Coronavirus and CVSD News Updates

April 7 Update

Good Evening Conewago Valley School District,

On April 14, 2020, Conewago Valley School District will begin Phase II of the continuity of education for students and families! The district plan submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) can be found here and our district website. The overall goal of our continuity of education plan is to continue to offer enrichment and review along with planned instruction. Planned instruction will be the introduction of new standards and concepts for students to engage with and practice. Your child’s teachers will be in touch regularly to provide access to educational materials. Teachers will also be available to answer questions and offer support.

As in phase I, learning opportunities for our students in Grades 7-12 will be accessible through the Schoology platform. Students should consistently check their district-issued email account, as well. For our students in Grades K-6, learning opportunities will happen through SeeSaw, Study Island, eSpark, IXL, and other educational sites. Communication with students and families will happen through SeeSaw and Skyward.

During Phase II, student assessment will focus on feedback and growth. Each building will be sending out more detailed information as it pertains to their specific building either Wednesday or Thursday. You can find more information by looking at each building’s webpage regarding their continuity of education plan.

As we prepare for Phase II of our continuity of education plan, please do not forget we have developed a guide for students and parents. This guide will have information for students and parents to help during this time. In addition, this guide will have contact information for different areas you may have questions about. Click here to access our Continuity of Learning Guide.

Please do not forget about the parent resource site. Please click here to learn more about CVSD Digital Learning Resources. This resource is a work in progress and it will be updated regularly.

As always, thank you for your continued patience and support. We will communicate updates in a timely fashion as they arise.

Yours in Education,
Dr. Christopher Rudisill Superintendent

(Spanish letter)

March 31 Update

Good Evening Conewago Valley School District, 
Tomorrow kicks off our continuity of education to students and families! We are excited to offer this learning opportunity to our students. Our teachers have been working diligently to prepare meaningful learning experiences. Students, please check your district email for messages from your teachers. Parents, please be on the lookout for emails coming from Skyward to help engage you in this process, too. Students are encouraged to participate in the posted learning opportunities. The activities will not take the place of regular classroom instruction, but are meant to provide opportunities for students to engage in learning at home. 

Learning opportunities for our students in Grades 7-12 will be accessible through the Schoology platform. Students should consistently check their district-issued email account, as well. For our students in Grades K-6, learning opportunities may happen through SeeSaw, Study Island, eSpark, IXL, and other educational sites. Communication with students and families will happen through SeeSaw and Skyward. 

As you may know, Governor Wolf has closed schools indefinitely. What does this mean for Conewago Valley School District? We will continue to provide continuity of education on April 1-8 as we have communicated. Starting April 14, 2020, we will begin a new phase of our continuity of education. We are currently working on this, and when we finish our planning, we will share what our plan is for Conewago Valley School District. Our goal will be to share this new phase with you early next week. Thank you for your patience as we navigate through these unprecedented times in developing our continuity of education for our students. 

I am sure there are still many questions you have. Please refer to the second page of this letter for answers to some of these frequently asked questions. 

As we prepare for our continuity of education, we have developed a guide for students and parents. This guide will have information for students and parents to help during this time. In addition, this guide will have contact information for different areas you may have questions about. Click here to access our Continuity of Learning Guide. 

Please do not forget about the parent resource site. Please click here to learn more about CVSD Digital Learning Resources. This resource is a work in progress and it will be updated regularly. As always, thank you for your continued patience and support. We will communicate updates in a timely fashion as they arise. 

Yours in Education, 
Dr. Christopher Rudisill
​Superintendent 


FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: 
What about grades April 1-8, 2020? 
● For grades K-8, teachers will be providing feedback only for these 6 days of instruction. Grades 9-12 teachers will be providing the opportunity for students to complete and submit incomplete work to help finalize third marking period grades. 
What about school events (Prom, Graduation, Field Trips, Concerts, Sporting Events)? 
● All events are postponed as long as our schools are closed 
What about devices for students K-6? 
● If you are in need of a device for your child please complete the following survey 
What about internet service for students K-12? 
● Conewago Valley School District is trying to secure hot spots to be able to distribute to families. If you are in need of internet service please complete the following survey, if you have not already. ​

March 30 Update

Earlier this afternoon, Governor Wolf announced that schools across Pennsylvania are closed until further notice.  We will continue to monitor the situation and communicate updates as needed.  

Also, please know that we will continue our plan to offer continuity of education on Wednesday, April 1, 2020.  I will send more information out Tuesday evening to the Conewago Valley community.

As always, please remember to practice good hygiene habits, wash your hands, and practice social distancing.

Yours In Education,

Dr. Rudisill
Superintendent
Good morning Conewago Valley,

As we prepare for our first week for continuity of education, I want to share a few updates with you.  Please do not forget starting April 1, 2020, teachers will post or send learning opportunities to you for the week.  Please encourage your child to participate.  While we realize these opportunities will not take the place of regular classroom instruction, it is our hope that these activities will engage students in learning at home.  Please be on the lookout for communication from your building principals and teachers sometime this week.

