First day of eLearning, Grab and Go goes well for Vandalia schools

Although there were just a few, isolated reports of “anxiety,” the Vandalia School District’s first day of at-home learning went well.

With the likelihood of school closures coming, school superintendents were encouraged two weeks ago to get an eLearning program in place so students could continue their education while at home.
The Vandalia district implemented its plan at the beginning of the week, and Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Garrison said that even though some parents had minor issues initially on Monday night, “the early reviews, overall, were pretty good, so we hope it continues.”
School board member Ryan Lewis, who has four students in Vandalia schools, gave the eLearning good marks.
“They (his children) absolutely loved it,” Lewis said.
“Everything that was put together by the teachers was so well put together, well planned. Everything was concise,” he said.
“I can’t speak for anyone else, but my kids absolutely (loved it),” Lewis said.
Garrison said that the district’s technology team had to put that plan together much quicker than planned.
“The big idea was kind of floating around in people’ minds, but we hadn’t put anything together,” Garrison said.
“We would have liked to have had a semester to roll this out, but we had two weeks,” she said.
Julie Lay led the team of C.J. Schmidt and Kent Kistler in putting together the plan, working with teachers in pre-K through grade 12, “and they put out phenomenal plans for our students to start working on today,” she said.
Tuesday was also the first day for the district’s Grab and Go program, through which students can receive lunches, either by picking them up at one of four sites or having them delivered through their regular bus routes.
Garrison said that 350 students were signed up for Grab and Go, and that 150 lunches were not picked up on Tuesday. Those lunches will be used another day.
The district’s cooks are preparing the sack lunches.
About 60 teachers, staff members and students showed up at the junior high on Tuesday morning for the lunch distribution, and Garrison said they discovered that only about half that would be needed each day.
At this point, Garrison said that they work on a schedule for workers, and she is hoping that they will continually have enough volunteers for the program. If not, Garrison said, she can mandate employees to assist.
She said there’s a possibility of district being able to also provide a breakfast offering down the road.
The first day of both the eLearning and Grab and Go, Garrison said, is an initial indicator of how adjustments made be needed as the school closures continue.
“As I said in my reports to you,” she said, “everything seems to change at least every 12 hours – sometimes, it’s hour by hour.”
Joe Lawson, the board president, said he realizes that this is a tough time for students, particularly those high school students.
“What’s the next six months going to hold?” he said. “We look at our seniors and say, you know, there may not be a graduation ceremony or there may not be a prom. There may not be a (National Honor Society) induction.
“And, so, our leadership is critical, and yet, I’m thankful that I’m surrounded by all of you, thankful for Dr. Garrison as she keeps us informed.
“It’s just a great time in history to be a leader. It’s a tough time to be a leader. I’m glad you all are he,” he said to other board members.
Also at the meeting, the board approved the hiring of Jeremy Rinkel as a curriculum coach; the transfer of third-grade teacher Kelley Hopwood to a curriculum coach position; and a maternity leave for Lyndsey Goodin, a junior high special education teacher.
 

Social distancing was practiced for Tuesday’s meeting of the Vandalia Board of Education, held in the high school cafeteria. From left to right are board members Kevin Satterthwaite and Adam Braun, board President Joe Lawson and Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Garrison.