2020–2021 Academic Year

As we redesign our program plan for the year ahead, we are committed to staying tethered to our mission and educational values. By doing so, we remain confident in the reimagined program we will offer this coming year. 

Pingree Mission: Dedicated to academic excellence and development of high personal standards, Pingree believes that a love of learning flourishes best in a diverse community that respects truth, curiosity, creativity, humor, and independent and imaginative thinking. Above all, Pingree strives to instill in its students integrity, decency, compassion, self-esteem and a commitment to one another and the world at large.

Pingree Pillars: As we look to narrow the scope of what we are teaching to students, our pillars provide an excellent guide for us in this endeavor. 

We believe that in order to thrive, today’s students must learn to:

• Communicate effectively through written, spoken, non-verbal and creative means.
• Navigate complex information by gathering, exploring, and assessing sources with adaptive and flexible thinking.
• Originate in thought and action with imagination, confidence, creativity and an innovative spirit.
• Participate fully in the life of the community, collaborating, asking questions, initiating ideas, taking risks, and leading by example.
• Relate with empathy, seeking to understand diverse perspectives while being mindful of the impact of actions and words on others and on the environment.

Goals for Pandemic Planning
In addition, we have identified the following goals to inform our plan for the year ahead. 

• To prioritize the health and safety of our students, faculty, and staff; 
• To ensure our plan is equitable and accessible for all students; 
• To allow for meaningful and durable learning; and 
• To foster and maintain interpersonal connections and a strong sense of community. 

Concept
We have redesigned our academic program to transition to a modular style schedule for the first trimester that allows more meaningful and focused engagement on a few subjects at a time. Any model that we follow for the fall that allows for a safe return to campus or is fully distanced will require that we reduce the amount of time we are in classes together. As a result, we need to transition from a focus on content coverage to more discovery, deep learning and skill based work. The mod approach allows us to do this in any format. The trimester will be divided into two 5-week modules (Mod 1 and Mod 2) and a 3-week booster block. Full-credit classes will meet for one mod (half the trimester or 5 weeks) with more minutes per week during the mod than in other schedule designs. When students receive their schedules during orientation, they will see the blocks they will have for each mod. We have condensed all H-Block courses into two blocks (typically three blocks) without dropping any courses.  H blocks will have fewer  minutes per week than full-credit classes, but will meet for the entire trimester.

Booster Block 
Given that students will have a 5-week gap in the midst of a course, we will use the period between Thanksgiving and December break as a “booster block.” This period will be fully remote with students engaged in project based learning connected to all full-credit Trimester One (T1) courses (Blocks A–F) which will serve as a “refresher” or “booster” to reinforce what was learned earlier in the trimester. This will be especially beneficial for students in multi-trimester courses that met for the first Mod of T1 but will also serve as a capstone project for all T1 courses. More details on the schedule, expectations, and guidelines for the Booster Block will be shared later.   

Future Trimesters 
Our Mod Program will be in place for the duration of trimester one with all full-credit blocks meeting during the booster block. Trimester two will be shortened and will begin after December Break when we return to school in January. We do not yet know whether T2 (or T3) will employ the mod approach. We will assess how the approach works in T1 and make a determination based on T1 as well as other factors around health and safety.

General Calendar for Trimester One
(Click here for a more detailed overview of the opening of school calendar including our staggered approach to reopening school.)

As we finalize our plans for our transition to a mod system for T1, we will adjust our fall calendar accordingly. In the meantime, please note three important changes:

• Trimester one will continue through December Break (with the booster block as an extension to T1 courses, but specific mods ending at Thanksgiving). Trimester two will begin in January.
• We have built in a 2-day Mod Break between Mod 1 and Mod 2. As a result, we have shifted the ending of Mod 2  into the week of Thanksgiving when we typically have parent-student-teacher conferences.
• Parent-student-teacher conferences (which will be virtual) will be scheduled over the period of the booster block in December.

Monday, September 14: Mod 1 classes begin for all students. Blocks A, C, and F begin.
(Note: Grade 9 and 12 students will begin some classes the prior week, and all students will have the opportunity to meet with Mod 1 and Mod 2 teachers virtually prior to the first day of classes.)
Friday, October 16: Mod 2 ends
Monday, October 19–Tuesday, October 20: Mod Break
Wednesday, October 21: Mod 2 Begins. Blocks B, D, and E begin.
Tuesday, November 24: Mod 2 ends
Wednesday, November 25–Friday, November 27: Thanksgiving Recess
Monday, November 30: Booster Block begins for all full-credit blocks. REMOTE ONLY.
Friday, December 18: Booster Block ends. Trimester One ends. December Break begins. 

