Return to School 2020 - General Info
Chancellor Richard Carranza E-Mail Communications <
- September 18: Update for Families
- September 14: Chancellor's Update (Translations)
- August 20: Back to School Pledge (Link) (Translations)
- Learn about the DOE's commitment to health and safety for anyone in our buildings, and our promise to deliver learning to all our students, five days a week.
- August 17: Update for Families (Link) (Translations)
- The latest health and safety information, including on ventilation, school nurses, and testing and tracing in schools
- How to stay informed on confirmed COVID-19 cases in your school community
- How families can change their children’s learning preference to/from fully remote learning
- What happens if students attend school in-person on a day they are not scheduled to attend
- Supports for students with Individualized Education Programs
- Supports for students in temporary housing and foster care
- August 6: Chancellor's Message: Instructional Updates for Families (Link) (Translations)
- August 3: Update for Families on Health and Safety Protocols (Link) (Translations)
First Three Days of Remote Learning
How will I know my Class Schedule?
PupilPath is up to date and active, and you may now log on to view your schedule of classes. Once again, please keep in mind that ALL STUDENTS are learning remotely for Sept. 16, 17 and 18. We suggest that you use the VIEW AS A GRID choice when viewing your schedule so it is clear what classes you will be attending.
How can I find my Google Classroom codes?
Your teachers will be communicating your Google Classroom codes in two ways! You will be receiving an Email / Anecdotal Message from your teachers, with a welcome message and the respective Google Classroom Code. Be sure to check your email inboxes for whatever email account you are using connected to PupilPath. Also, if you go to the Assignments Section for your classes on PupilPath, by the end of today, your teachers will have posted an assignment, which is really just a welcome message with the Google Classroom codes included.
When is the 1st Day of In-Person and Remote / Blended Learning?
Monday, September 21st. The SITHS.org Return to School page has much of the information you'll need.
The schedule for Monday, 9/21 and thereafter is as follows for In-Person and Remote Learners:
What is the schedule of learning for the rest of the month of September and the beginning of October?
The SITHS.org Return to School page has much of the information you'll need.

Tune into Facebook Live for an address given by Mr. Erlenwein on Wednesday, 9/16 at 7PM.
I need general help and need to reach out to someone?
E-Mail our Parent Coordinator, Barbara Malenfant, at BMalenfant@schools.nyc.gov
Sincerely,
Mark Erlenwein
Principal
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Wednesday, September 2, 2020 Update
First Day of School Update
- Wed, September 16
- Thurs, September 17
- Fri, September 18
- Monday, September 21st
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Sunday, August 30, 2020 Update
Blended Learning Groups Assignments and Student Class Schedule Updates
I. STUDENT GROUPS
As explained in the August 25th update, we have divided the In-Person students into two cohorts, Group 1 and 2, while Group 3 are our Fully Remote students. Based upon the social distancing guidelines, of 8-12 students per classroom, the Blended Learning groups are being broken down accordingly by the following last name ranges.
Group 1: Student last names A - L
Group 2: Student last names M - Z
Group 3: All students who opted-out of In-Person instruction for All Remote
See the chart below (Plan 1 - Exception Model 1B) to visualize the frequency and rotation of In-Person Learning over the course of the month of September. This is a tentative calendar view of the first month of school and intended to serve as an example only. The official NYC DOE 2020-21 Calendar has not been released yet, and September 10th as the first day of school is tentative, not definite.
What if I want to Opt-Out of In-Person / Blended learning? According to the NYC DOE Student Learning Preference Website, At any time of year, for any reason, you can choose fully remote learning for your child. This means they would learn 100% remotely (all online, from home). Remote learning includes live interaction with teachers every day, and every class includes live instruction. Changing your preference: If you choose fully remote learning for your child, you will have the option to change back to blended learning at a few specific times during the school year, beginning in November 2020. To change your learning preference to Fully Remote click here for more details.
II. STUDENT CLASS SCHEDULE UPDATES
On Thursday, August 27th, the NYC DOE announced that a work agreement was reached between the NYC DOE and the UFT. Now that there is a work agreement defined and we are in the process of receiving further guidance on how to best adapt this agreement to our school schedule and individual student class schedules, we hope to be able to share what the actual school day will look like later this week for our In-Person and Fully Remote students. Once we are able to do so, we can engage in a larger Q&A to address any questions that may exist regarding the school day and any other concerns that may remain.
Note: The earliest we can deliver and release student's individual daily class schedules is September 8th or 9th. We apologize for the delay, but as you can see above and below, based upon the timeline and release of information, guidance and agreements, we (like every other high school) are still working diligently during the weekday, nights and weekends, to finish the challenging task of student programming.
Should you have any questions, please direct them to Mr. Erlenwein (principal) at Merlenw@schools.nyc.gov, or Barbara Malenfant (parent coordinator) at BMalenfant@schools.nyc.gov.
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Tuesday, August 25, 2020 Update
2020-2021 SITHS Student Schedule Proposal
(NYC DOE has Approved our Exception Model)
Click here to view the video of Mr. Erlenwein Explaining our Program Model.
