Archived Principal Updates
~ 2020-2021 updates ~
Coronavirus Emergency School Closing 2019-2020
Updates from Principal Corley
(most current update at top of page)
Friday, April 24, 2020
As most of you are aware, Gov. Henry McMaster and Superintendent of Education, Molly Spearman, announced a few days ago that SC school buildings will remain closed for the remainder of the school year. There will be a good amount of communication coming from Oceanside in the next weeks as we work to continue to provide our standards driven/honors and dual enrollment curriculum and start to plan for the end of the 2020 school year.
With the announcement to close school buildings for the remainder of the school year, comes the final decision by the SC High School League to suspend all spring athletic events and begin to look for logistics/procedures for summer athletic activity allowed.
Some of the things being discussed by staff throughout the next few weeks are: graduation scenarios based on allowances by state and local governments, grading formula for second semester based on mandate from the Department of Education and, logistics for athletic activity during the summer, based on mandates from the SC High School League. As of today, we do not have enough information to make a decision on any of the three items mentioned above but will of course communicate with our school family as soon as those decisions are made, or further information is available.
We ARE however looking forward to an array of events celebrating our senior class of 2020 in the very near future:
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April 30th – Yearbook, graduation supplies and Class of 2020 yard sign pick up day. There are several guidelines and logistics which we have to abide by in order to have this event. Please make sure you have read the instructions and follow all mandates.
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May 1st – National College Signing Day- Staff has created, with the help of our senior class, a virtual celebration of our students as they make final plans for their NEXT LEVEL! This will be shared through Facebook and emailed to our entire student body.
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Senior Slide Show – On May 6th, our Senior Class President will unveil our Class of 2020 Senior Slide Show. We will post on Facebook and will email a copy to the whole student body.
A date for Board Elections has yet to be determined. I should have a solid date/plan within the next few weeks. We have great candidates to choose from!
Please continue to send your love and support to our high school and college faculty who are working extremely hard to deliver instruction remotely. Teachers are a special breed and, in my opinion, live off the love and energy of being around young people. This is taxing for them as well so keep them in your thoughts.
Again, thank you for your love and positive energy. We do what we do because of that powerful force!
Go Landsharks!!
B. Corley
Wednesday, April 22, 2020
Landsharks! Gov. McMaster and Molly Spearman, announced today that SC school buildings will remain closed for the remainder of the school year. Principal Corley will be providing an update in the coming days, regarding the end of year logistics, semester grading, graduation plans, athletics, and more. We miss you all and are working to responsibly come together again very soon.
Wednesday, April 8, 2020
I hope this communication finds you well and doing your best to stay grateful and focused during this strange Spring Break. I know both students and faculty are enjoying the time away from their screens!
On the school front I do want to let you know we have not heard anything different than the return date for schools as May 1. We have not cancelled any May or June events at this time but please know we are thinking of different timelines and scenarios for some celebrations which our current situation will not allow us to participate in a traditional sense. The first one being College Signing Day! I hope all Seniors participate in that celebration for which logistics went out earlier today. We have a very creative team so stay tuned for other non-traditional celebrations in our near future.
On the High School League amendment front, we have no new developments, but I am still super hopeful we will soon after things start to open back up.
The search for Oceanside’s Head Football Coach is well under way with a second round of interviews taking place this week. That position will be selected from a very accomplished and experienced group of candidates. Worst case scenario is: We end up with a GREAT COACH! Of course, as soon as that selection has been made and vetted, our school family will be first to find out.
Please help me congratulate Coach Mark Meyer for he has been selected from among a very illustrious, experienced group of candidates to lead Oceanside Athletics to The Next Level as our Athletic Director. I look forward to working side by side with Coach Meyer and know for a fact we are all better off because he CHOSE TO BE A SHARK!
As always, I can’t thank you enough for your support and words of encouragement. We ALL have a lot on our plates right now, but as always our school community worries more about their neighbor than themselves. You all give us strength daily and for that I’ll always be grateful.
Go Landsharks!!