Advantages of the Modular System
Employing a modular approach provides many advantages. By reducing the number of classes a student is in at one time, we are able to reduce the number of people students and teachers will come in contact with in the event we are in person. In addition, this model reinforces sound educational practice that prioritizes deep learning in fewer subjects for longer blocks of time. Students are able to focus more coherently on fewer subjects which leads to more durable learning. With longer blocks and fewer subjects at a time, this approach enables stronger student-teacher relationships, peer to peer collaboration, and opportunities for creative, student centered and skill based learning. Because all courses will need to be reimagined for this format, we are better able to integrate topics around diversity, equity, and anti-racism. And with fewer blocks this approach prioritizes a healthy pace for students and faculty. Any significant change in academic approach will certainly usher in concerns around curriculum, content, assessment. This will be the case here; however, we feel strongly that the health, safety, and social emotional benefits of this approach outweigh other concerns. Additionally, all possible models for teaching and learning during the pandemic will impact how we plan, what we teach, how much we teach, and how we assess. 

This modular concept provides the most conservative in-person model from a safety standpoint and the most progressive learning model from an educational standpoint. Additionally, in the event we are in a distanced model, it retains the progressive elements of the mod system while allowing us toggle back and forth between distance and hybrid as circumstances warrant.

The Mod system prioritizes the hybrid model. At this point, we believe that the safest way to bring students back to school is in a hybrid format. Therefore, we are building the concept around a hybrid model with the understanding that this design can easily transition to distanced or fully on campus if needed/desired from this approach. 

In the hybrid model we will divide students into two cohorts (Blue and Green). Each group will attend school in person 2 days per week. Blue group will attend school on Monday and Thursday and Green group will attend school on Tuesday and Friday. When students are not in class/school they are working asynchronously rather than “Zooming” into the classroom. In addition, alternating Wednesdays will be a virtual day for the full class to meet (Blue and Green together). The off-week Wednesday will be focused on planning, prep, and community events. This allows us to have one day a week focused on deep cleaning the campus, enforcing more distancing, community programming, and additional time for faculty planning and prep.

The advantages of the hybrid model are many. While we cannot eliminate all risk, this model is clearly the safest way to bring students back to campus. This model allows us to significantly de-densify the building and maintain 6 feet of distance in classrooms and other group spaces.  This model gives students the opportunity to be in classrooms with their teachers and classmates. Smaller classes and fewer blocks in a day makes it easier to move classes outside. In addition, fewer blocks also minimizes passing time during the day. With fewer blocks due to the mod system and fewer students due to the hybrid system, this model minimizes risk while allowing for modified in-person schooling. There are other hybrid structures we considered, including one week on/one week off and two days on/three days off models; there are strengths and weaknesses to each option. We selected this model because it enhances teaching and learning by keeping groups parallel with each other without having to rely on a live-streaming approach, students are never out of school for an extended period of time which keeps them more engaged and more consistently supported by their teachers, and the days in and out of school are predictable from week-to-week.

Hybrid Schedule and Sample Student Schedule
Please click here to view the Hybrid Daily Schedule for Mod 1 and Mod 2. Sample student schedules are also included. 

Student Cohorts
The assignment of Blue and Green cohort groups will be made with an eye towards balancing classes, co-curricular activities, and bus routes as evenly as we can. The complexity of our class schedule and the numerous courses we offer makes this task very challenging. Our commitment to ensure that students from the same family remain in the same group adds to the puzzle. It will not be possible to balance all groups evenly, but our priority is to keep group sizes small enough to be safely accommodated in our classrooms and busses. With this in mind, it will be very difficult for us to change a student’s group assignment and therefore we will not be able to accommodate requests to switch groups. Group assignments will be shared at the end of August. 

Pods
As outlined in our earlier communication, students will be assigned to a pod that will serve as their base when not in class. Pods will be located in large spaces on campus and sizes will be capped to enforce distancing. Students will be assigned their own individual pod seat. These seats will not be assigned to another student on off days. A clear barrier will separate students from those sitting opposite them and there will be six feet of distance from students on either side. Students will be required to be in their pod seat when not in classrooms, resource centers or in outdoor break spaces. Students will have lunch (grab and go) in their pods. Students will also use their pod seats to keep personal items not carried with them to classes. Lockers will not be available for student use.  

While the concept is the same as our foundational hybrid model, the distance learning schedule is different because we do not need to separate the class into two groups. So this design has blocks meeting 4x per week for 60 minutes each. To reduce the time students are in class (via Zoom) we will cap the number of minutes to approximately 3 synchronous hours per class per week. But with the four blocks, teachers have significant flexibility with how they structure those four blocks including meeting with small groups as well as the full class over the course of the week. In the event that we are distanced, the frequency of meeting times and reduced number of courses at a time will foster a stronger sense of community and relationship within each class.

Distance Learning Plan Schedule and Sample Student Schedule
Please click here to view the Distance Learning Daily Schedule for Mod 1 and Mod 2.