(Disregard minutes 23:00 - 26:12, being our exception has been approved and we will not need to use Model 1B.)
The good news is that, YES, our exception model has been approved. In-Person learning will occur three days a week for each of the two groups, for three out of every six weeks, as illustrated in PLAN 1 below, via the weekly and monthly table view which will allow us to rotates students in a 111-222 sequence as our Day ABC schedule continues consecutively. This will allow us to execute an easier-to-follow ABC instructional schedule, and predictable in-person student group sequence.
Using the 3 period-per-day block schedule, we will be able to continue to deliver Staten Island Technical High School’s rich and robust curriculum of courses aligned and exceeding New York State Learning Standards, Next Generation Learning Standards, the College Board Advanced Placement approved curriculum and syllabi, as well as Career and Technical Education (CTE) and Work Based Learning Learning Standards, which is the foundation of our school’s unique and specialized curriculum.
II. When will I know which Group (Group 1 or 2) my child has been assigned to for In-Person / Blended Learning?
Originally, the NYC DOE's deadline for a school to inform families / students of their assigned Group Number, was Wednesday, August 26th. Due to the ongoing labor discussions and negotiations between the NYC DOE, UFT (teacher's union) and CSA (administrators union), Staten Island Tech, like most High Schools on Staten Island and citywide, will not be able to share each student's assigned group until the end of this week. We are aiming for Thursday or Friday to inform families of which group they have been assigned. This information will give families a general idea of how often they will be attending in-person learning at school, and when they are learning remotely. Fully remote learners are always attending classes remotely and will be given further information regarding their schedule, once we are able to do so.
III. Can I still opt-out of Blended Learning for Fully Remote Learning?
According to the NYC DOE Student Learning Preference Website, At any time of year, for any reason, you can choose fully remote learning for your child. This means they would learn 100% remotely (all online, from home). Remote learning includes live interaction with teachers every day, and every class includes live instruction. Changing your preference: If you choose fully remote learning for your child, you will have the option to change back to blended learning at a few specific times during the school year, beginning in November 2020. Click here to change your learning preference to Fully Remote.
IV. When will students receive their 2020-21 class schedule?
Due to the ongoing labor discussions and negotiations between the NYC DOE, UFT (teacher's union) and CSA (administrators union), Staten Island Tech, like most High Schools on Staten Island and citywide, will not be able to provide the detailed individualized Class Schedules for our students until we receive further information as to the the guidelines for who will be teaching Remote and In-Person learners. This is out of our control and a labor relations challenge that is impacting our ability to fully program our students and share that information. We as a high school are not alone and among the large number of high schools who are in a holding pattern at this point. I apologize that we do not have any further detailed information on actual class schedules at this time. I can promise, though, that our program team is working diligently around the clock, working on making the programs that students indicated they wanted (to the best of our ability) as close to a reality as possible. The final outcome of our work and what we will share is pending many vital answers to questions only the NYC DOE can provide at this time.
Once all the missing pieces have aligned, I will create an informative video explaining what the student's school day will look like, in addition to holding a town hall to answer questions. As it stands now, any town hall that I would conduct would be a myriad of questions with I as the principal continually, stating, "I am waiting for guidance in order to answer that question." I do not want to waste anyones time and wish for our time to be productive so we can proceed forward together. At that time, during the town hall, we will also address any safety protocols and concerns as well. Thank you for your patience!
Should you have any question, please email me at Merlenw@schools.nyc.gov
Sincerely,
Mr. Erlenwein
Principal
**NEW** Program Model Questions (Reminder: There is an FAQ section further down this page.)
Q: If a student chooses to go all remote AFTER school has already started, would they go remote into the same program/classes they started hybrid? I know the teachers might not be the same, but how about the class? (For example, if a student in in AP Chem while hybrid, if they choose to go all remote, would there be a possibility they would get another type of science class?)
A: The answer to this question is pending further guidance from ongoing labor relation discussions and negotiations with the NYC DOE, UFT and CSA.
Q: Now that there is a more accurate approximation of the numbers of students attending school, will the number of buses leaving from Brooklyn increase so that they can accommodate social distancing on the bus?
A: No information has been shared at this point regarding the mass public transportation system and the ability to accommodate the demands that will be present once the school year begins.
Q: While in school, on your sample ABC Block Schedule, there is a possibility of free periods/no class at the end of the day. Could it be a possibility that a student has a free period/no class in the middle of the day? If so, where does the child do?
A: Our goal would be to avoid FREE middle periods at all costs, however, if that was unavoidable, we would have to provide a “swing space” that is only used for that one period for students with a free period to report to. Our goal is to not program students in such a way. The goal would be for the empty periods to take place at the beginning or end of the day.
Q: Since the kids will be having only 3 periods each day how long would each period last? My child will be a senior and my concern is will the teachers be able cover all the materials that they are required to if the students have to take regents exams in spring and their AP tests.
