Temecula Elementary School Brings Kids Back To Class

TEMECULA, CA — A program that’s bringing Temecula Elementary School students back into the classroom amid the pandemic is underway, and officials are calling it a first of its kind.

For a decade, the school has partnered with nonprofit Think Together for after-school expanded learning programs, but TES Principal Sandra McKay came up with a twist: What if Think Together came onto campus during regular school hours, even though the Temecula Valley Unified School District is shuttered due to coronavirus?

Turns out, Think Together could.

“Moving [Think Together] onto campus during what would be regular school hours under normal conditions made perfect sense,” McKay explained. “Once we learned that the concept would qualify under the newly expanded After School Education Safety funding guidelines, we contacted Think Together and a new program was born. It’s been great for our students and extremely helpful to working parents.”

Now, TES students whose families opt-in are assigned to separate small “hubs." Each hub contains just 15 pupils. The hubs then rotate through the classroom during regular school hours to complete their daily assignments under the supervision of Think Together’s trained staff.

The program is underway as TES teachers continue providing virtual instruction, and as union leaders representing educators move forward in discussions with the district to return to in-person learning.

TVUSD Superintendent Dr. Jodi McClay praised McKay’s innovative thinking.

“The positive impact of this new program for both students and parents was obvious and immediate,” McClay said. "Think Together has been a valued resource after school for our students, parents, and teachers for the past decade. During these challenging times, this new approach provides students with support and additional learning time in the classroom, parents receive top-notch childcare that is focused on supporting their child's learning, and teachers
have 'partners' in the classroom to support their daily lessons provided through virtual learning."

TES is the only TVUSD elementary school site to utilize Think Together for expanded learning programs, said district spokesperson Laura Boss. All others use the BASES program, and it's not immediately clear whether some form of in-person learning could also take place in the near future at the other campuses.

The return to the TES classroom includes strict adherence to COVID-19 safety protocols — face masks, distancing, increasing cleaning, and more, and it’s hoped that all TVUSD students will be back on their campuses soon.

In a Feb. 5 letter to district families, McClay said the TVUSD is submitting a COVID-19 Safety Plan to the state, and if approved the district could reopen its elementary schools once Riverside County reaches an adjusted coronavirus case rate of 25 cases per 100,000 population. As of Tuesday, Riverside County’s adjusted case rate was 44.9 cases per 100,000, according to state data.