Grading and Assessment
The mod system will require that we assess students more frequently and in a variety of ways. Students should expect ongoing formative assessments throughout the mod. The longer blocks will further support creative assessments. It will also require students to stay engaged and proactive about connecting with teachers when questions and/or concerns arise. We are working to formalize our reporting system to align better with the mod approach. As we further refine our reporting process, we will share more information with you. In the meantime, we have made the following adjustments.

• With a 5-week mod, we will not be sharing mid-term indicators as we do in our traditional schedule. For students struggling early in the mod, we will have a report that a teacher may fill out to communicate concerns to advisors and/or parents. 
• We will continue to use the grade 9 standards to report feedback to grade 9 students. Because grade 9 students will have the steepest learning curve to adjust to our academic program as they also transition to a new school community, grade 9 students will not receive letter grades for the first trimester. They will receive standards based feedback  along with a brief narrative comment at the end of the mods. As we get closer to T2 and T3, we will determine how best to assess grade 9 students for the remainder of the year.
• Students in grades 10–12 will receive grades and a narrative comment for trimester one. Recognizing that the mod system will be new for all students, we continue to think about how best to weight T1 Mod grades into full-year courses and final grades. For single trimester courses, the T1 grade will appear on student transcripts (for grades 10–12).
• Successful completion of the Booster Block project period will be necessary for students to earn credit in their T1 courses. We are continuing to formalize how we will assess the Booster Block work and will share more later in the trimester. 

Advanced Placement Courses 
All courses in any pandemic models will have to cut back content to emphasize essential knowledge and prioritize skill building. We expect AP courses to continue to provide a rigorous, intellectually demanding and stimulating learning experience. But given the compromises we need to make to our daily schedule in terms of time in ANY model, it is not feasible that we will be able to cover the full AP curriculum (barring any modifications from the College Board). Students will have the choice to sit for the AP exam, but will no longer be required to take the AP exam. Students who choose to take the exam may need to cover additional content independently of what will be covered in class.  

Drop/Add Period
Because the balancing of students into Blue and Green cohorts is so precarious and the change to a student’s schedule could disrupt this balance in many classes and other school groups, we must limit student flexibility with dropping or adding a course for the first trimester.  The drop/add period will be shortened.  While this may feel like it minimizes student choice at this time, we must uphold this policy to maintain the health and safety of our program. For new students, we will continue to monitor course levels and if the relevant department feels a level change is necessary, we will work to adjust schedules accordingly. The drop/add process will be curtailed for T1, but students will have more flexibility with drop/add for T2 and T3 courses.

Remote Learning and Attendance
We recognize that some families may not feel comfortable sending their child to school for in person learning in our hybrid model. We are committed to keeping all students engaged in our academic program and we will work with individual students to develop a remote learning plan. In addition, we expect that students from time to time will need to transition to a remote learning program due to quarantining rules or other factors. All of our classrooms will be equipped with the technology to livestream when necessary. While livestreaming is not our daily teaching and learning approach for all students, we are able to employ this approach as needed to support students who need to be out of class for an extended period of time.  With the mod system truncating the time period in which students will be in a specific class, attendance (virtual or in person) will be critical. However, we recognize how challenging this might be during the pandemic. Therefore, we will continue to remain flexible for students who may need to make up course work at a different time. Lastly, it is possible that some courses may need to run remotely for all students as we support the individual health and safety needs of our faculty. 

Technology to Support Our Reimagined Academic Plans and Program
Please click here to learn more about enhancements to our educational technology and resources to support our academic program in the year ahead. 

School Supplies
Each department is working on developing a list of school supplies that students will be expected to have for work in their courses. We may expand our typical list of supplies in order to minimize the need for sharing supplies and resources in the classroom. We will share more about required supplies at the beginning of the school year. 

Faculty Support and Professional Development 
Our faculty have been tireless in their planning for the fall. As they work to reimagine their courses for the fall, they have engaged in significant professional development. Every teacher enrolled in a blended learning course that focused on developing authentic learning experiences that foster healthy relationships.  This is a steep learning curve for all of us, and we are incredibly fortunate to have such committed, forward thinking, and student centered teachers. In addition, our faculty are being trained on Canvas as we transition to this single learning management system for all courses. Finally, we will be working with all teachers on the integration of technology resources such as 360 OWL devices and USB document cameras.  Our faculty are looking forward to reconnecting with our students. As we come together again, we expect all members of the Pingree community will share in our commitment to adhering to our health and safety guidelines and to extend grace and patience as together we transition to our new modes of teaching and learning. 

As we continue to flesh out the myriad details of our academic program, we will likely unearth additional challenges or conflicts inherent in these plans. Undoubtedly there will be concerns that we are not teaching enough or we are too ambitious in our program plans. As we further refine our program and respond to the daily changes that will inevitably impact our plans, we want to assure families that our priority right now is the health and wellbeing of our students and faculty and maintaining a climate of care and strong relationships within our community. This experience forces us to broaden our definition of learning and in doing so we are able to prioritize the development of skills and foster character traits that will serve our students and our community.