Everitt Family Newsletter
July 17, 2020
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Dear Everitt Families,
I hope you all are making the best of a truly strange summer and that your kids are enjoying some time away from the hustle and bustle of school.
It is both with great hope and anxiousness that I welcome you all to the 2020-2021 school year. I know many of you are waiting for answers and clarity about what school will look like for your students this fall, and it seems that with each new piece of information comes more questions than answers. As a person who thrives on feeling and being prepared, I feel the stress of that volatility, and I'm sure many of you feel that, too. I am eager, but still waiting, for clear directives and direction, and I share both in your concerns and your questions.
The purpose of this communication is threefold and will be organized in these three sections:
- To share with you the best and most complete information I have right now about Everitt's Restart Plan (with the caveat that all of it is subject to change).
- To give you a chance to know me a little better, as I am new to all of you and look forward to figuring out a way to earn your trust in this unprecedented time.
- To get us acquainted with the layout of this weekly newsletter and to get all of us in the routine of receiving Friday communications from me.
I am so grateful to get to be a part of this extraordinary community, and I thank you for sharing your kids with us; it is our honor to serve them.
Jeena
Jeena Templeton, Principal
Everitt Middle School
jeena.templeton@jeffco.k12.co.us
303.982.6288
Information about Jeffco's Restart Plan: What will it look like at Everitt?
Families and staff alike have experienced and expressed frustration with the lack of detail in the plan, and many are understandably looking for more clarity about what in-person and remote learning will look like in practice for our students. Here is my best thinking and understanding about that right now:
What I believe will be true about in-person learning at Everitt, based on the middle school guidelines I've received from the district:
- Students will follow a block schedule, with four classes (and 4 cohorts) each day.
- Students will have all classes on their schedule, including their core subjects and electives.
- Students will be in cohorts no larger than 30 students, when possible.
- Students will wear masks when they are indoors, except when they're eating lunch.
- Staff members will check each student's temperature upon entry and ask them a health screening question each morning. Students and staff who are symptomatic will need to stay home.
- Students will have lunch and recess, though they must stay in their cohorts for both.
What I believe will be true about remote learning at Everitt, based on the middle school guidelines I've received from the district:
- Everitt teachers will provide remote learning for our students.
- There will likely be a combination of synchronous (all students in a class logged in at the same time with interaction with teachers and peers) and asynchronous (students working at their own pace) learning.
Outside of these very broad generalities, we don't yet have a more detailed plan. I need to collaborate with more members of the Everitt staff (who have not yet returned from summer break) to hammer out more details, and I am waiting for greater clarity from our district leadership around some important questions.
It would help our planning to know your family's preference for either in-person or remote learning. I know that many of you are waiting for more details about what each option will be before making that decision. I understand your hesitation; I, too, am making this difficult choice as a parent. That said, when you feel you're ready to tell us what your preference may be, please complete THIS SURVEY with the understanding that your responses are not binding and that you have the option to tell us the level of certainty (or uncertainty) you feel with your preference at this time.
Next Friday, July 24, I will send another newsletter, with greater specificity around schedules and procedures for both in-person and remote learning. I will also publish details about three opportunities for Zoom meetings with me for you to ask questions and express your concerns. I may not have all of the answers or solutions you're hoping for, but I will do the best I can to give you the information you need to make the best decision for your family.
If you have questions before then, you're welcome to call me at 303.982.6288 or write to Jeena.Templeton@jeffco.k12.co.us. My "door" is always open.
Who is this Jeena Templeton lady anyway?
I want to take a moment to introduce myself to you. I am the Principal, Jeena Templeton. My husband and I are both school administrators and busy parents who feel a little bit like underappreciated chauffeurs for our active kids.
I started my career in education at Central High School in Grand Junction, where I served a diverse population of students. I taught English Language Arts, coordinated the Service Learning program, served as Head Coach of Cross Country and Speech and Debate teams, conducted the show choir, and coordinated the AP Program. Through these varied roles, I found my voice and passion for advocating for kids and creating experiences that helped them grow as learners and people. In 2014, I was recruited into the district office’s administrative ranks as the Secondary Induction Coordinator, where I provided professional development and mentorship to all secondary teachers new to District 51. I left that position and my childhood hometown with a heavy heart to pursue my ultimate professional ambition: to serve a school as its principal. For two years, I led Riverside Middle School and faced the challenge of galvanizing a dedicated, talented staff toward meeting its vision of rigorous, joy-filled learning for all students, and for the past three years, I was lucky enough to serve the staff, students and families of The Manning School. We worked hard to thoughtfully transition from 7-8 Junior High School into a 6-8 Middle School primed to encourage academic, creative and social-emotional growth and health for our incredible students.
Before my life in education, I was a music theatre major at New York University -- who played Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors, Eponine in Les Miserables, and Cinderella in Cinderella, to name some favorites, and on my free time, I still sing with the Grand Junction Rockestra-- a 30 piece symphonic orchestra, that plays classic and contemporary rock music. I love to run and dance and write and whitewater raft and read and cook and learn-- so much so that I am finally in the dissertation phase of my doctorate at the University of Denver this summer-- but at the end of the day, my most important titles are “Wife” and “Mom.” As such, one of my goals this year is to encourage and model work-life balance with the dedicated and determined people I work with. I will set as an expectation that all of us avoid our emails and voicemails starting at 6:30 every evening and throughout the weekend. I hope you will understand that we are making time for our families and will respond to your concerns and questions the following business day.
I feel lucky to to join the Everitt staff. I've had the opportunity to have one-on-one conversations with most of them, and I am struck by their deep commitment to this school and the community it serves. I look forward to learning from and with Everitt’s extraordinary professionals who engage your kids in rigorous academic challenges and critical thinking and creative problem solving, while taking care of them as human beings with lives and dreams and needs outside of school. I can't wait to know them better, to collaborate with them, to continuously improve with them, and to earn their trust.
What to expect from this weekly newsletter:
It will include the following sections:
- An introductory message from me;
- A calendar of important upcoming dates;
- Important school and/or district announcements;
- A message from our PTA.
You can also expect pictures and celebrations of students, staff and their work. I hope that this newsletter can help you all as families feel connected to your student's life inside our school.
Everitt Middle School
Everitt Middle School believes that all students should engage in learning that is self-directed, collaborative, and rigorous with a focus on real world application learning in a Project Based Learning environment.
Email: jeena.templeton@jeffco.k12.co.us
Website: https://everitt.jeffcopublicschools.org/
Location: 3900 Kipling St, Wheat Ridge, CO 80033, USA
Phone: 303-982-1580