It is hard to believe that it is already February! My wish for our entire community is that this newsletter finds you all happy and healthy!

Thank you to all the families that came in January for our Essential Materials Pick-up Event. If you were not able to get materials in January, the front office is open from 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM, M-F, to pick up your child's materials.

I want to give a HUGE shout out to our School Counselor, Elizabeth Reed. The first week of February is National School Counselors Week. Thank you for all your hard work in providing resources to the community and your relentlessness in keeping students engaged in Comprehensive Distance Learning. I appreciate your dedication to our students and families!

As you continue to read our February Newsletter, please pay special attention to the "Return to School Update" section. We continue to navigate the best way to reopen schools safely, as a result, I will continue to be transparent in my communication with the community. As always, I appreciate your flexibility and understanding when decisions are made about reopening schools in the GBSD.

Please know you can always reach out to your child's teacher or me for anything you need or any questions you might have along the way. I can be reached via email at maranto2@gresham.k12.or.us or via phone at 503.663.7483.

Respectfully,

Sam Maranto

Principal

Your child will be participating in activities throughout the month teaching students about Black History. The diversity of the Kelly Creek community needs to be recognized as one of our greatest assets!

You may write me down in history

With your bitter, twisted lies,

You may trod me in the very dirt

But still, like dust, I'll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?

Why are you beset with gloom?

’Cause I walk like I've got oil wells

Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,

With the certainty of tides,

Just like hopes springing high,

Still I'll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?

Bowed head and lowered eyes?

Shoulders falling down like teardrops,

Weakened by my soulful cries?

Does my haughtiness offend you?

Don't you take it awful hard

’Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines

Diggin’ in my own backyard.

You may shoot me with your words,

You may cut me with your eyes,

You may kill me with your hatefulness,

But still, like air, I’ll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?

Does it come as a surprise

That I dance like I've got diamonds

At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history’s shame

I rise

Up from a past that’s rooted in pain

I rise

I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,

Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.

Leaving behind nights of terror and fear

I rise

Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear

I rise

Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,

I am the dream and the hope of the slave.

I rise

I rise

I rise.

KCES Families,

As things continue to change, our plan moving forward has also changed. On Thursday, January 28, 2021 the GBSD School Board made a decision on how we can start phasing in students safely. The School Board decided that all school personnel in "Wave 1" vaccination distribution have the opportunity to get both doses of the vaccine. In addition, we will not be moving forward with a Hybrid Model as our 1st phase.

Once all the staff members get both doses of the COVID Vaccine, we will transition into Limited In-Person Instruction (LIPI). LIPI is limited to a 2-hour block of time when identified students can access KCES to participate in our current Comprehensive Distance Learning (CDL) Model. Our first phase of LIPI will only be offered to identified students in special programs across our district. Vaccine rollout has had a slow start and could take another 3 weeks for people in Wave 1 to get their first dose of the vaccine. As people start making preparations for the 2nd dose we are looking at starting LIPI at the beginning of March. (This could be sooner or later depending on vaccine availability, etc.)

Phase 2 of LIPI will be 20-40 identified students that are the most vulnerable during CDL. Again, this is only for 2-hours out of the school day. These identified students will be able to access CDL at KCES. The process for identifying these students is still being developed. There is no timeline attached to Phase 2 as we need to see what Phase 1 looks like for students.

Phase 3 & 4 could include a slow rollout of the Hybrid Instructional Model. There is not a timeline of when this could start. The GBSD School Board and District Leadership Team will work in collaboration to identify when we can move through our phases of reopening our schools.

I would be more than happy to answer any additional questions you might have about a potential return to the school building. I can be reached via e-mail at maranto2@gresham.k12.or.us.

Thank you,

Sam Maranto

Principal

• Hybrid Instructional Model - 01/08/21
• Hybrid Instruction Model (Spanish) - 01/08/21
• Letter to Ms. Daniel's Class - 11/05/20
• Annual Testing Notification - 10/28/20
• Letter to Mrs. Hemstead's Class - 10/16/20
• Welcome Back Letter 20-21 - 08/31/20
• New Principal to Kelly Creek Elementary School - 06/10/20