The past five-plus weeks have been challenging for all of us. Yes, can you believe it's been over five weeks!? Wow.
It's hard to sum up the number of changes, amount of problem-solving, and the range of feelings that have come with things being turned upside down in what felt like an instant.
We're navigating our way through online/remote learning. We began with review and enrichment and we have progressed into the delivery of new instruction and standards-based grading. I am very proud of our team for the effort that has gone into building this airplane in the sky, as they say. Our team includes our teachers, students, families, staff, and every support network that stretches beyond these specific groups. If there was ever a time for the philosophy, "It takes a village," to ring true, now is certainly the time, and we are living it here in Long Lake. Thank you to all who have chipped in at some point across this journey. And thank you in advance for all that you will continue to contribute. We need you and we are grateful for you.
It's been hard for all of us. It's confusing for our youngest learners to understand why they can't come to school, and it's frustrating and sad for our older students who really thrive when they are learning in-person with their teachers and their peers, including our seniors who have their sights set on the finish line celebration.
It's been a lot on our families, who have turned their houses into classrooms, office spaces, cafeterias, gymnasiums, all while maintaining some identity of home. We are so grateful for your partnership and your efforts to work with us to find our way in this uncharted territory.
Our teachers miss our students and each other, and are working really hard to provide learning opportunities for our students to learn and grow, all while understanding how different this is for everybody, including them. We are really proud of their efforts to come together and to figure this out. There have been so many moments where I have felt the power of a PK-12 team, whether it was in the building on those first couple of days without students or through screens, emails, phone calls, Google Meets, and Zooms where we have come together.
Our staff is working in a remote or limited basis, and is doing everything they can to keep our building in ship shape, our families stocked with essential needs, and adjust to working from home while continuing the everyday requirements of the district. They have risen to the challenge.
While the list of challenges is lengthy, there are also a lot of really powerful positives, including stories that are full of resilience, creativity, adaptability, and our tremendous community coming together.
Our students continue to fill all of our cups when we see a photo of them in action, a video of one of their projects, or connect with them via email or Google Meet. Our teachers literally designed an online and remote learning curriculum in a matter of days and have continued to work together, adjust, and push forward with every extension of this closure. Our staff has maintained a positive spirt and community-mindedness that is second to none. To see our kitchen team put the meals together and our drivers package them up for delivery and take off in one of the school vehicles is really moving and is what it's all about - what's best for kids. Our business and office staff continue to be the heartbeat of our district by making sure our essentials are taken care of and keep our eyes focused on the prize of our future.
This experience has brought us together in a way that is sometimes difficult to see and feel, especially through a screen, but I am confident it has changed us in a way that will stay with us and help us in the future. Governor Cuomo has emphasized New York Tough, and I believe that to be true of New Yorkers, but I also think that we have a special kind of Adirondack Tough that will always pull us together and in turn pull us through.
Thank you for all of your support. If there is anything that I can do to help you, please reach out to me, whether you have children in school or not. We're in this together.
We invite you to visit our website and our Facebook page for updates. You are also welcome to sign up to receive our newsletter. Our community partners, specifically the Town of Long Lake and Hamilton County Public Health, provide regular updates via Facebook regarding public health and local business information. We encourage you to visit their pages as well!
Stay healthy. Stay safe. Stay home.
Sincerely,
Ms. Noelle J. Short
Superintendent/Principal
noelle.short@longlakecsd.com
nshort@longlakecsd.org
