Weekly Update – June 4

Greetings all,

This is the last update for the school year. I will be providing updates every other week during the summer; however, should there be an important development in plans for next year, I will send that information out immediately.

I’d like to take a moment to thank students, parents and teachers for all of the difficult work they have been doing since June. I recognize that the transition from the classroom to distance learning has not been an easy one, and I applaud all of the effort you put forth.

I don’t think it will be a surprise to any of you that we expect a larger than usual amount of learning loss over the summer. For that reason, I’d like those of you who borrowed an iPad or Chromebook from the school to hold onto it until September. I encourage all students to take advantage of the various educational websites to practice and maintain skills over the summer. This will ease the transition back to the classroom.

For some, that transition may be a bit unsettling as we do not know yet how prevalent the virus will be. For that reason, I have contacted both the WISD and MDE to explore receiving a seat time waiver for the upcoming year. This would allow us to continue providing online instruction for those not ready to return.

I’ve also been asked about library books. At this time, we do not have a process in place to collect and sanitize those books. I’m asking that you return them at the beginning of our next school year when we have a process in place.

I expect the Governor’s Task Force to release guidelines for schools in the next few days. Once I receive it and begin my discussions with High Point, I’d like to bring together a community panel to plan for our opening in August and for any transitions that will need to be made should there be resurgence of the virus. I’ll send out an invitation to participate once more information is available.

Please have a healthy, safe, and pleasurable summer.

Best,

Al

P.S. If you need support for any reason, please do not hesitate to contact me. Here are few links that you may find helpful:

• Mental Health Coping Strategies During COVID-19

• Managing Stress and Anxiety During COVID-19

• Tips for Supporting Student Wellness at Home During COVID-19

• Tips for Parents During COVID-19

• Tips for Families with Child Age Birth-3 during COVID-19

• Cosmic Kids Yoga and Mindfulness

• Exercise Tips to Help Kids, Teens and Families Stay Balanced at Home

• Riverside Arts Center Creativity Toolkit