• Distance Learning for Students at Othello High School

    On April 6, 2020, Governor Inslee announced the closure of all schools for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year. Because of this announcement, Othello High School will be transitioning to a Continuous Distance Learning model. Teachers will be providing students with weekly learning plans through online platforms (such as Google Classroom). Continuous Distance Learning will concentrate on essential core learning principles, and learning efforts will help students improve their learning and allow them to prepare for the next grade level.

    Beginning Monday, April 20th, Othello High School's Continuous Distance Learning plan is as follows: 

    Communication Between Teachers & Students

    All teachers have been working to get in contact with their student's families. Teachers are providing families with information regarding their continuous learning plan and what they can expect moving forward (whether that be online instruction or paper resources for those without internet). Please note: In order to protect our teachers personal information, calls are being made using a blocked phone number. If you receive a call from a blocked number, please answer your phone as it may be your child's student's teachers. 

    • If you have not heard from your student's teacher yet, please call our school office during working hours to ensure we have the correct phone number on file.

    Student Accountability

    School for all of us is going to look different for the next few months; however, what must stay the same is the importance of you engaging in your own learning and taking responsibility for doing the work just like you did before the closure.While the school building is closed, the learning continues. We all  want to see you graduate from high school, ready to begin college or your career. 

    I know many of you are already communicating regularly with your teachers and completing assignments previously given to you. Shortly, you will be required to begin completing new assignments and be responsible for learning new material. Whether you are a student taking college in the high school or AP classes, a senior preparing to graduate, or a ninth to eleventh grader working hard to get to the next grade, there are a number of strategies for success in online learning. Here are the top five:

    1. Devote consistent blocks of time to each class. It can be tempting to delay doing your school work thinking you will find time later. Schedule consistent blocks of time each day and week that you can devote to your school work AND STICK TO IT. 
    2. Communicate regularly with your teachers. Calling your teacher during their office hours and emailing them at other times will benefit you both during and beyond the course.
    3. Engage with your classmates. Don’t limit your participation to just responding to the prompts and questions posted by your teacher. Add your own insights and questions to the discussion. These conversations and contributions help you relate the course material to the real world.
    4. Begin your work early. In an online class, there may be technical difficulties that you need to deal with. Give yourself time to get used to online learning. Give your teachers a reasonable amount of time to answer your questions. In an online class, exchanging emails or arranging phone conversations takes time. In short, expect that you will encounter hurdles when completing the work and leave yourself time to overcome them.
    5. Remember that each class is going to be a little different. Your teachers are working on making each class look and feel similar, but there will be differences. Ask questions and do your best to meet the requirements. Tell the teacher if something isn’t working for you. Teachers are there to help.

    When you actually look at the top five strategies for success in online learning, you will notice that the strategies are not that much different than those strategies that lead to success in the classroom.  In or out of the school building, you got this.

    When school gets frustrating and you start to worry about getting everything done and passing your classes I want you to remember a few things: you are an Othello Huskie and you belong to our academic community; your ability and competence will grow with your effort, keep trying; you can and will succeed in the end; this work and graduating from high school will have an everlasting value for you. Go Huskies!

    Senior Presentations (COVID-19 Expectations)

    After carefully consideration, the OHS and DOHS teams have concluded that seniors will be expected to send their High School and Beyond Plan presentations, using the template that had been previously provided to them. There have been minor adjustments to the template, which now includes a PDF or their resume and an increase of detail expected per slide. Additionally, our team felt very strongly about still having some level of accountability, so a rubric that mirrors the student slides was created. Please review that rubric here. This will be the tool that Senior Huskie Futures teachers use for feedback to our seniors. You will see that it is possible that students are asked to “redo” a slide or two if it doesn’t meet the expectations. The changes in expectations as well as the modified slide presentation and rubric will be shared with seniors in the Class of 2020 Google Classroom. If students need help uploading resumes and such, please have them contact Mindy at mchristensen@othelloschools.org.

    Internet Access

    Students with no internet access are encouraged to visit one of the Othello School District's parking lots to access the districts WIFI and download their weekly assignments. 

    Chromebook Concerns

    If you have concerns or are having issues with your student's Chromebook. Please fill out the following form: OSD Chromebook Repair

    The Technology Department will be in contact with you as soon as possible to help. 

    Let's Stay Connected!

    If you have any questions regarding your child's schedule, the online assignments, or learning in general, please reach out to your child's teacher through email or Google Classroom. For all other questions, please contact the office during office hours by calling (509) 488-3351. Please continue to look for updates on the OHS Facebook page, the Othello School District Facebook page and our websites. 

    Office Hours

    Monday - Friday from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM.