I hope that you are well as we approach the opening days of school. In these uncertain times and difficult circumstances, we appreciate everyone's patience and understanding as we try to reopen Blue Hills and provide students with a high quality career and technical education.
The past months have been incredibly challenging for all of us, and the months to come will likely see even more twists and turns. I'm not a fan of the phrase "new normal" - but I have always respected Bill Belichick's "it is what it is." As we start the school year, this is helpful to understand. Whether or not someone likes to wear a mask, it's necessary right now. Remote learning may not be optimal for many students, but it is what we have to do. Missing out on ordinary, everyday items - I really miss taking my own children out for breakfast - is hard, but it is our current reality.
As we open up the year, we are committed to doing our best for our students and our Blue Hills families. Though our circumstances are uncertain, we all have choices to make in terms of our outlook and our attitude. Winston Churchill is famously credited with saying "Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference." That may never be more true than right now.
Each week, I will send out the following week's schedule of in-person learning. For the first couple of weeks, this has also been outlined for you in the "Reopening Procedures" document (link below). I've also included a picture of the schedule for the first eleven days below. On September 18, seniors will come to school in-person, and all other grades will use the Remote Learning Wednesday schedule. Of course, all of this is subject to change as new data and information becomes available. Next week, students should begin receiving instructions from their teachers on logging into Google classroom for their opening day classes.
Some important notes:
- Please make sure you review and complete all FamilyID registrations. We are trying to move paperless this year, and need emergency and other information on every student.
- Please review the "Reopening Procedures" document before students return to classes.
- When a student is attending school in-person, please make sure that you are checking and certifying that your student is symptom-free, according to the self-check guidelines.
- The fall athletic season has been postponed, hopefully to be played after January 1 and in between the winter and spring seasons. More to come on this.
- We will be holding an orientation meeting (virtually) for students whose families are opting for only remote learning to start the year on Tuesday, September 15th. We will reach out directly to those families.
Thank you for your continued support of Blue Hills in these turbulent times.
Geoff Zini
Principal
