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Pasco School District is excited to welcome our students back to their classrooms for in-person instruction as part of our Blended Learning model. Elementary students returned to in-person classes in November. Middle school and high school students will transition to Blended Learning during the last two weeks of February.

Please click on the tabs below for more information about schedules, meals, transportation, technology, grading, attendance, and much more.

Pasco School District is transitioning all grade levels to blended learning in the month of February; in-person services will be offered for all students who wish to participate. Distance Learning will continue to be available to students who do not wish to attend in-person classes. At the elementary and middle school level, students and teachers will be assigned to either an in-person schedule or an at-home schedule. In both options, teacher contact time will be increased from the current schedules. At the high school level, the day will be divided into in-person classes in the morning and a continuation of virtual classes in the afternoon. High school students will have the option to attend either the in-person sessions or the virtual sessions each week. 

Transition dates and sample schedules are shown below. Detailed information was shared at the school board meeting on Jan. 26. You can watch the recording of that board meeting here: https://youtu.be/Wx8Gb45A8ho

Transition Dates:

• Elementary School Transition
  • Extension of In-Person Day Schedule: Feb. 1
  • Transition to Blended or Distance Learning Model: Feb. 15
• Middle School Transition
  • All grade levels transition to Blended or Distance Learning Models: Feb. 15
  • 6th Grade & 7th grade, first in-person day: Feb. 18
  • 8th Grade, first in-person day: Feb. 25
• High School Transition
  • All grade levels transition to Blended and Distance Learning Schedule: Feb. 22
  • 9th Grade, first in-person day: Feb. 22
  • 10th-12th Grades, first in-person day: March 1

Sample schedules for elementary students can be viewed below:

Sample Elementary Schedules

Middle School and High School schedules are available on each school's website.

Here are some terms you will see in your student’s daily schedule: 

Asynchronous Learning:  

These are videos and materials that provide opportunities for new learning. The power of asynchronous learning is that it allows students to control the pace. Students can pause, go back, repeat, reread, etc. Asynchronous learning allows teachers to meet individual needs and accommodations for students through individualized materials and supports. In addition, asynchronous learning is flexible – students and families can access it at any time of day, any day of the week. 

Synchronous Learning:  

This is scheduled meetings and classes. Learning is reinforced, clarified, and sometimes assessed through discussions, conversations, feedback, relationship building, clarifications, and question answering. This also provides time for students to connect with their teachers and their peers. 

Office Hours: 

Office hours are scheduled daily to allow students to connect with teachers and get extra support. Families can also check in with teachers during the scheduled office hours. Your teacher will let you know how to contact them during office hours.

As Pasco School District transitions back to full-time in-person learning, our meal distribution process has changed. Students who are attending classes in-person will receive their lunches at school. Students can also take breakfasts home with them at the end of their school day to consume the following morning.

Nutrition Services will continue to provide free weekly meal packs for students enrolled in the Distance Learning program. Meal packs with five days’ worth of meals will be available for Distance Learning students to pick up on Wednesdays at the students’ school. Distribution times will vary by school, so please contact the main office at your child’s school to find out when the distribution time is scheduled.

All Pasco students will continue to receive meals at no charge through the end of the 2020-21 school year.

Want to know what will be served each day? Visit the PSD Nutrislice Menu website: psd1.nutrislice.com

Families are encouraged to apply for free/reduced meals, if needed. You may apply for free/reduced meals at any time during the school year. Applications are available in your school office, the Nutrition Services office, or online.

Apply online now!  English | Español

Questions? Contact your child’s school or Nutrition Services at 546-2836. 

PSD's transportation department has developed more than two dozen bus routes to transport elementary students as we welcome students back to their classrooms with the implementation of our Blended Learning model.

You can view a rundown of these bus routes at this link: PSD Blended Learning Bus Routes

You can also Search by Home Address to find the information about your child's bus route.

It's important to note that all passengers will be required to wear face masks and complete a daily health screening before riding a school bus as precautions against spreading COVID-19. 

Families are encouraged to walk, bike, or drive their students to and from school, if possible. Students are also encouraged to wash their hands, or use hand sanitizer, when they leave their home or classroom immediately before boarding the bus. 

Pasco School District is implementing the following guidelines from the Washington Department of Health for bus transportation and COVID-related safety:

• Keep riders as far apart as possible on the bus.
• Require assigned seating. 
• If possible, seat students with household members or members of their school group/cohort. 
• Maximize outside air flow and keep windows open as much as possible. 
• Encourage walking or biking where safe.
• Have caregivers drive students to school, if possible. 
• Riders and staff members must wear a cloth face coverings or acceptable alternatives.
• Encourage students to wash or sanitize hands when they leave their home or classroom immediately before boarding the bus. 
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces, including the tops and backs of seats. Use an EPA registered product and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for use.

All students will receive a district laptop for school use. Elementary and Middle School students will pick up their laptop at their school. Schools will be communicating the schedule for pick-up. 

