Hello Aquila Families,

As principals, Olivia and I talked about how strange it has been to not see our staff and the 557 students that make up our Aquila community these past few days. We miss their smiles, energy and funny stories that they share with us on a daily basis. Please know, all of you are in our thoughts and prayers as we navigate the Coronavirus. We hope you are healthy and finding ways to take care of yourself and your loved ones.

Our staff is beginning to try and find balance for themselves between being home and thinking about delivering instruction. Like you, we are all working to create new routines. We are committed to doing the best we can to provide resources educationally, emotionally and socially. Our goal before March 27 is to establish connections with you and begin thinking of multiple ways we could deliver instruction through distance learning. We are working to connect with you as we know that our partnership is crucial in continuing with your child’s education this year.

As we write this newsletter, teachers are working to assess what standards and skills need to be taught for the remainder of the year. They have been collaborating virtually, and learning about distance learning tools that can help each and every student continue to grow. This is new territory for all of us so we hope you will be patient as we work out some of the logistics. Students were asked to bring home math books and some other school supplies including passwords. If you want to use some of the teacher materials that were sent home, that is fine but it is not the expectation. You will see teachers reaching out and offering some things students can be doing at home. Students can access these tools by selecting Student Resources on our school website's home page.

Although no one is physically at school now, we will continue to answer phone messages and emails. Do not hesitate to reach out to us via email or phone call. From our hearts, we want you to know that as a school community, we want to be part of your on-going support system. We are truly grateful to have you in our lives.

In partnership,

Shelley Nielsen & Olivia Tolzin