Superintendent's Update
January 2021
Dear Centennial Families,
Happy New Year! We enter into 2021 with hope. We are hopeful that the vaccines will quickly eliminate the transmission of COVID-19, increase safety and normalcy, and put an end to the pandemic.
As we reflect on what we have been through, your resilience, commitment and dedication to supporting your students' education in this virtual environment continue to inspire me. I truly hope your holiday was filled with rest, relaxation, good times, and great memories!
As you may know, on December 23, Governor Kate Brown announced new guidance on the reopening of schools in a letter to the directors of the Oregon Health Authority and the Oregon Department of Education. In the letter, Governor Brown calls on Oregon’s local school boards, superintendents, educators, and school employees to work together toward the resumption of in-person instruction. The Governor’s guidance prioritizes elementary education with the hope of transitioning to in-person instruction by February 15. The new guidance also changes the health metrics for returning to school from mandatory requirements to advisory.
While we may see several districts across the state begin allowing cohorts of students back in their buildings, Multnomah County is far from meeting the advisory metric for moving to return to in-person instruction. Therefore, the Centennial School District will continue in Comprehensive Distance Learning for the foreseeable future.
In Centennial, throughout the pandemic we have consistently focused on the safety of our students, staff and families. As we look ahead to the remainder of the school year, we will continue to prioritize safety. The health and well-being of our school community will continue to be a top priority.
We will continue to monitor our county metrics, engage in conversation at the local and state level and learn from districts engaging in in-person models. We will also use the vaccine availability timeline as a guide to inform our plans. Many things need to happen before CSD will enter into a hybrid model - including meeting safety metrics, allowing time for vaccinations, and collaborating with our union leadership.
We know there will be many questions during the coming weeks and months. We will continue to monitor guidance from the State, OHA, and our county health department and keep you informed of any new information.
As I stated before winter break, “as we work to move our plans forward, we have come to realize many of our plans were created with the intent of serving students in school buildings.” While the 2020-21 school year has been a struggle in a variety of ways, in the midst of struggle, providing a clear focus on the work we are doing will help us all direct our energy on what matters most - our students.
As a life-long educator and parent, I understand that there is no fully effective substitute for in-person education, I also understand the importance of health and safety of our community. To that end, we have updated our strategic plan to provide a clear focus on High-Quality Instruction and Engagement in a Virtual Setting and Supporting Students during Comprehensive Distance Learning (CDL).
This second half of the school year we plan to deepen students' engagement in virtual learning, be intentional in connecting with struggling students and families, increase engagement through student-led learning, encourage critical thinking, and increase positive student interactions through encouragement, recognition, and support.
Please watch for updated information from your school's principal and on our website and please stay vigilant in wearing face coverings, washing hands, and practicing physical distancing in order to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
Thank you for your collective support, resilience and care as we have come together as a community to face the COVID-19 pandemic.