Important Message from Dr. Cain
March 25, 2020 ~ To all WSD Staff
Good Evening,
After meeting today with the leaders of the St. Charles County Department of Public Health, we have made a decision to extend the closure of all schools in the Wentzville School District through April 24 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. All school activities, including athletic and extracurricular practices and competitions, are also canceled during the extended District closure.
Thank you for all you are doing and will continue to do in the coming weeks. I am so very impressed with your flexibility, positive outlook and professionalism during these difficult times. A few items you need to know:
We will continue to pay our employees throughout the closure. Because we will now move into a new extended closure, we will publish a new “FAQs for Employees” document by Friday, March 27th. We want you to continue to focus on students, your family, and staying healthy. We will be adjusting our method of performing District work to meet our shared responsibility to educate and care for our community.
Continued Learning Plans will begin on March 30th as previously shared. For elementary students that need to pick up hard copies of learning plans, building administrators have shared pick-up directions with families for March 30-31. Families have been asked to continue to follow those plans that have been set in place to access materials prepared by teachers. For middle school and high school students, please plan to share continued learning plans virtually on Monday, March 30th.
As we move into this extended closure, we recognize the need for both continued learning plans as well as more opportunities for virtual learning. Beginning the week of April 6th, we will ask teachers to begin to transition to what we will be calling Virtual Learning Plans. Information regarding those plans, the responsibilities of each employee group, and more will be coming out shortly. Please note: Included in these plans will be access to devices for our elementary students that may need one at home. More information will be shared shortly with families. In the meantime, please continue to move forward with your Continued Learning Plans, as stated above.
One of the main concerns about closures of schools is that schools are the foundation of support for many families beyond academics. As our community navigates additional weeks of school closures, please be aware of how you and the District can be socially present for families. Administrators are meeting regularly to further develop plans to care for employees, students, and families during this time. If you have concerns, questions, or ideas regarding how families in our community can continue to be supported, please share these with Cheri Thurman and Jeri LaBrot.
We will continue to work closely with our County health officials to determine when it would be appropriate and safe to resume school. For the latest updates and resources, visit the District website and follow the WSD on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. We will continue to put the safety and wellbeing of our students and staff above all else and we implore all members of the WSD community to follow the advice of our health officials by practicing proper hand washing and social distancing. We also ask that you are mindful that our children look to us for guidance. Model calm and help reassure them that the adults in their lives are doing everything in their power to keep them safe. We are inspired by you, our students and families and the efforts you are all taking to demonstrate concern for each other and stay connected. Thank you for advocating for our students and thank you for being an unbelievably supportive community. We appreciate your trust and support and we are confident that we will get through this challenging time together.
Curtis Cain, Ph.D.
Superintendent