A: The answer to this question is pending further guidance from ongoing labor relation discussions and negotiations with the NYC DOE, UFT and CSA. Our goal is to cover all the material required for the Regents and AP curriculum, but please keep in mind, with In-Person and Remote Learning practices, it will have to be a blend of live instructional minutes and a variety of electronically-delivered content via the balance of those instructional minutes. It will be a different experience from the Spring, but with the same goal of covering the content through creative and innovative means.
Q: When will students be able to know what classes they were accepted to since some of them have summer work assignments to complete.
Q: Will my child be staying in school the full day, 8am to 2:50pm, for each of the three days that she will be coming in for "in-person" instruction. I'm trying to plan how she will commute to school each day and I would appreciate it if you could inform me of the time students will be dismissed from school.
A: The answer to this question is pending further guidance from ongoing labor relation discussions and negotiations with the NYC DOE, UFT and CSA.
Q: I was wondering if the in person teacher will be the same as the remote teacher? So, if my daughter is in front of Teacher A in school on Monday, will she be remote with Teacher A on Thursday? Or will it be another teacher? I think according to the UFT that it will be 2 separate teachers.
A: The answer to this question is pending further guidance from ongoing labor relation discussions and negotiations with the NYC DOE, UFT and CSA. While the news and reports from discussion with the “UFT” are allegedly “2 separate teachers,” I (the principal) have not yet received any confirmation of this in writing as of August 14th.
Q: During the remote days will there be live instructions with teachers through zoom or other platforms or only work posted on google classroom like it was last spring.
A. Please see the chart below, provided by the DOE, which outlines the comparison of Remote and Blended Learning practices.
Frequently Asked Questions - In Person Learning / Frequency
Frequently Asked Questions - Remote Learning
Frequently Asked Questions - Schedule
Frequently Asked Questions - Classroom Setting
Frequently Asked Questions - Opting Out and In to In-Person Instruction
Frequently Asked Questions - Health
Frequently Asked Questions - Transportation
Frequently Asked Questions - Extracurricular / Sports
Frequently Asked Questions - College
Daily Schedule: Our school day for students consists of 5.5 hours of blended instruction delivered within a 6 Hours 50 Minute school day, from 8 AM to 2:50 PM.
Classes: Each school day consists of 3 periods / classes, for both remote and in-person learners, minimizing person-to-person interaction versus our traditional 9-Period Day. The meeting times for In-Person and Remote periods will be published on the “Return to School” landing age button on the home screen.
School / Classroom Occupancy: Currently at 33% occupancy, there will be 8-12 students scheduled in a classroom. With 40% of our students opting out of In-Person instruction, students will be separated into two groups for In-Person instruction, while the third group is 100% remote.
Instruction:
- We will utilize a 3-day, ABC schedule.
- Students will be scheduled for 7 to 8 classes this school year, taking 2 or 3 classes each day.
- This schedule is adaptable and will work with remote (At-Home), hybrid (In-Person / At-Home) or 100% in-person (No Remote) throughout the 2020-21 school year if and when things change.
Based upon our current building occupancy of 33%, and 40% of our entire student population opting for All-Remote instruction, we would split the remaining 60% of our In-Person students into two groups (Group 1 - 30% and Group 2 - 30% = 60% of our In-Person learners). To maximize the number of students cohorts / pods and safety protocols, we would be using a Block Schedule (Day A: Pds 123, Day B: Pds 456, Day C: Pds 789), which would minimize the amount of student-to-student-to-teacher contact, and allow us to program the complex and specialized courses that are norms in Specialized High Schools.
Our 9th and 10th grade students can easily be scheduled into pods that remain together throughout the day, with minimal or no movement necessary to multiple classrooms in order to execute their programs.
With the 11th and 12th graders, the mass number of individual programs for our students who are enrolled in our specialized sequences requires much more strategic grouping in order to fulfill our program commitments we have made to our families. The Block ABC schedule and a rotation of two student Groups 1-2, provides us the necessary physical classroom utilization to safely offer our students a program that meets the merits and expectations of our students, while doing so in the safest manner. Our course sequences encompass programs that students have worked very hard towards in order to be offered in their junior and senior years. Our plan ensures that students are scheduled for 7-8 courses, and see their individual teachers once every 6 days in-person, and once every 3-days remotely.
Changing of Classes: Teachers will be changing rooms, to minimize students moving. There may be small exceptions where both the students and teachers may change rooms, when there are clean / unused rooms available.
Specialty Rooms: All technology classes will need to be in two rooms to allow students to enter clean environments. Additional rooms will be set up for support computers and equipment.
Lunch: Our school will provide students with grab-and-go meals for breakfast and lunch each day. Signage will be provided to direct students to pick up points within the school. Students will also be permitted to bring their own lunch, if preferred. Doing so will allow for more flexibility so students and physical distancing can be maintained during lunch time, a time when many students usually gather in one location. Lunch will likely be in classrooms to minimize interaction between groups of students. If the cafeteria must be used, our school will ensure appropriate physical distancing is maintained. After they have finished eating, our students and staff will wipe down the area where they ate their meal. Every evening, our Division of School Facilities will be cleaning our entire school building with COVID-19 approved disinfectant.