Return to Learn e-Newsletter
Overview
Introduction
This past May should have been full of parties, graduation, service projects, the fifth-grade track meet, and many more celebrations of another year of academic and extracurricular success at Ankeny Schools. However, on May 29, the halls were quiet and empty.
It has been stated frequently how these were and are “unprecedented times,” and as we reflect on all that has taken place since we left our school buildings on March 12, it would be hard to convey how much we have to be proud of in our school system. In the face of adverse circumstances, our administrators, teachers, support staff, students, parents, and community banded together for the children of Ankeny. It is this community partnership that we so highly prize.
Throughout the summer, Ankeny Schools will be hard at work on a plan called “Return to Learn” that will prepare the district for the fall, whether school takes place in the buildings, at home, or a combination of the two. This plan will address the infrastructure, health and safety measures, academic standards, social/emotional/behavioral health, equity, and data needed to ensure the district provides the best learning environment possible for its students. It will be created through the leadership of the collaborative teams already established throughout the district.
A misconception is that the school district will be the primary decision-maker on which learning environment is pursued this fall. In reality, the district is monitoring the guidance from governing authorities and using it as the parameters for our planning. If this past spring was any indicator, the decision on which plan will be utilized will not likely be made until August, utilizing the current guidance for that time.
The consensus nationally is that social distancing remains a bedrock to return to any sort of business operation. As a result, the district is focusing on how to support students and teachers in a setting that allows for continued social distancing.
It is important to note the following, as you think about the three Return to Learn environments:
- Traditional On-Site Instruction: This will not look like the former model of traditional on-site instruction. There will be changes made to operations to ensure health and safety and provide for social distancing.
- Hybrid: This option has the greatest ability to address social distancing, however, it is complex in planning.
- Distance Learning: This will not look like this past spring, and it should not. This past spring was a voluntary plan. This distance learning plan will be a required learning environment that includes the online instruction.
This work has not and will not be easy, however it is vital to ensure that every learner is able to achieve the lifetime of personal success the district desires for them. This road has been long, but Ankeny Schools look forward to continuing this journey with the community partnership that has made all this possible so far. Today and every day, we can all be proud to be Ankeny.