Hybrid Learning

Live Feed for Hybrid Learning

A hybrid learning model, with live feed using Webex and Cisco PresenterTrack, will allow us to support rotating cohorts (one week on campus and one week at home) and students whose families choose to keep their student home. This system will also help students who must be temporarily absent due to a health concern or when on campus attendance is not recommended or allowed. The student can still work from home, continue with instruction remotely, and not fall behind.

TKA has installed Cisco PresenterTrack to improve the remote learning experience. Watch this short demo to see how it works! Teachers can teach from their classrooms and the camera will automatically follow them and focus on what they are doing. This experience will be a significant improvement over Zoom. TKA invested $300,000 into new software and hardware to deliver this enhanced experience and is the only school in California using this technology!

Hybrid Learning Model

online hybrid classroom graphic

When Santa Clara County moved from the purple tier to the red tier in California's Blueprint for a Safer Economy, this allowed all schools in the county to reopen provided they follow Santa Clara County Public Health guidelines. This allowed TKA to open in a hybrid learning format on Monday, October 26. 

The reopening of TKA's campus in a hybrid format presents certain challenges.  TKA believes there are many positive benefits of reopening our campus, and they outweigh the negatives. However, every parent needs to make the appropriate decision for their student.  For that reason, TKA continues to offer a completely online format for parents who wish for their students to remain at home. 

It is important to understand our school community needs to prepare for waves of interruption to on-campus learning. A shift back to 100% remote learning is possible if our local community or school community experiences a spike in COVID-19 cases. 

As we continue our work together to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, we thank you for your partnership and the trust you have shown TKA. Under every circumstance, our goal is to fulfill the mission of The King's Academy: to inspire academic excellence, servant leadership, and enduring relationships. However, providing a safe and healthy learning environment for the TKA community is our highest priority. 

Safety Plans

Santa Clara County Public Health COVID Safety Plan

TKA Hybrid Learning Health & Safety Plan

TKA's Hybrid Learning Health & Safety Plan linked here details what steps TKA will take to ensure public health guidelines are met, how we will sanitize the campus, and protocols for if someone becomes sick while at school or if there is a COVID-19 exposure on campus. After reading the plan, if you still have questions, please email Matt Nisbet, Director of Operations.  We are here to answer your questions and to serve your family.

Cohort Rotation Semester 2

  • March 8-11 - GOLD COHORT ON CAMPUS
  • March 15-18 - BLUE COHORT ON CAMPUS
  • March 22-25 - GOLD COHORT ON CAMPUS
  • March 29 - April 1 - BLUE COHORT ON CAMPUS
  • April 12-15 - GOLD COHORT ON CAMPUS
  • April 19-22 - BLUE COHORT ON CAMPUS
  • April 26-29 - GOLD COHORT ON CAMPUS
  • May 3-6 - BLUE COHORT ON CAMPUS
  • May 10-13 - GOLD COHORT ON CAMPUS
  • May 17-20 - BLUE COHORT ON CAMPUS
  • May 24-27 - ALL COHORTS REMOTE LEARNING OFF CAMPUS
  • End of Semester 2

*At present, January 18, February 12, and February 15 are still planned days off from school.  Please anticipate a special schedule to be published later for each of the weeks including those dates. 

**An updated cohort rotation calendar for the remainder of the semester will also be published when the first 9 weeks of Semester 2 come to a close.

Rotating Schedule

Monday through Thursday will be live, synchronous learning. Each teacher will determine if Friday will be synchronous, asynchronous, or no work required. Teachers will post whether a class will be synchronous or asynchronous on Fridays in a Google Classroom announcement and the Family Portal homework section. There will be no Home Group on Fridays. The campus will be closed to all students on Friday, allowing TKA to disinfect the campus before the next cohort begins the following week.

COVID-19 Daily Screening Form

Staff and Students will fill out the COVID-19 Response Form in the FACTS Family Portal (School Home→Web Forms), or using TKA's mobile app "Health Screening Form), indicating they are not ill and are symptom-free by answering NO to all of the following questions each day before coming to school: 

THIS SCREENING IS REQUIRED BY SANTA CLARA COUNTY.  Students on campus found to have not completed the screening will be pulled from their class until this requirement is met. If any answer is "YES," staff or students must remain home and contact the school at SAO@tka.org for further instructions.

 

Student Daily Preparation

STUDENTS: BRING TO CAMPUS EACH DAY

  • Electronic Device - All students  must bring their electronic device to school fully charged.
  • Lunch - and any snacks for the day, but students cannot share
  • Water bottle - filled upon arrival, which can be refilled on campus
  • Face covering - must be worn over face and nose upon arrival to campus
  • Backup face covering
  • Power cord/charger - TKA will not have backups, and students cannot share
  • Headphones - these will still be needed for breakout groups
  • New Campus Map - download here!

STUDENTS:  PRE-ARRIVAL ON CAMPUS

  • Complete self-check COVID-19 Response Form daily in Family Portal --> Web Forms--> COVID Response Form.
  • Stay home if sick or temperature above 100.0°F within past 3 days.
  • Stay home if experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms within past 3 days.
  • Bring your own lunch, snacks, and filled personal water bottle.

