Hempfield Area kindergarten students return to full-day classes next week

Full-day kindergarten will resume next week as Hempfield Area School District leaders ease into the second phase of their reopening plans.

During a committee of the whole meeting this week, Superintendent Tammy Wolicki announced kindergarten students will attend full-day sessions starting Oct. 13. Kindergarten students have been attending half days — with morning and afternoon sessions — to promote social distancing, giving students a chance to meet teachers and other kids.

Class sizes will be limited to 17 students. District officials are working to add additional kindergarten classrooms to account for fewer students per room. Fellows from Saint Vincent College, students working on their master’s degree and who hold a bachelor’s in education, will oversee some of the classrooms.

Two other spots will be filled by Hempfield Area teachers who currently teach at the district’s elementary cyber program.

Moving to full-day kindergarten was included in a reopening plan approved by school board members in August, Wolicki said, noting that parents had the opportunity to give their input through surveys that were distributed last month.

Surveys are now being sent to parents of students enrolled at Hempfield Area Elementary Cyber. Those who chose that option at the beginning of the year were asked to commit to a full nine weeks. With the first nine-week session ending Oct. 30, school officials are hoping to get a handle on how many students might return to the classrooms.

An update on when secondary students may return to in-person classes fulltime was not immediately available. Wolicki, citing officials from Excela Health, said schools leaders had to maintain 6 feet of distance between students in order for them to safely return.

Students in grades six through 12 have been attending school every other day based on a rotational schedule determined by last name. When students are not in school, teachers use Lessonbot to stream lessons live online, giving students the option to watch class recordings at a later date.

“It is going to require some creative measures,” Wolicki said.