We understand this is an uncomfortable time for everyone, students, parents, administrators, and teachers.  Please remember we will get through this together! We will be a better community and school district because of this situation.  We are truly blessed at Conewago Valley with excellent teachers and administrators, amazing students, and supportive parents.  
​
As always, please practice good hygiene habits, wash your hands, and practice social distancing.  We are available to help and answer any questions or concerns you may have.

Yours in Education,
Dr. Christopher Rudisill, Superintendent

March 26 Update - SPECIAL EDUCATION

Special Education Update from Dr. Corbin.  
Click here for Parent Letter.  (Spanish version)

March 25 Update

Good Afternoon Conewago Valley School District Community,

We are living in a time where normal is anything but normal. I hope over these two weeks, you were able to bond and reconnect as a family. With the recent announcement from Governor Wolf that schools are to remain closed until April 8, 2020, for students, I wanted to reach out to you to share what Conewago Valley plans to do to continue educating our students.

Staff would be allowed to return, provided COVID-19 is subsiding, on April 7th and 8th with the first student day commencing on April 9th, 2020. However, because this falls on a holiday (Easter) weekend, CVSD students would not physically return to school until Tuesday, April 14th, 2020.

CVSD plans to provide continuity of education to students and families starting April 1, 2020, and progressing until April 8, 2020, at a minimum. Continuity of education is designed to keep the minds of our youth actively engaged in a common curriculum while allowing students in credit-bearing courses to move forward in their learning. We want you all to participate fully in the continuation model because this will benefit everyone for the common good of our most precious resource, our youth. There will be more information to come regarding what this will look like for your child. Should we receive further direction from the Department of Education on the model of education allowed beyond April 8, 2020, we will be sure to keep you informed.

I was informed on March 24, 2020, the Department of Education canceled all standardized testing originally scheduled for this spring. This cancellation includes the PSSA, PASA, and Keystone Exams, along with NIMS assessments (National Institute for Metalworking Skills) and NOCTI exams (National Occupational Competency Testing Institute). With testing originally scheduled to begin shortly, this provides much-needed relief for staff and families concerned their students would return to school only to face days of testing. Thus, when we actually return to school, we are able to concentrate on providing planned instruction for our students.

We will remain a stable, reliable, and steadfast guide to students and families throughout the mandatory closure period. We will do our very best to enrich the lives of our families daily as we would take care of our own. To this end, the district has created a Google Site of optional learning resources for you to use with your children.

Please click here to learn more about CVSD Digital Learning Resources. This resource is a work in progress and it will be updated regularly. We only ask you to do the best you can as a family to support the same cause.

As always, thank you for your continued patience and support. We will communicate updates in a timely fashion as they arise.

Yours in Education,
Dr. Christopher Rudisill,
Superintendent

March 20 Update

As we finish up the first week of our school closure, I wanted to provide an update on the school district. First and foremost, thank you to all our parents and students for following good hygiene habits, washing your hands, and practicing social distancing as appropriate. This has been a busy week for our school district. We were able to prepare and serve over 750 breakfasts and lunches to our students. Please remember if you are in need of a meal please stop by the New Oxford High School front awning and lobby between the hours of 11:00 AM and 12:30 PM Monday through Friday. Remember you must have your child with you to receive the meals.

Our Custodians and Maintenance were able to get through our buildings and do a deep cleaning of our facilities. All surfaces have been wiped down and disinfected, carpets and floors have been vacuumed and cleaned, and all handles and windows have been cleaned. Our schools will be ready for our students!

Finally, I am asking each family to please take a few minutes over this weekend to complete a quick survey for Conewago Valley School District. The survey will be available on our website or via this message. Please click the link to answer a few questions:
https://forms.gle/9vdiRNhnTTdQBujA7
Please fill out only one survey per household.
We are asking for everyone to complete this survey by Monday, March 23, 2020 at 3 p.m.
The answers and information we obtain will help us determine appropriate steps in moving forward to providing the best education possible for our students.
​(printable format)
If you do not have access to do the survey online, please print the and complete the PDF and mail it to the following address:
Dr. Christopher Rudisill
Conewago Valley School District
130 Berlin Road
New Oxford, PA 17350

Thank you for your continued understanding, patience, and support as we navigate through the current situation. As always, protecting the health and safety of our students, faculty, and staff is our utmost concern, and we will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation closely and communicate as appropriate.

March 16 Update 

Starting today, Monday, March 23, 2020, we will be serving meals on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  The times will be the same 11:00 am - 12:30 pm. We will be serving two lunches and two breakfasts for each family on Monday so they have enough food for Tuesday. We will repeat the process for Wednesday and Friday.  
During this district closure, Conewago Valley School District wants to continue to provide nutritious meals for our students.  We will be implementing a free Grab-n-Go program. This program is for all students in the Conewago Valley School District. Please see the attached PDF to the email or checkout Facebook to get more information.  This program will begin on Wednesday, March 18, 2020. Lunches and breakfast may be picked up between the hours of 11:00 AM and 12:30 PM at New Oxford High School Lobby. Thank you and we will continue to update you as we learn more information on the impact of COVID-19 virus on our school district.
WHO: ALL children 18-years and younger
WHAT: Includes one (1) free grab-and-go lunch and one (1) free grab-and-go breakfast for each child present
WHERE: New Oxford High School Front Awning and Lobby, please follow signs
WHEN: Begins Wednesday, March 18, 2020, 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. weekdays only. On Fridays, receive an additional bag of food for each child for the weekend. 
HOW: Walk-up or drive-thru. No advanced sign-up is required.
We kindly ask that you maintain a 6-feet of distance between you and others. Please do not gather.​

