BACK TO SCHOOL: Westside’s multi-layer plan

| Coronavirus | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Continuing our look at how West Seattle’s independent/parochial schools are starting this pandemic-enmeshed year: Westside School (WSB sponsor) in Arbor Heights has a hybrid plan – some remote, some in-person, and the preK-8 school already has laid out how that will change if/when COVID-19 risk levels change. The step-by-step plan, tied to those risk levels, is here.

Since King County is currently still considered “high risk,” Westside plans to “maintain three in-person days for our PS/PK/K students and one weekly in-person day for our 2nd-4th grade students,” which the school says is “directly linked to the (state Department of Health) recommendation to include ‘limited in-person learning in small groups … for the highest-need students, (including) younger learners’.” 5th through 8th graders will start the year all-remote, and they’ll stay that way until King County moves to Phase 3, when they’ll attend in person on alternating days, while lower grades will then be on campus full time. The school’s plan also details transition time and building reconfiguration steps when the risk level drops – for example, they’ll wait five days before starting to move to the next stage of the plan, to be sure the reduction in the risk level isn’t short-lived.

School starts tomorrow for preschool, pre-K, K, and 4th graders, while 5th and 6th graders will have an off-campus “in-person experiential learning” day.

Ws September 1, 2020 (10:05 pm)

This sounds like a really well thought out plan. Way to go Westside! I love hearing about what independent schools are doing during this difficult time.

Peter September 1, 2020 (10:25 pm)

Best wishes this year to all the amazing Westside students!

PublicSchoolsProponent September 2, 2020 (11:01 am)

Why the focus on independent and parochial schools? Seems to me a relatively small percentage of your readers choose to or can afford to send their kids to private school. At a time when Black Lives Matter is in the news, and the rich are getting richer while the poor are getting poorer, it comes across like none of that matters.

WSB September 2, 2020 (11:14 am)

Hi, we’ve already reported on what Seattle Public Schools are doing and will continue to cover them amply. We had not previously reported on what these schools were doing, but that’s news too, and that’s why we’re reporting it – TR

westseattleproud September 2, 2020 (12:22 pm)

Kudos to the Westside team who has been working tirelessly since February and has been thoughtful every step of the way. It’s a really tough time to be a teacher and a school administrator, public or private. Our family supports both the public schools and private schools with children at both locations. We also pay taxes to support the public schools like everyone else and vote YES for every possible funding opportunity for the public schools. Thank you, Westside!

Privileged? September 2, 2020 (12:43 pm)

To be fair. These schools are not exclusively for the privileged rich and white. I carpooled with another scholarship/financial aid student (my middle class family got aid for me) who was Black to an exclusive north Seattle high school in the early seventies. Fifteen years ago, we felt fortunate to be able to commit to the expense of Westside for our only child. We believe she thoroughly benefitted from her experience at Westside, which also has scholarship programs of the type that helped me and my carpooler 50 years ago. We were also fortunate to be able to contribute to the school, but did so specifically in support of scholarship and diversity opportunities. I add our public schools to the systems of government desperately needing change including SPD, mental health services, homeless services. and affordable housing. I believe in the concept of public schools but Seattle has been grappling and failing its school system for so long (since my time of bussing) that a large number of private schools have been established. In terms of the BLM movement, these private schools lacking the bureaucracy of the SPS, have the unique challenge and opportunity to shift their curriculum quickly to address and embrace current developments.If you are a parent who can’t afford but supports your child having such an opportunity, please check any of these schools out.

Lisa September 2, 2020 (12:44 pm)

I’m so excited to see that Westside has developed such a thoughtful and multi-layered plan to continue educating our kids. It provides structure while still allowing for flexibility as new information becomes available. I very much appreciate Westside continuing to focus on knowing its kids and ensuring joyful learning even during remote education – thank you!

Rob September 2, 2020 (1:05 pm)

Such a wonderfully thought out plan. I appreciate the care you can tell that has gone into it. I also appreciate Westside trying to balance getting kids back in school with health risks to the kids, their families and the Westside staff and using science to make these decisions.

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