An update from Mr. Ibarra, CCS Administrator:
March 24, 2020
Dear CCS Families:
Paul says in Romans 15:13, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” What an opportunity we have as a group of Christians! We have the hope that our society needs for such a time as this. We are to be salt and light, and we need to “let our light shine before men, that they may see our good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). When we think about our country and what is taking place today with the coronavirus, we hope you can see that we have been blessed with opportunity after opportunity to let our lights shine! We have been blessed with more time to spend with our families; let’s make the most of the restrictions that have been placed on our communities. We have been blessed with the opportunity to reach out to our neighbors; check up on them, and see if there is anything we can do to help them, and in so doing, provide them with a little bit of hope for the day. We, as well as you, understand that these are uncertain times, but what is certain is God’s Word and what an opportunity we have to live out His Word every day. Let us make the most of this opportunity and boldly go forward with the message of true hope, joy, and peace that is only available through a relationship with Jesus Christ. This is the mindset we strive to keep and encourage at CCS through this unprecedented time.
Our Continuous Learning Plan: School to Home E-Learning
Education as we know it has taken quite a turn, and we plan to make the most of it. So that we can maintain a Christ-centered education, we have implemented a continuous learning plan. CCS will be shifting to an e-learning system of education. Our focus will still remain the same—to partner with Christian families to provide a Christ-centered education that glorifies God. A virus can take our students out of our buildings, but it cannot take the message of Jesus Christ out of their hearts. We still strive to lead your children to the Lord each day we have the opportunity to do so. Biblical integration will still be happening, biblical worldview will still be taught, and chapel will still take place, but don’t worry, collared shirts will not be required.
So, what will this e-learning look like? E-learning will require access to the internet. In the event that internet access is not available to a student, we ask that you try to get service through a cell phone hotspot or contact a service provider for temporary service. If you are unable to do so due to finances, contact Mr. Ibarra for assistance.
Please understand that this is a fluid strategy and plans may need to be modified. We know issues or concerns may come up that would warrant us making changes. For that reason, it will be critical for you to stay in contact with CCS via email, the CCS News, and our school website where we will communicate changes that we need to make.
Getting Started with E-Learning
All CCS students will begin e-learning on Monday, March 30. E-learning school for grades K–12 starts at 8 a.m. and ends at 12 noon, Monday through Friday. If a student’s situation requires e-learning at a time other than weekday mornings, that’s fine. We realize some students will share devices and that family schedules can vary, so there is no requirement that every student must have a morning login. Students are expected to login every weekday at some point during the day, and mornings are the time teachers will be available. Regular school practices like homework due dates, late work, grading/testing practices, etc. will continue. (Details on testing procedures will be sent out later.)
All students will access their instruction and classwork through Google Classroom, and email will be used for correspondence. Tutorial videos will be sent out to all families which will explain how to operate Google Classroom. You should receive those tutorials by Wednesday, March 25.
Elementary (K–5) teachers will communicate with parents and students through Google Classroom, Google Meet, and Google Hangouts. Parents will need to plan for supporting their child in starting and completing daily classwork and submitting classwork, workbook pages, etc. to their teachers. In addition, students will be asked to complete a list of digital and non-digital activities. The amount of time spent on the digital resources will be monitored by teachers. Students should be able to access and complete these activities with minimal parental support. By Wednesday, March 25, we will email login information to enable elementary students to login to their classrooms. Please make sure that you check and are able to access your child’s online classrooms.
Secondary (grades 6–12) teachers will communicate through Google Classroom by posting assignments, links, documents, or other related material. They may also prepare short videos of instruction. Teachers will set up Google Meet, which are meetings that they can hold live with students or an entire class. All secondary teachers will be available for questions Monday thru Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon by email only. Please, no phone calls to teachers.
If your student is needing extra help, please notify their teacher(s) by email, and they will make arrangements to meet with your student, via Google Meet, from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. to help your child. Secondary student classrooms (grades 6–12) will be set up and ready for access by Wednesday, March 25. Make sure you check and are able to access the online classrooms for the classes that your student is enrolled in.
Tech Issues, Learning Issues, Questions, Concerns
In the event that technology or learning issues arise for your student, please email the classroom teacher directly, and allow them some time to work with you to resolve the issue. Along with teachers being available weekday mornings, our administrative team (Roberto Ibarra, Judy Parsons, Elizabeth Walton, Kristi Busatti, and Joley Poole) will be available by email to answer questions and to assist you with concerns you may have. The school office will not be open, but office phones will be answered from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, Monday through Friday.
Again, we know that this is a new endeavor for many of you as it is for us as well. But rest assured, we will walk hand in hand with you together in this new e-learning process as we all continue to trust and follow our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To God be the glory! Amen!!
Sincerely,
Roberto Ibarra, Administrator Mike Wyatt, Board of Trustees President
March 17, 2020
To the CCS School Family:
Today, March 17, 2020, Governor Laura Kelly announced all school facilities in Kansas, including private schools, will be closed for the remainder of the 2019–2020 school year. This school closure is in response to the current public health crisis and the measures needed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus COVID-19.
We understand that this may place a hardship on our families and staff, and it may impact the social and emotional well-being of our students.
We have been working on contingency plans, including how we can meet the ongoing learning needs of our students. The Governor’s Continuous Learning Task Force is developing pre-K through high school online instruction guidelines. They have indicated they will have a preliminary plan later this week that Central Christian School will be able to tailor to our own needs.
Our staff and board of trustees members are also working on other critical issues, such as what this means for the members of our senior class, how this might affect the next school year, and what impact this will have on our staff. We will provide updates on these issues as soon as information is available.
We are committed to working together as a school family to support one another throughout these unprecedented times, and communication will remain a top priority.
Paul wrote in Philippians 4:4-7 “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
May this be an opportunity to grow in the knowledge of the Lord in whom we trust and to glorify Him in demonstrating a reasonable response to this situation.
Roberto Ibarra,
Administrator
March 15, 2020
As of this afternoon, Sunday, March 15, Kansas State Department of Education Commissioner Dr. Randy Watson strongly recommends that all schools close for the period of March 16 through 20, even those schools with scheduled spring breaks later in March.
According to the Kansas Department of Education (KSDE), closing all schools during the same period of time provides Kansas officials the time needed to finalize a comprehensive plan for how to address COVID-19.
In response to the KSDE’s strong recommendation, Central Christian School and CCS Preschool and Child Care Center will be closed during the week of March 16 through 20. All previously scheduled classes, activities, practices, after-school programs, and in-services are cancelled for the week. Cleaning personnel and certain office staff may continue working.
Spring break during the week of March 23 through 27 is still scheduled.
We expect further guidance from KSDE, and we will communicate that as soon as it is practical to do so.
Mr. Roberto Ibarra
Administrator