Thank You
June 2020
We did it! Together, we have achieved something that I never thought possible in my career. While our classrooms were empty, and we did not have the opportunity to see each other in person each day, I feel more connected to our students, staff and community than ever before.
I am proud of our students and families, but I am especially proud to be a part of this team. You kept your students connected and guided them through E-Learning, despite your own stress, concerns, and barriers. I am incredibly grateful and proud to be a part of this community that has pulled together and supported each other. This was not our vision for how the school year would go, but you have tirelessly demonstrated the resiliency, determination, and commitment it takes to Prepare Each Student to Be Successful, no matter the circumstances.
As we turn our attention to the Reopening of Schools for 2020-21, I want to provide you an update on our work and planning that has been completed to date, and how we are planning to move forward through the summer. At the core of our planning and future decision making is a commitment and awareness that we have a responsibility to provide our students and families an exceptional education in a safe and healthy learning environment. The Reopening Planning Team has identified the following principles to guide our decision making and plan development:
- We believe in making student and staff safety top first priority and will refer to the CDC, State, and Portage County Health recommendations when making decisions about student and staff physical health and safety.
- We believe back-to-school plans need to prioritize the following; 3K-6 instruction to occur daily, face-to-face; 7-12 blended learning environment to allow face-to-face and flexibility for students.
- We believe that plans need to be implemented with fidelity and should not be executed if they exceed the capacity of staff, parents, as well as district financial resources.
- We believe in caring for the social, emotional and mental health needs of students and staff.
- We believe in keeping the learning needs of all students coherent, flexible and focused on the highest priorities for each grade level.
- We believe in on-going collaboration with staff, families and community partners.
Teams are already meeting to develop safe and responsible options for reopening schools in September. As this work occurs, we believe it is crucial to consider your feedback and needs as plans are developed. Please take a few moments to provide your feedback here.
The survey questions are not exhaustive of the barriers or solutions that are being considered and worked through, and not having a crystal ball, we know that our environment is likely to change between now and September.
No decisions have been made and final implementation may include some, all, or none of the scenarios described. We value your feedback as an integral stakeholder.
Sincerely,
Craig Gerlach, Ed.S.
United Way of Portage County is currently collecting information to assess the current child care landscape due to Covid-19. Please take a moment to complete this brief six question survey so we can learn the needs of families in our community. If you have a need for child care, please contact Childcaring, Inc. at 715.841.9490 or https://childcaring.org/beta/findchildcare/
Contact Us
Email: info@pointschools.net
Website: www.pointschools.net
Location: 1900 Polk Street, Stevens Point, WI, USA
Phone: 715-345-5456
Facebook: facebook.com/pointschools
Twitter: @pointschools