B. Corley
Principal
Monday, March 30, 2020
I hope this message finds you well and handling this crisis the best way possible. These are very difficult times in our world, something we have never experienced before. Your patience is appreciated as we navigate this journey together, and most importantly, I hope you and your family are healthy and together.
On Tuesday, March 24th, Governor Henry McMaster and State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman announced that all schools in South Carolina will remain closed throughout the month of April in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19.
I ask that you continue to work with your student(s) and their teachers to keep them on pace with their academic work. Our faculty is responding to emails, posting assignments, and submitting grades daily, so students can remain on pace whenever we are able to return to school, but most of all we want to help you help your students maintain stability and a degree of normalcy in this state of limbo we find ourselves in. I’ll reiterate what I told you last week, that we are as prepared as can be for this situation. I am hearing positive messages from parents, students and community members. Even cooler, today during our virtual faculty meeting a good chunk of time was spent talking about what a great job our parents are doing. We are truly a family.
Regarding our school building, while everyone has been away, our custodial team has been working vigorously cleaning, sanitizing, disinfecting, scrubbing, etc., all classrooms, hallways, restrooms, locker rooms, and the café area. We will continue to work to be certain that when we return to school, our school will be clean and ready for all students.
Please note that we will observe Spring Break during the week of April 6th through 10th. During this week, no new academic assignments will be issued. Teachers will answer emails from that week when they return to their computers on Monday, April 13.
PARENTS OF SENIORS: I know a lot of you are a little heartbroken and not knowing what to do in regard to graduation plans. Please know that we have not cancelled any graduation events and even if worse comes to worse, we will have a graduation even if it’s in July.
Thank you for being the best school family any principal could ever hope for.
B. Corley
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Schedule one on one time with our school counselor (soon to be a PhD!) Mrs. Pamela Robinson. She is here to speak with students about ANYTHING! Email her at probinson@Landsharks.org to schedule a face to face virtual counseling session(s).
Talking with students about Coronavirus: https://www.nasponline.org/resources-and-publications/resources-and-podcasts/school-climate-safety-and-crisis/health-crisis-resources/helping-children-cope-with-changes-resulting-from-covid-19
Tips for creating a new normal at home for children: https://consciousdiscipline.com/covid-19-five-helpful-responses-for-families/?fbclid=IwAR1tPXJxnNBf_cvCY7POemvCjudYn5LN_8kpNh9dnUjf52exD-Zt6nWiyQo
Tuesday, March 24, 2020
South Carolina Governor McMaster and Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman today released the following joint statement announcing that South Carolina’s schools will remain closed through the month of April:
“At this time, students, parents, and families should plan for South Carolina’s schools to remain closed through the month of April. Our dedicated teachers and school administrators have done a tremendous job in making it possible for our students to learn at home. We understand that the prospect of schools remaining closed for an extended period of time places stress and strain on parents and children. Rest assured, if there is any way to safely open our schools earlier, we will do that, but schools must remain closed to protect the health and safety of South Carolinians.”
Friday, March 20, 2020
As we wrap up our first week of distance learning, I want to share with you what I know and honestly, I just miss you all. I think these updates make me feel connected and I hope they do the same for you.
There are so many negatives out there right now and we are all very aware of them, so I won’t harp on those; here’s what we do know:
CCSD has moved their return to school date to April 13th. They basically extended the three days between March 31 and spring break which ended on April 10. We had scheduled a Teacher Workday for the 13th with students scheduled to come back on the 14th. As you all are aware a lot of our families have other students at CCSD schools, so I like to keep the calendars as close as possible. I highly doubt I’ll keep the teacher workday on the 13th if we are released to come back to school but stay tuned.
Please continue to send your love and support to our high school and college faculty who are working extremely hard to deliver instruction remotely. Teachers are a special breed and, in my opinion, live off the love and energy of being around young people. This is taxing for them as well so keep them in your thoughts.
Again, thank you for your love and positive energy. We do what we do because of that powerful force!
Wednesday, March 18, 2020
Day #2 of distance learning went well! I am hoping to pop in on some of your virtual classes this week so at least I get to see you for a few minutes even if virtually.
