The holiday season is upon us and looks different than ever before. Many are staying home instead of visiting family and friends. I don't know about you but I can't wait to get back to normal. Maybe when 2021 hits we will be pleasantly surprised!
The weather is starting to change so I'd like to remind you to send warm clothing with your child. As we are getting into the winter season, we ask that you send hats and gloves as well. When it snows, students will be able to play in the snow if they have snow boots, snow pants, a winter coat, and gloves. We do go out for recess when the "feels like" temperature is above 15 degrees so we ask for your assistance in keeping kids warm in the cold weather.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and current health dial sitting in the "red," we will be holding our elementary music program virtually this year. We will film the performance during the school day so you will not need to dedicate an evening to this event. We will post the program on our Striv channel by December 18 and will send it out via Remind as well. The administrative team understands that this isn't an ideal situation as so many look forward to the program; however, we feel it is the best option for keeping our students, staff, and community safe and healthy. Our participation and attendance at the elementary program exceeds the required Directed Health Measures but we are very fortunate to have Striv to be able to stream this event virtually instead.
We have had several students in quarantine over the past month and will likely have several more in the coming months. When students are in quarantine, it is vital that they do their best to complete their assignments in a timely manner so they don't get behind. K-2 teachers are offering recorded Zoom sessions for reading and math while 3-6th grade teachers are offering both live and recorded Zoom sessions for reading and math. 5th and 6th grade students are encouraged to join their class on Zoom for Social Studies and Science as well. We would encourage students to join their live Zoom session as the conversations and opportunity to ask questions is a major benefit to the live sessions. We do understand; however, that our schedule doesn't always work into that of one in quarantine so the recording is offered as well. Again, I'd strongly encourage students to stay on top of their assignments when they are gone so that they aren't overwhelmed when returning to school.
I want to conclude by acknowledging the efforts of our teachers. We are extremely fortunate to have such a strong staff that cares deeply about our children. Now more than ever, teachers are faced with an impossible task to teach both in person and virtually, all at once and with little training or time to prepare. Please give them grace as they are working through this. They are one in a million and spending countless hours to make this the best possible experience for our kids.