ARRIVAL ON CAMPUS

  • Students arrive wearing a mask.
  • Students maintain 6' spacing when waiting for classes to begin.
  • Parents remain in cars.
  • Parents drop-off after 7:30 a.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday (9:15 a.m. on Wednesday).

STUDENTS:  ATTENTION WHILE ON-CAMPUS

  • No sharing of books, devices, food.
  • Keep 6' spacing ALL DAY even during breaks.
  • Masks on unless eating, drinking, or engaging in physical activity.
  • Wash hands often.
  • Adhere to signs for occupancy limits.

DEPARTING CAMPUS

  • Students maintain 6' spacing while waiting for pick-up.
  • Parents ensure students are picked up by 3:30 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday, and by 3:15 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday.

Cohort Parent Hybrid Agreements

As a reminder, please review these points that families must agree to in order to participate in the hybrid mode of learning at TKA:

  • You will not send your student to school with any symptoms of COVID-19, including fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, new loss of taste or smell, or any of the following symptoms that are not explained by another reason: fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, sore throat, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.
  • Your student will complete the COVID-19 training provided by TKA no later than 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, October 20, 2020.
  • Your student will fill out the COVID-19 Questionnaire on the FACTS SIS no later than 7:30 a.m. each day they plan to come to campus.
  • You will be prepared to keep your student at home, or pick up your student from school as soon as possible, if the school administration determines there are at-risk conditions present for COVID-19 infections that involve your student.
  • You will hold TKA harmless should your student contract COVID-19

Dropping-off, Picking-up, Visiting Campus, and Deliveries

  • Parents/guardians and other family members who are not TKA students are NOT ALLOWED to walk onto campus without an appointment.  The same is true for TKA students wanting to meet a staff or faculty member when it is not during their cohort week on campus.  Please check in at the Main Office and wait for the specific staff or faculty member to meet you there.
  • Please be reminded that parents/guardians dropping off and picking up students must remain in their vehicles.  This is a requirement from Santa Clara County.  
  • Any meetings between parents/guardians and staff or faculty need to be conducted through online meetings.  Meetings in person can be scheduled only if necessary, but MUST be scheduled in advance. 

Cohort Model

For those who elect to participate in the on-campus hybrid learning model, students will be divided into two cohorts, Blue and Gold. Cohorts will be assigned with the priority of keeping siblings together and carpools together. Friend groups may be considered after all other priorities are met.

Cohorts attend school for four consecutive days, Monday through Thursday. Friday will be a work from home day allowing TKA to disinfect the campus before the other cohort begins the following Monday. Cohorts will continue to rotate for the remainder of the semester.

Students who are in cohorts will be required to:

  • Complete a required online educational training.
  • Complete a daily online health screening.
  • Respect all social-distancing guidelines in class and during breaks/lunch.
  • Wear a face covering the entire day except when eating, drinking, or engaging in physical activity.
  • Bring their lunches and snacks as TKA will not be serving food. 

Parents with students in cohorts will be required to:

  • Sign a commitment contract agreeing to all terms for on-campus learning and holding TKA harmless if your student contracts COVID-19.
  • Remain in their cars as they drop off and pick-up students.
  • Drop off students no earlier than 7:30 a.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays and no earlier than 9:15 a.m. on Wednesday mornings.
  • Pick up students when school ends and no later than 3:15 p.m.
  • Limit exposure to staff as much as possible by emailing or scheduling an online meeting.
  • Make an appointment to speak to someone in the office if an in-person meeting is desired.

Note these stipulations are required to preserve the health and safety for those on-campus:

  • If a parent chooses to keep a student home in remote learning, the student cannot be considered for a cohort until Semester 2 starts in January.
  • If assigned to a cohort, a student may choose to move into the fully online format at any point in the semester. However, the student cannot return to the hybrid format until Semester 2 starts in January

Face Covering Requirements

These guidelines are from SCCPHD.

Teachers and Staff 

  • All adults must wear a cloth face covering at all times while on campus, except while eating or drinking. 
  • Staff excluded from this requirement are those that require respiratory protection according to Cal/OSHA standards.  

Students 

All students are required to wear cloth face coverings*:

  • while arriving and departing from school campus
  • in any area outside of the classroom except when eating, drinking, or engaging in physical activity
  • when in the classroom, even in a stable classroom cohort

Students excluded from face covering requirements include: 

  1. Anyone who has trouble breathing or is unconscious, incapacitated, or otherwise unable to remove the covering without assistance 

  2. Students with special needs who are unable to tolerate a face covering.

*What is defined as a face covering and why do we need them?

(CDC Guidance on Face Coverings)

A face covering means a covering made of cloth, fabric, or other soft or permeable material, without holes, that covers only the nose and mouth and surrounding areas of the lower face. A face covering may include a scarf or bandana or any other homemade covering and does not need to be medical-grade. In light of new data about how COVID-19 spreads, along with evidence of widespread COVID-19 illness in communities across the country, CDC recommends that people wear a cloth face covering to cover their nose and mouth in the community setting. This is to protect people around you if you are infected but do not have symptoms.

Video: How to Wear A Fabric Mask Safely