* Your faculty is working hard preparing lessons and continuing to switch their instruction strategies to fit a distance learning model.
*Our administration team is being copied on all group emails at the beginning of the day as well as on communications when students are “absent” and/or not turning in assignments or assessments.
*We do need our parental units to proctor, check in and regulate students and their engagement with daily schoolwork. Those of you who were homeschooled are flying through this; the fact that our students take at least two classes through distance learning every year is also easing our pain throughout this process.
*It may be a good idea to have your student give you access to their school email account, so you can "inspect what you/we expect".
*Reach out to your classroom teacher with ANY questions or to clarify anything you are not sure about. A lot of us are enjoying SKYPE, ZOOM and Google Chats. I would love some pictures of students participating in distance learning for social media!
Some other things to remember...
We have peer tutors available through distance learning. Contact Coach Domin (mdomin@landsharks.org) or your classroom teacher to schedule.
Those of you who were scheduled to take the SAT on March 25th, that test has been cancelled with no make-up date available from the State Department of Education as of today.
Accuplacer Testing Day had been scheduled for April 1. That test has been postponed with no date available for make ups as of today.
My understanding at this point is our building will be closed until March 31st. There has been no word about reworking the school calendar to “cancel Spring Break”. So past March 31st we have no directive from the State Dept. of Ed. about our school calendar.
Prom (April 25) has NOT been cancelled.
Well Landsharks, I hope you are not glued to the news channels, they’ll drive you to sadness. I am planning on binge watching some Netflix while going through the insane number of applications I’ve received since yesterday morning. The future looks bright Sharks :)
Monday, March 16, 2020
(Update from your Guidance Counselor, Pamela Robinson)
Happy Monday, Landsharks! I hope you are all doing well and have completed Day 1 of your virtual assignments per your teachers' instructions. I wanted to reach out & remind you all that although we are not going to physically be at OCA for sometime, as your school counselor, I am still here! Shoot me an email to chat, ask a question, or schedule a time to chat virtually.
Wednesdays have always been the day I try to keep my office open (no scheduled meetings) for student walk-ins and check-ins. With this in mind, while OCA's doors are closed, I will keep the following schedule open for any virtual meetings with any student that needs ANYTHING. Simply click on the link to claim your 30 minutes and I'll send you a link before the time arrives to use for the meeting 💙
https://landsharkwednesdays.youcanbook.me
Sunday, March 15, 2020
Governor McMaster has closed schools until March 31, 2020. As stated Friday we are moving to online learning starting tomorrow. Stay tuned for faculty instructions and message from Mrs. Corley tomorrow, Monday, March 16th.
Still waiting on word from the high school league but assuming all games and practices will be postponed as well.
Friday, March 13, 2020
Dear Landshark families,
We understand our town, state, and nation are facing uncertain times as we respond to the impacts and potential impacts of the coronavirus (COVID-19). Please know if Oceanside makes any changes to our normal operations as it relates to this matter, it will be done in conjunction with and guidance from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, the South Carolina Department of Education, and our local government agencies. If any changes are made to our normal operations, we will communicate that information directly to our school community, through our official channels, which include our notification system ( emails, and/or texts), our website (www.oceansidecollegiateacademy.org), and our social media platforms.
Oceanside faculty and staff met this morning to go over logistics in the event we may have to close school for a period of time. I feel confident that we are all used to and comfortable with an online learning environment and both faculty and students are comfortable with said logistics/programs. As you all know, missing these many days of instruction will be challenging for all our students. We will need your help and support enforcing students log in, stay engaged and turn in all assignments by the assigned deadlines. If there are extenuating circumstances which would keep a student from completing assignments or preparing for an assessment please contact the teacher of record in advance. Also super important to note that college courses taught by Oceanside faculty may have different expectations than those taught on TTC’s campus by TTC staff. Our students will continue to participate in their college classes virtually even if TTC cancels classes. Any questions about any class taught here on campus should be directed to the classroom teacher/professor and not Trident Tech’s website.
None of us know exactly what to expect with this situation but I believe we are on solid footing to be able to respond and adapt to conditions.
Stay safe friends and Go Landsharks!!