Back To School

In-Person School Attendance
Based upon current health orders and guidance from the Public Education Department, the
Governor and NM Department of Health, schools may open in a hybrid type environment for the
2020-2021 school year. Although PMSD intends to begin the school year as normal, should the
rate of spread across New Mexico change, there is a possibility the Public Education Department
may require school to go to a Distance Education Plan. Should this occur, PMSD will move to a
distance environment that will require students to attend school virtually as if they were in a
school building. More information regarding the Distance Plan can be found on the District
website.
Grades 1-6 will begin full time attendance on August 25th, 2020. These students will attend in person on Tuesday through Friday except the week of October 5th, in which students will attend
Monday through Thursday due to the Fall break. The week of August 17th will be used to
complete academic assessments for all students. Parents will be notified by school personnel the
previous week to make an appointment for their children to go to the school for the assessments.
These assessments will assist teachers to prepare for the beginning of the school year and
identify students who may need additional assistance due to the abrupt change to Distance
Education in the past school year. Students will be required to wear a face covering while in the
school buildings. For more information, please see the PMSD website.
Pre-K, Pre-School (3 year olds), and Kindergarten full time attendance will begin on September
1
st. Students in these grades will be assessed over the two previous weeks. Parents will be
contacted to make an appointment for an assessment time.
Kindergarten students will attend Tuesday through Friday beginning September 1st
.
Pre-K and Pre-School (3 year olds) will attend school two (2) full days each week.
Approximately one-half of students will attend Tuesday and Wednesday and the other half will
attend on Thursday and Friday.
During the week of October 5th, Kindergarten students will attend Monday through Thursday,
while Pre-K and Pre-School will change to Monday/Tuesday and Wednesday/Thursday due to
the fall break.
Students in grades 7 – 12 will attend school in a cohort model. Approximately one-half of
students will attend Tuesday and Wednesday and the other half will attend Thursday and Friday,
except the week of October 5th, in which students will attend Monday through Thursday due to
the Fall break. Students will attend Distance Learning coursework on the days they are not in
school. Even though they are not in attendance at school, the expectation is that they attend online and complete all assignments as required. Students who do not have internet access or
computer devices, will be loaned a Chromebook. A hotspot with internet access will also be
provided to these students.
Grading of assignments and assessments will be completed and recorded as required by PMSD
policy. No grades of Pass or Fail will be submitted to students.

Distance Attendance Summary
Portales Municipal School District understands that not all parents are comfortable sending their
children to school during the COVID 19 crisis. Therefore, the District is offering a Distance
Education program for all students. In order to attend Distance school, your home must have
internet access. If you do not have internet access at home, the District can loan you a hotspot
that will provide internet access. The District can also loan students Chromebooks for school
use. Because of the nature of the program, each student in the home will need a computer
device. Although the District has Chromebooks to loan, the supply is limited, therefore; students
who do not have a device will be given first priority. It is preferred that families with a desktop,
laptop, or tablet use their personal devices. However, a family with only one computer and more
than one child can request a Chromebook so that each student has his or her own device.
Distance Learning Students must attend school every day as if they were in school. Google
Classroom will be the platform used to deliver instruction and most assignments. (Instructional
videos and information can be found on the PMSD website.)
Grades Kindergarten through 6th grade will receive daily instruction from a teacher at their
school. Lessons will include live instruction created by the teacher. The live instruction will be
recorded and can be used for review at a later time. Assignments will be provided online either
through Google Classroom or by e-mail. Most assignments will not need to be printed, but will
be completed in Google Classroom. Teachers will grade assignments and provide feedback
through Google Classroom and by e-mail to the parent and the student. Teachers will provide
information as to how they can be contacted and will hold regular business hours so that parents
and students may contact them with questions or to obtain information. Student attendance will
be recorded daily. Students who do not logon as required will be counted as absent. Habitual
absences will result in consequences as outlined in School District policy and by State law.
Online assessments will be given to all students prior to the beginning of actual instruction. It is
imperative that parents proctor these assessments and do not provide any assistance to their
children, other than technical assistance. These assessments are not provided for grades, but as a
means to allow the teacher to understand what level of instruction is required for a student. This
will help teachers determine what instruction was lacking from the Spring 2020 semester and
develop lessons that will more adequately reinforce what was learned last school year and
provide a good starting point for this school year. Periodic progress monitoring will be
completed throughout the school year to provide needed progress data to help ensure students are
learning and retaining the information.
Grades K – 3 will have curriculum that basically focuses on the instruction of
Reading/Language Arts and Mathematics. Science and Social Studies will also be introduced.
Grades 4 – 6 will have instruction in Reading/Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social
Studies. Although much more difficult to provide, students will have opportunities and guidance
for physical education, Art, and music.
Students in Grades 7 – 12 will be provided online instruction using the Edgenuity platform.
Students must login to these classes and complete the assignments daily. Attendance
requirements must be met as though the student was in a classroom setting. Students who do not
logon as required will be counted as absent. Habitual absences will result in consequences as
outlined in School District policy and by State law. This program offers all of the core classes at
each grade level in English/Language Arts, Mathematics (7th and 8th grade math, Algebra I,
Algebra II, Geometry, Financial Literacy, Pre-Calculus, etc.) Science (7th and 8th grade Science,
Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Physical Science, etc.) Social Studies (NM History, U.S. History
to 1865, U.S. History Reconstruction to 21st Century, World History, Government, and
Economics.) Elective classes are also offered under this program. Parents and students will be
contacted by the school counselor to assist in setting up a schedule of required and elective
credits that are needed to successfully complete junior high school requirements and ensure that
the proper classes are taken in high school to meet requirements for graduation. The District
provides teacher support for all of its Edgenuity Online classes. Students in these classes will be
provided information regarding who to contact for assistance. Teachers will be able to offer
program technical assistance along with assistance with understanding and tutoring when
necessary.
Students and parents in every grade will be provided support services as required or needed.
This includes academic counseling, mental health support and counseling, Special Education
Services, physical and mental health referrals and assistance, English Language Learner
assistance and instruction, Next-Step Plan guidance, and homework support among others.
Students enrolled in the Distance Program may not participate in extracurricular activities where
being with other students is required. However, if available, these students may participate in
activities that can be completed online. If any online extracurricular activities become available
students will be notified of how they can participate. The District also prefers that students who
begin Distance Instruction remain in Distance Instruction throughout the entire semester.
Students who wish to transfer to regular classes may do so for the second semester. Students
who return to regular classes midterm, will not be allowed to return to distance learning classes within the same semester.