I shared the news of our coming transition with a wonderful crowd of Middle schoolers in the auditorium earlier today and then with High School before departure. I noted that we are not really “closing” school, as that would be devastating and frustrating for all of us. “Losing” something we all hold so dear is not the message we want to convey. Instead, I suggested that we would “transition” to virtual school and that I needed their help to make it work (and to avoid adding days to the calendar in June).
We are ready!! Kids will get important transitional information over the next two days in our protected environment and we’ll make a smooth transition to our virtual environment starting on Monday.
POWERSCHOOL – this is the key and we need parents logging into PowerSchool now and as we approach Monday. Each division and teacher of the school will be dedicated to this approach and PowerSchool serves as our anchor to other connections and services. You already know this for things like invoices and nursing services. But, now it becomes even more important and the interface, including the landing page, will change shortly to bring you directly into Virtual School. We will support and defend educational continuity through these efforts, knowing that the parent partnership is key to success. Please look for the messages to you in helping your child make this transition and work with them to muster the materials and resources needed to continue their learning in this format. We’ll all get through this together!!
Remember that social distancing requires that you stay away from gatherings of any size and that you keep close to home during this two week period. If we are hopeful of success at stemming the tide of this virus, we must all be good citizens and remember the stipulations of grouping and gathering. We’ll keep the lights on at school and will have staff at school each day. You will not be able to access the campus during this closure, but we’ll do our best to cover phones and address your concerns.