Groton full-day instruction resumes, budget approved

At its March 29 meeting, the Groton Central School (GCS) Board of Education (BOE) approved the district’s plan for students to return to full-day instruction beginning April 12.

Superintendent Margo Martin, Elementary School Principal Kent Maslin and Interim Jr./Sr. High School Principal Scott Poreda gave a 30-slide presentation to the BOE, which represented the innumerable hours of thought and strategy that went into devising a viable plan for GCS to bring its students back to some semblance of normalcy after having attended school in person for half days for more than a year due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Martin extended her gratitude and appreciation first and foremost to everyone who worked intently for weeks to put the plan together by building schedules, planning food service delivery, reimagining transportation plans and more.

The main goals behind the plan to return to full-day instruction now, rather than wait until September, are twofold: it will provide opportunity for more intervention and academic support to address gaps in student learning, and it will reintroduce students to six-and-a-half-hour days, thereby reacclimating them to a full-day structure sooner.

The instructional day will be from 8 a.m. to 2:08 p.m. at Groton Elementary School (GES) and 8 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. at Groton Jr./Sr. High School (GHS).

While GES will have full days Monday through Friday, GHS will have them Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday but will be in session only for the first four periods of the day on Wednesday.

Wednesday afternoons at GHS will be utilized for students who need academic intervention, focused support, testing readiness or science labs, and for faculty to plan their lessons. This time is crucial for all involved.

It is important to note that the half-day Wednesday schedule will not be implemented until April 21, so there will be no classes for students in GHS on April 14. Students in grade six will follow the same schedule as students at GES and will attend full days Monday through Friday, beginning April 12.

Students who attend TST BOCES Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs during the morning session will not have classes at GHS on Wednesday afternoons. Those enrolled in the afternoon CTE sessions will attend class at GHS in the morning and at TST BOCES in the afternoon on Wednesdays.

Buses will drop students off at GHS at 7:45 a.m. and GES at 7:55 a.m. Pickup for GES students will be at 2:08 p.m. and GHS at 2:15 p.m. On Wednesdays, buses will run at 10:49 a.m. to transport students home in grades seven through 12 only.

Parents and caregivers who drop students off and pick them up at the elementary school will need to be aware of some time adjustments. For UPK-3, drop-off time is unchanged. UPK-4, kindergarten and first-grade drop-off will be 7:40 a.m., with pickup at 2:10 p.m. for all. Grades two through five drop-offs will be 8 a.m. with pickup at 2 p.m.

Students in grades UPK and kindergarten who are transported by car will enter through the entrance by the nurse’s office, and students in grades one through five will enter near the gym. Older students will be held with younger siblings for the 2:10 p.m. pickup at the cafeteria.

At GHS, for those students transported by car, drop-off time will be 7:45 to 8 a.m. Grades six through eight must be dropped off at the main entrance. Grades nine through 12 must be dropped off in the high school gym area. All students must enter through the main entrance only. Pickup time is from 2:15 to 2:30 p.m.

Safety protocols will remain in place and will be adhered to. Daily attestation statements are required. Wiping down of student work areas, nightly cleaning and disinfection of buildings and on buses will all continue.

Students will maintain at least 3 feet of social distancing when in classrooms that have physical barriers, or at least 6 feet where barriers are not present. All faculty, staff and students are required to wear face coverings in all classes where desks are only 3 feet apart and in common areas.

Grab-and-go meals will continue, with students eating in classrooms or by grade level in cafeterias, and hot food items will at long last be available regardless of where a student is eating.

Some students have chosen to remain with a totally remote learning plan wherein they will receive their education virtually on an as-scheduled basis with their instructors. Remote learners may continue to receive meals via pickup from 9 to 11 a.m. at GES.

The BOE also approved the proposed 2021-22 school budget with an anticipated expenditure of $23,366,177 and set the tax levy at a 2% increase. The public budget vote will be held from noon to 9 p.m. Tuesday, May 18. More details will be forthcoming in this column as that date gets closer.

Groton on the Inside appears weekly. Submit news ideas to Linda Competillo, lmc10@cornell.edu or 607-227-4922.

In brief:

Anastasia on stage

Save the date for the Groton High School Drama Club’s 16th musical, “Anastasia.” While audience size will be extremely limited, two performances will be livestreamed at 5 p.m. May 20 and May 21. Keep an eye on this column for more details in the coming weeks.

Repurpose your mascara wands

The Groton High School Interact Club is collecting used mascara wands at the high school main office for the rest of the school year to help the Appalachian Wildlife Refuge. The wands help clean the fur and feathers of contaminants. Your support and contributions would be much appreciated, and it’s a great way to dispose of your used wands.

Learn more about the Appalachian Wildlife Refuge at https://www.appalachianwild.org.

Free rabies clinics

The Tompkins County Health Department is hosting free drive-thru rabies clinics at the TCAT bus garage, 737 Willow Ave., Ithaca from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 24 and May 22. This is a great alternative to the clinics many residents have missed having here in Groton.

Proof of prior vaccination is required for a three-year certificate. Dogs must be leashed or in carriers, cats and ferrets must be in carriers. Masks are required. Donations are accepted.

Pre-registration is required at (607) 274-6688.