Willink Principal's Newsletter
Willink Titans CARE
Principal's Message
May 1, 2020
Hello Willink Families,
You have likely heard the news this afternoon that schools are to remain closed through the end of the academic school year. As I think about this news, I’m incredibly disappointed to know our students and staff will not be able to come together again this spring. I hope that, despite the disappointment, it is helpful for all of us to know what the near future holds so that we can plan and prepare for it.
Distance learning will be our educational setting going forward and I will continue to seek and appreciate the feedback of parents, students, and staff. No one has had the training or experiences to help them down this path and I know that we will continue to grow in this together. Many students are feeling overwhelmed with school and have reached out to share how much they miss being in the building. I imagine today’s news will be very hard to hear for most of our students.
As we go forward, we will continue to gauge how to best provide instruction and feedback to students as they progress towards essential learning standards. The health and safety of students has been our priority since schools closed and it will continue to be as we go forward. If you have a student at home who’s overwhelmed I would encourage them to reach out to a teacher, counselor, or administrator for help. We want them to know that their efforts are appreciated and that we are all in this together. On the other hand, if you have a student at home who is accelling in this environment - we want to hear from them too! There will be many new skills and habits that will serve our students well when they return to our buildings and the more we can share, the better for all.
Despite the circumstances we are in, preparations for the 2020-21 school year continue. Attached to this newsletter you’ll see directions on how to check the parent portal “backpack” for student course requests for next year. For our 8th graders going on to Thomas, please see the letter from the Thomas HS counselors.
I’m also including a resource on using the parent portal (including how to manage notifications which are coming fast and furious for all of us!). I hope you find this to be a helpful document.
We also have information on an extended deadline to order a yearbook - so if you missed the due date it’s not too late!
Finally, I want to thank our staff - particularly Mrs. Lucas - who took the time to create the poetry collage for our Willink students. If you missed it on social media, it’s attached below as well.
In these uncertain times, I hope our students, staff, and families still feel connected to our Willink Community.
Take care,
Brian