Sherwood Schools: District Updates
February 5, 2021
Reminder: There will be no school on Monday, February 8 (Teacher Work Day/Professional Development Day) or Monday, February 15 (Holiday).
Board Work Session - February 3, 2021
On Wednesday, our Board of Directors met to receive an update from district staff on the topic of staff vaccines. As you may know, appointments for K-12 educator vaccines first opened on January 26, and are being phased in as “waves,” according to the following:
Wave 1 - Employees providing Limited In-Person Instruction; teachers, specialists, support staff, and administrators for grades PreK-1; bus drivers, custodians, and nutrition services employees; emergency child care facility operating in person and approved by state
Wave 2 - Teachers and support staff for grades 2-5
Wave 3 - Teachers and support staff for grades 6-8
Wave 4 - Teachers and support staff for grades 9-12; substitute teachers, athletic coaches, or other staff not based at a district or education facility
As of today, Wave 1 and 2 appointments have been underway, and Wave 3 appointment scheduling first opened yesterday at noon. Our district is working closely with regional coordinators to ensure that all staff wanting vaccines have access, according to their wave assignment. At this time, we do not know the exact date that appointments will open for Wave 4.
During the Work Session, Board members received information about the current progress of vaccine access for SSD staff members, including data from a recent staff survey for members of Waves 1 and 2. More details on this information can be viewed in the Work Session recording, found here.
Following the review of the survey data, the Board discussed a request from the Sherwood Education Association (SEA) to reconsider the previously determined reopening principles -- we previously shared those principles with you in our January 22, 2021 communication. The request from SEA was to allow staff the opportunity to have access to a full course of doses for a vaccine, plus wait time, before returning to in-person instruction in the Hybrid model, as well as to begin exploring Limited In-Person Instruction at the elementary level. Following this discussion, the Board determined that the reopening principles would be revised to align with the wave-based rollout of staff vaccines, as per SEA’s request. Based on the timeline of access for Wave 1, this would indicate a targeted opening date for grades K-1 of March 8, with subsequent dates for other grade levels. The Board will take action on approving this revised timeline at next week’s Regular Meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, February 10 at 7:00pm. Next week, we will share with you the results of the Board’s vote, and what it means in terms of next steps for our district.
Transportation Registration - Now Open!
As we continue to plan for reopening, it is essential that our Transportation Department begins to collect information about how students and families will utilize our buses. To begin gathering that information, all families whose students will ride the bus (once their grade level reopens in a Hybrid model) need to complete a Transportation Registration form, found here. For more information about safety protocols implemented by our Transportation Department please click here for English, or here for Spanish.
Mental Health Services and Resources
During these challenging times, we continue to hear feedback from students, staff, and families of the significant mental health impacts being experienced throughout our district and community. Mary Massey, our district’s Mental Health Coordinator, is available to students and families for support, referrals, or assistance in connecting to community-based mental health resources. Additionally, community counseling services are now available through the Washington County Behavioral Health Department. Please see below for more information on mental health resources and services:
Mary Massey - Phone: 503-825-5092 / Email: mmassey@sherwood.k12.or.us
Washington County Crisis Line: 503-680-3050
COVID Counseling Program (FREE): 503-846-4528
Sherwood School District: Mental Health Resources - Click Here
Washington County Behavioral Health: Mental Health Resources - Click Here
Spanish speakers can contact Maria Quiñones (SSD Community Liaison) at 503-825-5085 for assistance with referrals in Spanish.
Washington County Future Teachers Pathway Information
Sherwood School District is currently working with our partners from Beaverton SD, Forest Grove SD, Hillsboro SD, Tigard-Tualatin SD, Northwest Regional ESD, and Portland Community College, to look within our own communities for anti-biased and anti-racist, linguistically and/or culturally diverse Washington County community members interested in becoming teachers within our respective districts. In collaboration with these partners, we will be providing advisors to help attendees with each step along their educational journey: GED, English language acquisition, Associate’s degree, foreign transcript evaluation, employment as a non-licensed staff member, Bachelor’s degree, and Master’s degree. We aim for each program participant to have a clear pathway to teacher licensure.
For those interested in this program, there are two upcoming virtual sessions -- on February 9 and 10 -- to provide more information. Please see the flyers below for details and to register in advance for one of these session:
Sherwood School District
Website: http://www.sherwood.k12.or.us/
Location: 21920 SW Sherwood Blvd, Sherwood, OR, USA
Phone: 503-825-5000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sherwoodschooldistrict88J/
Twitter: @SherwoodSD