Student Government is working to help students find answers to their questions during this unprecedented year.  Below are some questions and answers we received.

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Are we heading back to school? I have a few friends from other towns around Franklin that have had corona in their schools but I was wondering if we will return even when corona is back in play.

• Yes! Cohort A will begin school on November 16th for a full week of school, with the exception of Wednesday, which will be remote for everyone. After that first week, everyone in cohort A will quarantine and resume online school for two weeks. Within those two weeks, cohort B will go the week after A, and C after B. Regarding your wonderment, if we will ever return to fully remote due to the possibility of there being an outbreak or a spike in cases in our community, that is something administration will have to play by year and make the best possible determinations to keep students, families, and teachers safe. Thank you for the question!

Why are teachers asking us to unmute ourselves for attendance when they can set their screen up in alphabetical order? Sometimes our mics don’t unmute in time and we get marked absent even when we are there.

• They want us to be engaged as possible and one of those ways is by having you unmute to show you have their full attention, if you can’t unmute, drop a message in the chat, and that works fine

We need more breaks while in class. We were told we would get 10-minute breaks each class but only 1 of my teachers does this.

• I think this is happening because teachers already have a lot on their plates and they are forgetting. I think if we as students constantly remind them about taking movement breaks during online school, eventually they will remember.

How come all of the teachers (I have and have talked to my friends about) mostly stopped giving us during classes and are giving us more homework?

• This is happening because teachers require mastery of a unit before they can move on with it and it is harder for kids to pay attention to a google meet so teachers assign more homework. Kids can study with more focus on the homework to understand it better.  That being said, we can start to brainstorm solutions for this issue to hopefully increase the productivity and understanding in class and eliminate homework.

How will hybrid work if not all students in one class go in on one day? Is half the class remote while the other is in the classroom, how will it be decided who goes on which day?

• Everyone has been broken into three different cohorts, and the schedule for which group goes when can be found in an email sent out to all students by Mr. Hanna, titled “FHS Update”. The hybrid system can work in a couple of different ways: one is that the students in and out of the classroom will join a google meet just like the remote system, and the other way is that students in the classroom will be taught by the teacher, and the students who are remote will be asynchronous.

Are all clubs still happening? And if so, when will they start and how can I sign up?

When is the club fair and how will it work virtually?

• Yes, clubs will be happening this year. For more information as to when a specific club will begin, there will be a virtual club fair. Every student will have access to the club fair next week. When students enter the website, they will be able to watch 1-2 minute videos of club members advertising their club. If students have further questions about a club, they can fill out a Google Form or reach out to club members.

How are the hybrid groups going to be split up? What would school look like if/when we go back?

• Each student is assigned a specific Cohort: A, B, or C. The cohort that you were assigned can be found in the “My Info” tab of Aspen. The schedule for every cohort has been emailed out by Mr. Hanna, but essentially, each cohort will be in person for school one out of every 3 weeks, alternating with the other two

What happened to the NHS, am I going to know if I get accepted before November Deadlines?

• Spring applications for NHS have reviewed and acceptance emails were sent out by November 1st. If you aren’t accepted, there is a appeal process. Also, if you haven’t applied or you want to reapply the deadline for the fall application is November 13th and you can find it on the club website. The new club advisors are Dr. Fiddler and Mr. Corona if you want to contact them with any more questions.

How will FHS theater work this year? will we meet six feet apart somewhere like sports?

• FHS theatre classes have been planning out skits online to prepare for the outside cabaret in November. They have made arrangements so that the people in certain cohorts are also in the same skits so they can rehearse together once school is back in person. At the performance, masks are required and it will be live-streamed. A small audience following social distancing guidelines may be allowed. The theatre company is planning to produce the show “Clue”. They will be rehearsing socially distanced with masks and utilizing the courtyard every day except for Wednesday when rehearsals are held online. The only people at rehearsals will be the ones called for rehearsing and the rest of the cast will be at home, which ensures that as few people as possible will be there. When it comes time to perform, they plan on performing outside in the courtyard and wearing masks. FHS theatre is taking great safety precautions while still planning an amazing show!

If you’re at a higher risk for getting covid will you continue to do school from home or will we still have to go in? If we weren’t able to get a signature for community service last year will it still count or do I still need to get it signed? Will community service be waived this year and along with gym hours for juniors/seniors? Will there be a refund on bus fees?

• If you or a family member is at a higher risk for contracting Covid or feels uncomfortable or unsafe going back to school following the hybrid model, then you do have the option to continue learning fully virtually and remotely. If you are someone who feels safer learning virtually, families must communicate their intention to the school principal. For gym, a decision has not yet been made at the administrative level for hours of physical activity, but if a requirement does arise, the amount would most certainly be a modification of the original asked. As for bus fees, as of the transportation update on October 14th, if you have already paid the full fee, the town does have records of this information and will be refunding you $195 within the next few weeks. Regarding your concerns about community service, there is still no information given by the school yet about this year.