Yours in Education,
Dr. Christopher Rudisill
Superintendent

March 13 Update

Dear Conewago Valley School District Community:
Conewago Valley School District administration, along with health and government officials continue to monitor the latest developments regarding COVID-19, known as the coronavirus. Though we are unaware of any student or staff member in our district having or being exposed to the virus, it is important for the district to maintain open communication with you regarding our ongoing measures to ensure the safety and security of our students, staff, and community.

To ensure the health, safety, and well-being of our students and staff, and to do our part in trying to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 throughout the District community and region, all Conewago Valley School District schools will be closed from March 16, 2020, through March 27, 2020.

The closure affects all programming at the school, including before- and after-school activities, all athletic and extracurricular practices and competitions, weekend events, and all facility use by outside groups beginning today, Friday, March 13, 2020 at 5:00 pm. We will resume all activities on Monday, March 30, 2020. We understand that this closure may cause an inconvenience, but trust that you will support our efforts on behalf of the wellness of our community.

In order to promote instructional equity for all of our students, the district will make up the days through the use of “snow make-up” days, and other days available to us through communication with the Pennsylvania Department of Education. These methods will be determined once we realize the full scope of impact that closures may have in the coming weeks.

All official District updates and information regarding COVID-19 will be sent to you via our Skyward platform by email or phone.

As always, protecting the health and safety of our students, faculty, and staff is our utmost concern, and we will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation closely and communicate as appropriate.

Yours in Education,
Christopher S. Rudisill, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What does the closure mean for AP exams, standardized tests, PSSAs and Keystones?
  • The PA Dept. of Education will provide guidance regarding PSSAs and Keystones which our district would follow when any changes are determined. We will communicate any changes to SAT, ACT or AP guidance as it is communicated with our district.
Some students can continue to just get information from teachers online; was that considered? 
  • As a district, we are responsible for the equity of access to instruction for all students; that includes students without home access to the internet and appropriate programming for students with disabilities.  This is taken into consideration with any days that we consider “instructional days”; and will be part of any planning that occurs for days missed beyond this two week period.                    
My child’s school has an event planned during this time (i.e. musical, awards night, academic night (STEM Night), etc.) Will these events take place when school resumes?
  • All activities are currently canceled through March 27. Individual buildings, programs, and activities will communicate plans for events scheduled after that date; or make-up dates for those missed, as they are determined.                
Will students enrolled in dual enrollment classes in high school have any different deadlines for their HACC classes?
  • Any changes to dual enrollment course deadlines will be communicated via the high school if there are any changes based on the current closure.
When will these days be made up?
  • Currently, the Governor has stated that the days missed from March 16-March 27 will not count against the state required 180 school days. We will respond appropriately as a district once the total number of days missed due to “virus” closures has been determined.
Will graduation still be held on May 29th?
  • There are currently no plans to change graduation. It will still be held on May 29th.                
Will you reevaluate the situation in two weeks before the students go back to school?
  • Yes, the Governor has stated that the closures state-wide will be re-evaluated during the current closure. We as a district will also re-evaluate operations during that time as well. We remain in close contact with PA Dept. of Ed., PA Dept of Health, and the other districts in our Intermediate Unit (Adams, Franklin, York Counties).
Does the district have a plan for meal distribution to our students on free and reduced breakfast/lunch?
  • Plans for meals for students are currently being determined and will be communicated once they are finalized. We hope to begin those services on Wednesday-March 18.
Can my child disinfect their iPad provided by the school? If so, how?
  • The recommendation for cleaning devices is to use a mix of up to 70% isopropyl alcohol and water. Clorox and other cleaners will remove the coating on devices that minimize the fingerprint on the screen. Avoid using any chlorine-based cleaners, such as bleach, peroxides (including hydrogen peroxide), solvents such as; acetone, paint thinner, benzene, methylene chloride or toluene ammonia (ex. Windex) or ethyl alcohol.
My child has their medication at school and I will need it before two weeks.. how do I go about getting it back?
  • If you have medication at school that needs to be “picked up” during the closure, please email our Supervisor of EducationalPrograms at sipek@cvcolonials.org, and a plan will be created to facilitate the “pick up”.
My child attends the virtual academy... is it closed?
  • All public schools are closed during the two week period, this includes all virtual programs provided by school districts and charter entities.
Is my son or daughter expected to complete school work during the two week closure?
  • No, your child will not be expected to complete school work during this two week closure. If work was sent home it was just for your child to keep practicing. The best recommendation is to have your child read at least 20 minutes a day if they wish.

CONTINUITY OF EDUCATION PLAN

Important Resources


Optional Educational Resources for children while out of school