District 102 Families,
As we enter the month of March, I am struck by how quickly this year is going. I am proud of the work that our teachers, administrators and staff have done to get us to where we are. March 13, 2020, was the beginning of what has become a long journey for our world. Our students, teachers, staff, families....our whole community, has been impacted in innumerable ways over the last year. While an end is in sight, the reality is that we will likely have COVID-19 in our vocabulary and our life for a long time.
We have learned a lot since the early days of this pandemic. We have learned what works, we have learned what may not be as necessary. While there are still a lot of different opinions and guidance that exist, as a school we have successfully remained open from the first day of school with no school based transmission. By April 2, over 87% of our teachers will be vaccinated. Our saliva screening has seen 0% over the last couple of weeks. Our community positivity rate has remained below 3% for several weeks. We are doing many things well as a district and community.
It is easy to begin looking at the future and forgetting about what is involved to prepare for the next steps. Differences of opinions, disagreements about facts and figures, heightened emotions brought on by the stress of what teachers, families and students are living through in their personal and work/school life are often the source of conflict.
We have a truly amazing District. We have fantastic teachers, paras, administrators and staff. We have parents who have also made sacrifices this year to be home for their children, to serve as teacher at times for their children. It is easy to forget about how far we have come and take for granted what we have in front of us as we look towards the potential of tomorrow. I have always been a dreamer; I have always looked at how we can be better tomorrow than today. But I have often forgotten to appreciate what I have right in front of me. Appreciating what I have, as stressful as things are around me, is one thing that I have been practicing a lot lately. Taking the time to appreciate the here and now and the uniqueness and perspectives of those around me has not always been a hallmark of my Type A driven personality. But life is too short. It is too short to NOT appreciate, to not respectfully disagree, to seek to understand before I am understood.
As I reflect on this past 365 plus days, I am taking some time to reflect and appreciate. It doesn't mean there isn't a next mountain to climb. That is the part that keeps life exciting. But I am personally appreciating the climb with a team....the team of teachers, paras, administration, Board, and community members who truly want District 102 to be a great place. Have a great weekend!
Kyle
