Venus ISD will begin classes on-campus and online on August 18, 2020
Registration for returning students continues through August 4, 2020

In-person assistance is available at Venus High School on the following dates:
Thursday July 30, 2020 3PM-7PM
Friday July 31, 2020 3PM-7PM
Saturday August 1, 2020 10AM-2PM

Computers will be available for parents to complete registration and Spanish translators will also be present.

• Only 1 adult per family will be allowed in and masks are required.
• No students or children will be allowed to enter the building during this time.
• You will check in at the door and physical distancing will be observed.

There will be a maximum of 20 parents in the building at one time so please be patient if we have to ask you to wait for a few minutes before you are allowed in.

​Many attempting to register for school today ran into technical difficulties. Therefore, Venus ISD Registration dates will start Monday, July 20 at 8:00 a.m., and run through August 4.
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On Thursday, 7/16, at 7:00 p.m., Venus ISD Superintendent James Hopper will discuss Re-Opening Plans and gather input from parents.

Venus ISD Parents/Guardians,

The unfortunate health situation in our state is changing daily. Most recently, the COVID-19 incidents have increased dramatically. We appreciate your understanding, patience, and grace as we all navigate this situation together.

We have been working all summer to plan for the 20-21 school year. In a recent survey of Venus ISD parents, almost 80% of the surveys returned said that you would rather have learning happen on campus this fall. We all want our school year to begin as normally as possible; however, there will have to be some safety precautions.

As with all school districts, we had been hoping to get a little more guidance from state sources regarding the health situation, specifically social distancing restrictions and the constraints that will be placed on the classroom environment, transportation, student meals, and so forth. In the absence of this direction, we are pressing forward, and will continue to work with guidance from health officials regarding the safest manner in which to return to school this year.

We want to inform you of options for the coming school year:

On-Campus (Face-to-face) Instruction
We will make sure that our students can be back on campus with their teachers in a way that maximizes safety for students and staff. This will be done through routine disinfecting of surfaces, appropriate and feasible social distancing, hand washing, and use of personal protective equipment.

Connected (At-Home) Instruction
In addition, we are going to offer learning options for those who may have health concerns for their students or for others in the household. For those who are not comfortable with on-campus instruction at this time, we are offering Connected (virtual) Instruction. Your student already has (or will be issued) a Chromebook to use for this type of instruction. Please note that the Connected Learning will adhere to the same attendance and grading polices as on-campus classes.

In order for us to accurately plan for the 20-21 school year, please take a moment to fill out the brief survey, via the link below, indicating your preferences. Please note that answering the survey does not lock you into your decision. It simply gives us valuable feedback so we can more effectively and efficiently plan for the beginning of the school year.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfiwTz0xGa_nZwU2Orka670qqVL_VRQ1H7y3LQIlcJU2YsTLQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

We look forward to the ongoing partnership with parents in the coming weeks leading up to the school year. There will be much more information in the coming days and weeks. In the meantime, please email any questions to covid19@venusisd.net.
Key upcoming dates include the following:

• Registration for both On-Campus and Connected Learning is July 15 – July 30.
• First day for classes is August 13.

La situación de salud en nuestro estado está cambiando diariamente. Más recientemente, los incidentes de COVID-19 han aumentado dramáticamente. Apreciamos su comprensión, paciencia y gracia mientras todos navegamos juntos por esta situación.

En una encuesta reciente de padres de Venus ISD, casi 80% de las encuestas devueltas dijeron que preferiría tener un aprendizaje presencial en persona este otoño. Todos queremos que nuestro año escolar comience lo más normalmente posible, sin embargo, deberán tomarse algunas precauciones de seguridad. Como todos los distritos escolares, habíamos esperado obtener más información de las fuentes estatales con respecto a la situación de salud, específicamente las restricciones de distanciamiento social y las restricciones que se impondrán del aula, el transporte, las comidas de los estudiantes, etc. En ausencia de esta dirección, continuamos trabajando con la orientación de los funcionarios de salud sobre la forma más segura de regresar a la escuela este año.

Instrucción cara a cara (en la escuela)
Nos aseguraremos de que nuestros estudiantes puedan estar cara a cara con sus maestros de una manera que maximice la seguridad para los estudiantes y el personal. Esto se realizará mediante una programa de desinfección regular, distanciamiento social apropiado y factible, lavado de manos y uso de equipo de protección personal.