PSD uses Microsoft 365, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, available both online and offline. Your student can find many of their applications, known as "MyApps", on the desktop of their laptop. Students have access to different applications, based on their grade level.

Here is an example of a student's MyApps window:

For at-home learning, our district will use the following Core 4 applications: 

Homebase: ClassDojo (Grades K-5)/Microsoft Teams (Grades K-12) 

• Your Homebase is a web-based location for exchanging files and communicating within the classroom. ClassDojo focuses on teacher-student and teacher-family communication. Pictures, messages, and links can be posted. Microsoft Teams is a collaborative workspace allowing teachers and students to post work and communicate.

File Storage: OneDrive 

• Your file storage is a location to store files, both personal and shared. Students have up to 1 TB of data storage available.

Synchronous Video: Zoom 

• This software is for live, interactive meetings with both students and families. It is easy to use! 

Asynchronous Video: Screencast-O-Matic, FlipGrid, Stream 

• These are tools for recording videos posted for on-demand learning. 

Need help with your child’s district laptop? 

PSD offers technical support for both staff and students. The PSD HelpDesk can be reached at (509) 543-6710 or by e-mail at helpdesk@psd1.org. We have English and Spanish speaking technicians ready to help. Many issues can be solved over the phone or remotely. If your child’s device needs on-site repair, HelpDesk will advise you to return the device to your school and check out a new device to ensure your student stays on schedule with learning. 

Parent Online Learning Supports

District staff have developed video tutorials and other online resources to help families navigate and familiarize themselves with the platforms to support their students when learning at home. Training materials are available here:  www.psd1.org/domain/1770

Internet

During the At-Home Learning and Blended Learning phases of the 2020-21 school year, Pasco School District is committed to assisting families gain access to reliable internet connectivity. The District’s priority is to first connect families to existing commercially available internet solutions. This provides the most reliable and unrestricted access for families, while being the most sustainable for the district.

You can find information about the primary internet providers servicing the Pasco area, on our website at: www.psd1.org/internet

If you have contacted internet service providers, but are still unable to secure reliable internet connectivity due to financial hardship, a temporary living situation, or a lack or service availability in your area, you may be eligible to borrow a hotspot from Pasco School District. You will need to complete a request form to start the process, which is available on our website at: www.psd1.org/internet

Leading with Social Emotional Learning 

Our goal is to ensure a safe and positive learning environment for students, both virtually and in-person. Time is devoted each week to promoting well-being and healthy connections between students and with adults. 

Throughout the year, we are committed to prioritizing your student’s social and emotional learning alongside academics as fundamental to a positive quality of life. 

Instruction 

Each grade level and course is aligned to state standards. We have identified priority standards for each content area or course. Teachers will ensure students are focused on the most important learning so that students are prepared for their next grade level or class. 

Grading 

Student work will be monitored, and regular feedback will be provided to assist students in reaching proficiency on priority standards. Projects, assignments, assessments, and tests may be a part of your child’s grade. Students will receive final grades at the end of each trimester. 

For elementary students, we are returning to our normal grading practices, including the use of a standards-based trimester report card. 

For secondary students, teachers will use either standards-based grading or traditional grading. Final course grades will be assigned using standards-based grading or the traditional grade scale. 

Attendance

Attendance will be taken daily during in-person and synchronous sessions. If your student misses a session, please contact your school’s attendance office. Students who need to complete lessons on a flexible schedule or need further assistance to connect to online lessons will have their absences corrected or excused.

PowerSchool is an online portal where parents can manage their child's meal account, review grades and attendance, set up notifications for school news and emergencies, update their student's information, and much more. Pasco School District's PowerSchool Parent Portal allows you to view multiple students with one PowerSchool Parent account – even if the students attend different schools!

In order to create a new Parent Portal account, you will need an Access ID and Access Password for each of your students, which can be provided to you by your school's front office. Visit our PowerSchool page to learn more and to create your new account!

ASB/Other Fees

Families may pay student fees online through our SchoolPay system. You can also put money into your child’s meal account. For questions about any fees or fines, please contact the office at your child’s school.

Your child’s school will provide a district laptop and any necessary consumable curriculum materials (i.e. science notebooks, math workbooks). Basic classroom supplies are also available.

When students return to in-person instruction, they will need: 

• Cloth masks or face shield for in-person instruction 
• 1 set of earbuds/headphones 
• Backpack 

Your school can assist you with these items if needed. Please contact your school directly. 

Would you like to donate supplies to support our students? Please contact your neighborhood school. 

Families who don't feel comfortable sending their children back to our school buildings can continue to keep their students in PSD's At-Home Learning program. Students who continue with distance learning will participate in all scheduled activities with their cohort except for the in-person classroom instruction block (cohort schedules available under the Schedules tab). Pasco School District is currently planning for enhanced supports for distance learning students, which will begin on December 3. Please contact your child's school directly if you have other questions about distance learning.

Families can also enroll their students in PSD's iPAL (Internet Pasco Academy of Learning) program, which is fully online. Please visit www.psd1.org/iPAL for more information about enrolling in the iPAL program.