Good Afternoon Glenbard West Community -
As we finish up the second week of our unexpected E-Learning experience, I wanted to send you a quick message before we head into our official spring break. First off, let me commend the students who have worked hard to stay engaged and keep up with their learning responsibilities. Certainly, these are less than ideal circumstances, and we are all encouraged by the efforts of our young people and their ability to adapt to this unfortunate situation. Hopefully, you, as parents, have likewise been impressed with the ingenuity, innovation, and persistence of our teaching staff. From my perspective, they have made significant adjustments and worked hard to meet the needs of our entire student body. As principal of West, I am very proud of them.
I am confident that all of us are wanting to have more information in regard to when we can resume normal activity. Unfortunately, a definitive timeline for us is elusive. As you know, as of this moment, Governor Pritzker has issued a stay at home order until the end of the day on April 7th (meaning a return on the 8th). We do not know if this date will remain or be extended (directives from the state and/or governor could change at any moment). At this time, we have not made specific plans to postpone or cancel big events such as prom, award nights, performances, athletic seasons, or commencement. However, we anticipate making some of those decisions within the next few weeks. For us, we must be careful with all of these key decisions.
As we move into spring break, I encourage all parents to do your best to balance student expectations with the need to provide support. As a parent myself, I know that finding that sweet spot is not always easy. One valuable resource was recently put out by the National Association of School Psychologists and shared in our Glenbard News. See that document
HERE
. Toward that end, I would encourage you to examine the many communications that come from our district as they are generated by professionals within all four buildings as well as our district office. Glenbard West and Glenbard District 87 will work hard to provide you with the most current and critical information as we navigate this uncharted path together.
The message that we give to students is to work hard, support each other, and try to stay positive. We will get through this! During next week, our teachers and ten-month staff are on break. However, assistant principals and key 12-month staff members are working remotely. Also, please know that I will be available throughout spring break if you need to contact me directly. Stay safe.
Best Regards,
Peter Monaghan
