Dear Middle School Parents and Students,
I hope that all of you are well and healthy. Sadly, tomorrow will be five months since we have had students in our halls. I greatly miss our families and students and can not wait to get back to school!
I recently shared with staff that I feel like I am treading water in a rip current and have the fear that a shark may attack at any time. In the very literal sense, as well as the figurative sense, I am used to swimming in turbulent water and rarely have fear; however, the barriers and challenges before our society and world today is concerning.
As the district's re-opening plan is being formed, the administrative team is working to cautiously get our students back into the classroom as soon as possible. It has been difficult, as local and state expectations seem to morph and change daily. Then to make things even more complicated, I watch the local and national news. Sorting through the various health concerns, news reports, scientific facts, and political views is genuinely mind-boggling. The one point that I can solidly stand on is that our school district cares deeply about every student's wellbeing. We want to see our students back in the classrooms engaging in teaching and learning as soon as possible.
The current plan for our re-opening is a gradual system that provides students with academic and social supports and will progress as the local cases decrease. Earlier this week, the following graphic was published on our website and Facebook page to show our current thoughts for the upcoming school year. This re-opening plan is pending Health Departments' approval on August 13th and board approval on August 17th. We will have two-week intervals where we hope to move to each next step.
I know this is not a perfect plan, but one that takes into consideration the various restrictions of the State and local health departments. Please review this plan and share your suggestions, thoughts, and ideas.
I look forward to hearing back from you.
Brett Joachim, Principal
Springdale Middle School
