Distance Learning Resources from 2020-21
2020-21 Family Education - View Videos
2020-21 Curriculum Guide
The curriculum guide is a weekly roadmap for your child’s distance learning. You can view the skills and concepts that guides will introduce to students each week during their live lessons on Zoom. Students will practice these skills and concepts in their follow up work on Seesaw. In addition, students will practice using the supplemental materials provided below. We ask that families do not introduce children to the supplemental materials until the guide has given the lesson. Students will also need the supplies listed below under Supply Lists.
You can pick up a printed copy of the curriculum and the supplemental materials, as well as any supplies you need, at Breakthrough’s Takoma campus (6923 Willow St. NW) any Monday from 10am-4pm.
Quarter 1
Quarter 2
Resources for Families
Grocery Support
The Takoma campus (6923 Willow St. NW) is open every Monday from 10am-4pm. Any Breakthrough family who would like to pick up a bag of groceries may do so during this time.
All Breakthrough families who participate in free and reduced-price meals (FARM) will receive a $25 gift certificate to Giant, along with a bag of groceries, every Monday. We will mail the gift certificate to any qualifying family that cannot come to campus in person. Unfortunately, we are unable to deliver groceries directly to a home address.
If you would like to apply for free and reduced price meals (FARM) please contact Ms. Kat, Director of Operations.
Emergency Relief Fund
Given the unprecedented impact of the coronavirus pandemic, Breakthrough Montessori Public Charter School has established a Temporary Emergency Relief Fund. The purpose of this fund is to provide financial support to Breakthrough families and staff facing extreme hardship due to this public health emergency. Specifically, the Emergency Relief Fund is intended to support families that experience unemployment or reduced wages; housing instability, homelessness or dislocation; medical bills; critical utility bills; the need to pay for alternative childcare; or other extenuating circumstances during school closure as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Chromebooks and Internet
All families are eligible to borrow at Chromebook from Breakthrough Montessori to support their students’ learning. If you require a Chromebook, please contact Ms. Emily.
If you need internet access, we encourage you to apply for Comcast Internet Essentials, which provides two free months of Internet to qualifying families (after the first two months, the cost is $9.95/month). You can apply for Internet Essentials here: www.internetessentials.com.
IT Support
If you need any help with your child’s Chromebook or distance learning platforms, please contact our Family Technology Assistant, Anthony Toyos.
Child Sized Masks
Breakthrough has a supply of child-sized cloth face masks. If you would like a mask for your child, please contact Ms. Emily.
School Supplies
Recommended Websites
Montessori at Home: A blog that offers tips for supporting Montessori learning at home during school closures.
Learning from Home - A Handbook for Parents: Guidelines for Montessori learning at home from Arbor Montessori School (Georgia).
Learning from Home Handbook from the Montessori School of Tokyo.
Breakthrough Montessori Reopening Indicators
Breakthrough remains committed to providing students with a high-quality, public Montessori education. To that end, we will reopen the school for in-person instruction when the public health status of the COVID pandemic and the school’s resources allow us to do so safely.
We will use the following indicators to determine if we can reopen the school. Since we want to foster a transparent decision-making process that allows all our community members to track reopening progress and plan accordingly, we make these indicators public..
The indicators that drive Breakthrough’s reopening decision fall into two categories:
External Metrics (see Public Health)
Internal Metrics (see School Readiness, Staff, and Student Outcomes)
These indicators allow us to answer the question “Are we able to safely reopen Breakthrough for in-person instruction?” For a detailed look at how the school will operate once re-opened, please see our School Recovery Plan, which the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) approved on October 5, 2020.
This pandemic — along with the regional and national responses — evolves daily. Breakthrough must remain flexible and nimble in responding to new information. We recognize that amendments to Breakthrough’s indicators may be appropriate with the wide-scale distribution of FDA-approved vaccines, if the CDC revises its indicators, as we understand more about maintaining a safe school environment, and other pivotal events. Any amendments will be swiftly communicated with our school community.
PUBLIC HEALTH
In order to reopen, Washington DC and Breakthrough Montessori must fall in the green zones (lower to lowest risk of transmission in schools) on all core and secondary indicators identified by the CDC for which there are data available for the District of Columbia. Breakthrough will track DC’s data with respect to each indicator here: https://coronavirus.dc.gov/page/reopening-metrics.
