4/7/20
Good Afternoon,
I hope this message finds you and your family well. I'm writing you to give you an update on a couple of items.
Distance Learning:
As we complete Day 10 of our Distance Learning initiative, I want to thank you for your support and partnership in working with your children to support our staff to ensure continued connection with school and their continued learning. You are doing an amazing job as you work full time at home and manage your child(ren)'s school work. I also want to thank our outstanding administrative, teaching, and support staff who, with only a few days notice, were able to implement remote learning as the sole means of teaching. They are instructing our students with compassion, supporting our students both academically and emotionally. You can expect, that following the Spring Break, more frequent video conferencing will take place in classrooms, along with a deeper focus on social/emotional learning and resiliency. In the spirit of continuous improvement, we will be looking for feedback from you regarding your child(ren)'s experience with distance learning over this two week time period. Please look for the Distance Learning Inventory in your email from your child's School Principal this week. We value your input. Thank you in advance for taking the time to respond.
School Calendar:
I have received a few questions asking why we are continuing with Spring Break, scheduled for April 10th through the 20th. Because we are concerned with staff and student social and emotional health, it is important that both students and staff take a break from the teaching and learning process. Everyone has been working extremely hard. It will also be important to salvage school days at the end of the school year teacher-student face to face interaction if we are allowed to open school later this spring. This is also a contractual issue as agreed to with the Teachers' Union. High School Graduation has been set for June 12, 2020. This will be the last day for High School Seniors. It is too soon to know whether we will be able to gather together for our graduation ceremony. We will be working with our seniors to discuss how we can celebrate this important milestone in their lives. Our last day of school will be June 18, 2020. While the Governor has closed all CT schools through April 20th, it is very likely this closure will be extended. We are expecting to know more by the end of this week. As soon as I know, I will communicate this information to you.
Coffee Hour with Superintendent Case:
I will be hosting three coffee hour chats through ZOOM on the following dates to answer any questions you have about our District. More information will be forthcoming about how to RSVP. Please plan to attend one of these! Save the dates:
*Tuesday, April 21 - 10:00 - 11:00 AM
*Wednesday, April 22 - 1:30 - 2:30 PM
*Thursday, April 23 - 4:00 - 5:00 PM
Open communication between home and school is so crucial, especially during these challenging, unprecedented times. Please know that while we are not physically together in the classroom, our staff - our teachers, para educators, tutors, support staff, and administrators are just an email away if you need anything. We want to meet your child's needs and personalize instruction to the greatest extent possible.
Below you will find a link to a video message from me that I hope you have an opportunity to view. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to email me and I will do my best to respond as quickly as I can. Thank you again for your partnership with us and for your continued support of our School District.
Please stay positive and stay well!
https://youtu.be/rqrmPXtNgvY
Sincerely,
Kevin D. Case
Superintendent of Schools