Dear Nemaha Central Parents:
I hope all of you are having a great summer! I want to tell you how proud I am of our students, parents, community, and staff and their response to the Continuous Learning Plan during this past spring. Thanks to you and your children we took a challenging time and not only survived but in many ways we thrived!
I am sure that many of you are wondering about what the 2020-2021 school year will bring so I thought I would share a little information about where we are headed this fall as we reopen schools. We do not have all the answers that I am sure many of you are looking for, but I want to share with you what I can and get feedback from you using a survey that is a part of this email.
I also want you to know that the administrative team along with teachers and the Board of Education Members have been and will continue to work together to develop a plan for Nemaha Central reopening schools. Like all schools in Kansas, we are waiting on the work of Navigating 2020 Guidelines from KSDE which should be released to the state on July 16.
However, while we await that guidance, I want to share with you some things that we have already accomplished:
● We have purchased a UV Lighting System to be installed in our HVAC units. UV light has been shown to help reduce the amount of mold, bacteria, and viruses in the air.
● The Board has approved the purchase of Thermal Imaging Cameras for each building entrance. This is both an effective and efficient way to take temperatures of all who enter the buildings.
● We also have other ways to deep-clean and sanitize the buildings including; electrostatic sprayers, hand sanitizing stations, and other disinfectants.
Again, once we have access to the Navigating 2020 Guidelines from KSDE we will also develop other procedures, processes, and policies that will guide the reopening of schools. We will share our plan as soon as we finish it. That could be as late as August 3.
During the spring implementation of our Continuous Learning Plan, flexibility and patience were required and that will be true as we move forward. Another change that will occur during the upcoming school year is an increased level of expectation for the measurement of student learning. In addition to our focus on relationships and relevance as we have in the past, we will also have an increased focus on student competencies. Whether the learning is delivered on-site, in a hybrid model, or remotely (terms being used state-wide), districts will have the option to implement a competency-based learning model to measure success that focuses more on students meeting competencies at their own pace and less on seat time.
When the competencies, rubrics, and the options of how to use them are released by KSDE on approximately July 16, a group of teachers and administrators will develop a plan for Nemaha Central Schools and the #NCWay.
At this time you and your family can begin to discuss how school may look different this coming year but it will be a safe place. Your family can also start to think about how your family will deal with the changes in on-site learning, hybrid (a combination of on-site and remote learning), or remote learning which will be used only if rates of positive cases justify closure.
At the time of my writing this letter, I think that we will start the year using on-site learning but know that we are several weeks away from the start of the 2020-2021 school year (August 20 for students) and that might change. I also know that our students, parents, community, and staff will be up to whatever challenges this school year brings. As always, if you have any questions, or want to give input, or just want to share your thoughts/feelings please feel free to contact me or your administrator.
Thank you for all of your great work during the 2019-2020 school year, and I can’t wait to see what we will accomplish as a team this year.