Instrucción conectada (en el hogar)
Además, vamos a ofrecer opciones de aprendizaje conectadas para aquellos que puedan tener inquietudes de salud para sus estudiantes u otras personas en el hogar. Para aquellos que no se sienten cómodos con la instrucción cara a cara en este momento, ofrecemos instrucción conectada (en el hogar). Su estudiante ya tiene (o se le emitirá) un Chromebook para usar para este tipo de instrucción. Se tomarán asistencia y calificaciones, y las clases serán diseñadas y enseñadas por maestros de Venus ISD.

Haga clic en el enlace abajo para completar la breve encuesta que acompaña a esta carta. Tu decisión no es definitiva. Esta es información crítica para que la usemos en la planificación del año escolar 2020-21.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeEZB29nuMouA_rb3z1i_Whs4ichSlIGczFigKGWXIQo1T77A/viewform?usp=sf_link

Esperamos una asociación continua con las familias de Venus ISD con más información próximamente. Mientras tanto, envíe sus preguntas por correo electrónico a covid19@venusisd.net.
Fechas Importantes:

• La inscripción para estudiantes es del 15 de julio al 30 de julio.
• El primer día para las clases es el 13 de agosto.

​– Venus ISD to receive up to $300,000 and technical support provided by the Raise Your Hand Texas Foundation –
 
Venus Independent School District is among the 20 school districts selected as blended learning demonstration sites in the second cohort of Raising Blended Learners (RBL). Venus ISD will receive up to $300,000 in grant funding plus additional in-kind technical assistance to implement a personalized learning program within their district.
 
The 2020 cohort of blended learning demonstration sites reflect the vast diversity within Texas’ public schools including suburban, rural, and urban districts with student populations ranging from 550 to more than 150,000 students. Venus ISD is proud of our administrative team’s hard work in designing a blended learning plan that will be of immense benefit to our students.  Venus ISD alumnus and current Venus ISD Instructional Technology Coordinator and RBL Project Leader, Warren Hudson adds,” Venus ISD has an unwavering commitment to doing what is best for our students, and the resources provided by the Raise Your Hand Texas Foundation will help us take that commitment to the next level; I’m truly excited for our teachers and students.” 
 
Superintendent James Hopper stated, “The Venus ISD Board of Trustees is singularly focused on student growth and development, and has backed that up numerous times with commitment to action. Because of this commitment, our Blended Learning Team (BLT) of Ann-Marie Morgan, Warren Hudson, Karen Woodworth, Kim Buck, Victoria Fudge and Daniel Domain took on the planning of this initiative as a moral imperative, regardless of the outcome of the grant process.”
 
Blended learning merges best practices of in-person classroom teaching with online technology so educators are able to utilize data to personalize instruction while students are able to gain more ownership over their learning.
 
With the RBL Grant, Venus ISD is committed to helping teachers close gaps in student learning and to the promotion of student growth by focusing on student-centered, data-driven instruction that involves whole-group, small-group, and independent, personalized work, along with a variety of tools and resources.  “Our pilot focuses on leveraging blended learning to increase reading levels for all students in grades six through nine,” says Director of Curriculum, Dr. Ann-Marie Morgan. Venus ISD will leverage additional funding and support to increase student reading skills by incorporating the station rotation model of blended learning.  Doing so will ensure that each student receives greater personalized attention from their teacher, and receives instruction focused on their unique needs.
 
Raising Blended Learners was originally scheduled to launch work with its second cohort during the 2020-21 school year. However, due to the challenging times caused by COVID-19, the program will begin implementation during the 2021-22 school year. 
 
“The Raise Your Hand Texas Foundation recognizes this announcement comes at a challenging time for education across the state,” said Jennifer Jendrzey, vice president of strategy and evaluation of the Raise Your Hand Texas Foundation. “In light of the trauma and chaos surrounding COVID-19, we know that ‘business as usual’ will not be possible for many districts as they head into the 2020-21 school year and therefore, made the difficult decision to delay the launch of Raising Blended Learners by one full calendar year.”
 
During the interim, the Foundation will support the second cohort of Raising Blended Learners demonstration sites with readiness support to help the districts revisit and revise, if necessary, their blended learning plans.
 
“Even with a delay, Raise Your Hand is committed to helping districts maintain the momentum generated through the past year of the application and planning process, and supporting them in addressing the new teaching and learning reality of COVID-19,” Jendrzey said.