It is March. Wow. When we were at this point last year, we were only a few short weeks away from the closures of schools across the state and we went into full learning mode in terms of how to deal with distance learning, how to get learning materials to kids, providing meals to students throughout the rest of the year and summer, and what would we have to do to be able to open our doors in the fall. We have learned a great deal in this crisis, and it appears with dropping coronavirus and hospitalization rates we are on the way to recovery.
One program that we feel is important to continue will be our free breakfast and lunch program, available for pickup at the Bartley and Indianola sites, as well as a delivery run to our drop off sites in our southern tier of population centers. I am in the process of doing the paperwork to extend this service so we will be ready to roll on May 24, just three weekdays after students have been dismissed for the summer. The program will run through June 30th. This will allow for the usual process of breaking down the kitchens at both sites to do any cleaning, repairs and inspections that need to be done. At this time, I do not know if the free breakfast and lunch program for all students will continue next school year, but we will keep you posted. It has been a real positive this year, and frankly I wish it would become a permanent thing. It is money well-spent at the federal level.
I strongly encourage students who have struggled this year to participate in summer school this year. They are not long days, and many students have experienced some form of learning loss during this pandemic. Extra funds have been budgeted for more students and more days if needed this summer to help students catch up. At the secondary level, there will be plentiful opportunities to pick up credits through our online credit recovery program, and staff will be available to help students get through those courses. For those high school students that qualify academically, I encourage them to pick up a college class or two during the summer to get some general education courses out of the way. It will lessen the burden later in college, and just might shorten the time that your child must be in school. A semester less can mean thousands of dollars in savings and will allow them to enter the workforce or go on to graduate school early if that is their path.
As I follow the national education news it is difficult to see that many schools across the country are still closed or have been in a distance learning mode since last year. Many are just looking at reopening to in-person classes this month! At times it may not seem this way, but we have been very fortunate. It has not been easy at times and all the rules and regulations have sometimes seemed perplexing. Thank you for bearing with us. The adjustments on the fly have kept all our staff in a constant “what is coming next” mode. Spring is almost here, and we are counting down the days until our end of the year activities. At this time, thank goodness, it appears we will be seeing better times ahead.
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