How to read this chart:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| < | Less than |
| Equal to or less than | |
| > | Greater than |
| Able to Reopen | Do Not Reopen | ||||
| INDICATORS | Lowest risk | Lower risk | Moderate risk | Higher risk | Highest risk |
| Number of new cases* (average cases per 100,000 people over the previous 14 days) | <5 | 5 to <20 | 20 to <50 | 50 to ≤ 200 | >200 |
| Percent of COVID-19 tests that are positive** | <3% | 3% to <5% | 5% to <8% | 8% to ≤ 10% | >10% |
| Percent change in new cases*** | <-10% | -10% to <-5% | -5% to <0% | 0% to ≤ 10% | >10% |
| Percent of hospital inpatient beds in DC that are occupied | <80% | <80% | 80 to 90% | >90% | >90% |
| Percent of hospital inpatient beds in DC that are occupied by patients with COVID-19 | <5% | 5% to <10% | 10% to 15% | >15% | >15% |
| Existence of localized COVID-19 outbreak in DC | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Ability of Breakthrough to implement 5 key mitigation strategies: (1) Consistent and correct use of masks (Breakthrough has appropriate supply of masks for students and staff and has provided training to families and staff on the correct use of masks). (2) Social distancing to the largest extent possible (Breakthrough classrooms have work stations set up 6 feet apart, has placed markers in the hallway, and has installed social distancing signage) (3) Hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette (Breakthrough has hand sanitizer in every classroom and front desk, MERV-13 filters in HVAC systems, and air filters in every classroom and shared office areas) (4) Cleaning and disinfection (Breakthrough has a signed janitorial contract and sufficient supplies) (5) Contact tracing in collaboration with local health department (Breakthrough admin are trained in the protocol for contacting DC Health in the event of a positive COVID-19 case.) |
Implemented all 5 strategies correctly and consistently | Implemented all 5 strategies correctly but inconsistently | Implemented 3-4 strategies correctly and consistently | Implemented 1-2 strategies correctly and consistently | Implemented no strategies |
* per 100,000 persons within the last 14 days
**RT-PCR tests during the last 14 days
***per 100,000 population during the last 7 days compared with the previous 7 days
SCHOOL READINESS
Breakthrough must demonstrate readiness to reopen by completing the following items:
Staff Training: all onsite staff have been trained in new protocols and procedures.
Family readiness: Families have been provided with an explanation of what they can expect of Breakthrough, as well as what Breakthrough expects of families; steps to take in the event of possible exposure to COVID-19; and a list of resources (such as testing sites).
PPE: both campuses have enough PPE for all students and staff who are onsite (one mask and one shield per student, 2 masks and 2 shields per staff member, N95 masks for interacting with individuals who develop symptoms while onsite).
Facilities: both campuses are equipped with MERV 13 air filters in the HVAC system and UV air filters in all classrooms and shared office spaces.
Sanitation: both campuses have all supplies necessary to implement cleaning and disinfecting procedures outlined in the School Recovery Plan.
Janitorial Services: both campuses have signed contracts with janitorial services for heightened building cleaning and sanitation.
STAFF
Breakthrough must have enough staff able to work onsite. Breakthrough will determine staff availability by identifying which staff members are at-risk for serious illness from COVID-19; live with, or care for, a family member who is at risk for serious illness; or have children in school districts that have not yet reopened. While the number of staff required depends on the in-person model and schedule, in general Breakthrough needs the following staff in order to re-open:
One guide per classroom providing in-person instruction;
One classroom assistant per classroom providing in-person instruction;
One staff member certified in medication administration per campus and multiple staff members certified in first aid;
Special Education staff trained to deliver the onsite services required by the IEPs of any student who is learning onsite;
One administrator per campus; and
Adequate staffing for students who are virtual (either full-time or part-time).
STUDENT OUTCOMES
Breakthrough places students at the center of every decision the school makes. This approach requires us to continually gather, review, and analyze data about student well-being and outcomes. As a Montessori school, we gather data on student outcomes through a variety of activities, including careful observation of all students in the classroom. During distance learning, we rely heavily on the following sources of data to inform our understanding of student well-being and outcomes:
Attendance (how many students experience chronic absenteeism or are at risk for chronic absenteeism; how attendance during distance learning compares to attendance during in-person learning; and what specific distance learning opportunities are students participating in)
Student achievement as measured by:
NWEA MAP assessment results
School-specific assessment results conducted at the end of each quarter
Because the portrait of well-being and outcomes is unique to each student and encompasses numerous factors, Breakthrough does not have a specific, quantifiable threshold for student outcomes that triggers a change in our learning environment. Rather, student outcome data drives the following decisions:
Which students participate in onsite support with distance learning while the school remains fully virtual;
Which students are prioritized for enrollment in in-person learning when such opportunities become available;
How we design our in-person learning program, and how we focus our energies when in-person learning resumes; and
Which students require additional support, both during distance learning as well as in-person learning
As during normal operations, Breakthrough faculty members maintain individual learning plans for each student to track their progression through the curriculum. Before commencing in-person learning, Breakthrough must ensure each student has an updated plan to support their full participation in school, whether they are participating in-person or virtually.