It has been a great first week of our spring learning model. Administrators and staff are thrilled to have many of our students back in the schools full time. Thank you to everyone for being so diligent about the mitigation procedures – this will keep students and staff as safe as possible so we can sustain in-person learning until the end of the year. Please note that we still need a few lunch/recess supervisors, both five-day-week positions and substitutes. You can learn more at this link.

I have a few updates to share from last night’s School Board meeting:

We are in the process of planning for the 2021-2022 year. We plan to return to full in-person learning for all students. But we understand that some families might desire to continue with remote learning next year, given the pandemic’s uncertainty. We sent a survey to remote families to gauge their preferences. If you received the survey, please respond by next Tuesday, April 20. If your child is currently in person and you would like to express an interest in potentially switching to a full remote option next year, please contact your principal by April 20. Our goal is to obtain data on preferred learning models for next year so we can prepare a recommendation that we will present to the School Board on April 29. The Board will decide what the learning model will be in the fall, and we will be able to use this direction when we section students into classes in May. 

Last night, Lincoln principal Paul Suminski shared potential eighth-grade graduation plans with the Board. He explained that we hope to hold an in-person event at Prospect High School on May 27. Due to the capacity limits that are still in place, we believe we will need to hold the event outdoors, and we will also make some changes to the format. We are currently coordinating with Prospect on the options for using the high school. We’ll be in touch with eighth-grade parents as soon as we know more.

Also at the Board meeting, Dr. Mary Gorr outlined our plans for offering a summer “bridge program” for students who receive academic support during the school year. This will be in the form of tutoring, most likely provided in a remote format in June. Next week, we will notify families whose students qualify for this intervention. We will also offer a Special Education Extended School Year summer program for qualifying students in July at Fairview. Parents whose students will be eligible for these programs will receive more information soon. 

Board members approved Dr. Gorr’s three-year superintendent contract, which will be effective July 1 when I retire. In addition, they approved a contract for Westbrook principal Dr. Kristen Vonder Haar, who will become assistant superintendent for teaching and learning. I could not be more pleased with these administrative changes. We will start the search for a new Westbrook principal today.

As you know, the community elected four School Board members on April 6. The election results have not yet been certified, but we expect that to happen in the next week or so. On April 29, we will have a reorganization Board meeting, where we will swear in the new members and say goodbye to those who are stepping down.

Thank you again for supporting students and staff through the transition this week. Have a great weekend!