When will juniors be able to take the SAT?

• PSATs are being offered to juniors only on Tuesday, January 26th. Franklin is not hosting any Saturday SAT but other high schools may be. There are SAT tests available in March, May, and June that students can sign up for on the college board. More info to come by January.

When you need to get “dismissed”, like leave classes early for the day, Do you just email the teacher of the class that you are leaving early, or do you need to email someone else also?

• When getting dismissed, you should email the secretary for your house office just as you would let them know you were getting dismissed if we were in person. This will then be passed on through aspen for classes you were dismissed for. You can also let your teacher know that you are getting dismissed.

The yearbook staff is interested in collaborating with the student government this year to get a better understanding of what kind of activities and events we can include in the book for the 2021 school year. If the student government has any plans for virtual activities or any other creative ideas for the future, we would truly appreciate the information for our planning.

• Sure, we would love to collaborate with the yearbook also. Once we get some plans ready, we will reach out to you so you guys can get ahead with planning.

How will we be able to do fundraising and other school events?

• Fundraising will depend on the specific club. For more information on what clubs will be doing to raise money, ask your club advisor. School sports and clubs are still occurring. Other events may or may not happen. There will not be a Homecoming this Fall.

Will we have homecoming?

• Unfortunately, due to Covid-19, we will not be able to have homecoming this year. Although this does give us time to fundraise for next year’s dances. If a vaccine does come out before the end of the school year we might possibly be able to have a dance, but that’s still up in the air.

Do any unified cheerleading squad yet

• As of right now, there is not a unified cheer team. The current unified programs at FHS are basketball, track, and music. However, like many other sports and activities, unified programs are being affected by covid and may not look the same this year as they have in years past. But, FHS is always looking to start new activities at school and would love to hear if you have any new ideas for clubs/activities.

What will you do to encourage people in our grade (and honestly the entire school) to take proper precautions and keep everyone safe when we switch to hybrid. One of the biggest problems I’ve seen from my peers is that people tend to completely ignore guidelines when hanging out with their friends, and many people in other schools have reported this trend continuing when they returned. FHS is a special place, but how are you guys going to help everyone stay safe and make sure everyone is following your example in order to avoid the inevitability of this problem in whatever capacity we may face? Sorry for asking such a serious question, but I feel as though I speak for many students when I say that the idea of going back to school with people who potentially don’t care about the pandemic as much as they should or even with people who are vulnerable that we are worried about protecting is very scary, and something like this needs to be addressed.

• The Student Government will do everything in our power to encourage students and staff to follow the safety guidelines and take proper precautions. During in-person learning, there will be staff members throughout the school enforcing guidelines (such as masks and social distancing), and there will be many spots for students to sanitize. The Franklin Public Schools have been working tirelessly for many months to bring hybrid learning to FHS, and you can trust that the hybrid experience will be well-coordinated, enjoyable, and most importantly, safe for all students that are involved. Unfortunately, we cannot control what goes on outside of the school in students’ free time, but we will continue to promote safe practices and encourage others to follow the guidelines. If an unsafe situation outside of the school day is brought to our attention, we will take proper precautions to ensure that everyone at FHS is as safe as possible.

What is going on with the ski club?

• Ski club as well other clubs are trying their best right now to keep their members informed. As of right now the club is trying to stay together this year, as long as the ski lodges are open. Although the club may look a little different with the masks and social distancing the morality and base of the club will remain the same.

How are school sports going to work?

• The FHS fall sports season has already started! There are definately a few changes to keep everyone safe, but they are trying to keep it as normal as possible. They have to wear masks while they play, and the amount of players on the field has been limited. The number of teams FHS plays has been decreased in order to limit the exposure as much as possible. For example, the field hockey team only plays 5 teams, each twice in the same week, so they have a total of 10 games this season. The fall sports are still allowing fans for the games, but there is a 50 spectator limit, and parents are only allowed at home games. Football, volleyball and unified basketball have all been moved to the spring. In terms of the Winter Season, wrestling, gymnastics, cheer, girls and boys indoor track, girls and boys basketball, girls and boys hockey, and girls and boys swim are set to return. The normal spring sports, girls and boys lacrosse, baseball, softball, boys and girls track, and unified track and field will be starting on April 26th and go through July 3rd. If you want anymore info check out @FranklinAthletics on twitter, or read Pantherbook’s Elise Ravech’s article: The Return of Athletics! https://franklinpanthers.us/sports/2020/09/15/the-return-of-athletics/ .