I have been in close contact with Hamilton County Public Health to monitor our situation and they have given their support for us to move forward with in-person instruction. At this time there is no concern for community spread within our school community.

It's very important to remind all families to complete the health screening that is emailed or texted to you each morning. If you answer yes to any of the questions, please keep your child (ren) home and call us at school to let us know. These steps are critical to making sure that we keep our school community healthy. When we talk to you on the phone in the morning we will guide you through the next steps.

We are very grateful to Hamilton County Public Health for their support over the past few days. The testing clinic that we hosted at the school on Tuesday resulted in 71 people being tested. We were very pleased with the turnout and are grateful to all of our school community members who took the time to come and be tested. It gave us a solid snapshot of a cross-section of our population - students, families, and staff.

Thank you to everyone who helped make the past three days of remote instruction happen as seamlessly as possible. Our students, teachers, and parents/guardians presented a truly resilient and flexible attitude, and our staff rolled up their sleeves to make sure that all of our bases were covered. We got through it together!

While COVID-19 has had a daily presence in some form in our lives since March, for many of us it hasn't felt this close to home until recently. While we are committed to in-person instruction and will do everything we can to maintain continuity, it's possible there may be more interruptions this school year. With that said, I do feel that we are prepared to transition to remote learning as needed, and our recent experience has proven that. Our District will continue to work closely with our partners at Dr. Rider's Office, Adirondack Health, and Hamilton County Public Health, as well as our neighboring school districts, to learn, plan, and work through things as needed. We will work hard to communicate information as clearly and efficiently as possible.

I want to echo all the information that Hamilton County Public Health has put out - If we all continue to do our part to stay home when you are sick, wear a mask, social distance, and avoid gatherings, we will really help break the chain of community spread in our region. Every precaution that's put in place adds a layer of protection and helps to keep everyone in our community safe, our school open, and our businesses moving in the right direction. If there was ever a time to embrace "It Takes a Village" - now is the time!

If you have any questions about the return to school tomorrow or in general, please don't hesitate to reach out. I look forward to seeing the faces I've missed seeing these past few days!

Sincerely,

Ms. Noelle J. Short

Superintendent/Principal