I hope that you all had a chance to relax and rejuvenate during Spring Break, even if your travel plans were foiled. I also know that we are living in scary times, and many families have been impacted by COVID-19, and our wish is to connect with families and provide support. It will be especially important to care for our mental health during this difficult time, and the Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Times below is full of ways that families can do that. I have also included a variety of resources for families to access as needed. If you need help, please ask, as we can connect you to what you need.

This week teachers will begin reaching out to families to connect with them to set up remote learning. Additionally, teachers are using this week to learn tools, such as Zoom, that will aide them in remotely teaching our students. Please be patient as we learn these tools, and I encourage you to learn along with us. Our students already possess many of the skills needed to connect remotely, and we look forward to learning from them as well!

Parent engagement, especially for our younger students, will be key to remote learning. A detailed plan on what to expect will be coming centrally for all parents. Of course, if you have questions, please reach out to your child's teacher or myself, as we are working to connect with all students and set up the best learning environments possible.

All Beaverton schools and buildings are closed and this includes our playgrounds, fields, and tracks. All outdoor gates have been locked in support of public health and to limit the spread of COVID-19. Due to limited staff we are unable to maintain safe fall zones at our play structures. Also, please note on Sunday, March 22, 2020, THPRD notified the community that their outdoor playgrounds and exercise equipment are closed to the public.

In addition to resources provided to all BSD families, our Ridgewood Community has set up resources for our families, specifically our Little Free Library and new Little Free Pantry. Both are located at the front entry of our building, and have food, hygiene items, school supplies and books available for families. If you are able to contribute items to either pantry, please do so. You are welcome to take without giving and give without taking. If your family has a specific need to be met, please reach out to our staff as well, and we will help as we are able.

The Beaverton School District is providing free meals at several sites between 11:00 and 12:00. Students must be present to pick up a meal. The closest site for us is William Walker Elementary School. Grab and go meals will be available on these dates:

• March 30-31 and April 1-3

• April 6-10

• April 13-18

• April 20-24

• April 27-28

If at any time you are in need of emergency food, please call us at Ridgewood and leave a message. Messages will be checked daily. We will do our best to assist you.

Anyone can call 211 for assistance with housing, childcare, utility bills, or if you have health and safety questions or need any other resources. Help is available in several languages. You can also get help online at http://211.org/

The Oregon Food Bank is open. Check here for more information: https://www.oregonfoodbank.org/

All families can set up free internet access for 2 months through Comcast. Go here for details: https://www.internetessentials.com/ or call 1-855-846-8376.

School and all events are canceled until April 28

We know that many special events have been canceled during this school closure, including RPAC shows, Scooter Town, Kinder Orientation, field trips and others. As we return to school we will be working to determine which items will be rescheduled and which will not occur this year. Thank you for your patience and flexibility.