, to the extent possible, on April 13.

As we progress in implementing our Distance Learning Plan, we are mindful that not all students will have access to devices or high-speed internet. Therefore, we need to ensure that instruction can be delivered in both online and in non-technological settings.

The District’s instructional services department will post weekly distance learning updates on our District website to share exciting resources and fun learning opportunities for families to engage during this unprecedented school closure period.

“We are extremely proud of the dedication and commitment of our teachers and leaders as they work to design a caring, creative distance learning plan for our students,” said Gloria Ciriza, Ed.D., CVESD Executive Director, Instruction, Curriculum and Assessment. “This is new territory for our District and for school systems across the country. There are an incredible number of moving parts to this highly complex situation, with special considerations that need to be taken into account at every grade level. We appreciate the effort of so many to ensure a Distance Learning plan is in place for our students in such a short period of time.”

Dr. Ciriza encouraged parents to learn more about distance learning from the following websites:

• https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/he/hn/distancelearning.asp
• https://covid-19.sdcoe.net/Distance-Learning/KPBS-Distance-Learning