This week, we asked elementary families to let us know whether they would like their student to remain in the 100% remote learning model, or shift to a hybrid learning model. When we heard back from some families that their primary concern is to keep their student with their current teacher, we added that as a third option. If you haven’t already filled out the form in Skyward Family Access with your response, please do so by Monday, Sept. 21.

We understand that parents and guardians have many unanswered questions, and we are working to provide as many answers as possible to help families make this decision. To help with those questions, we posted a new FAQ document on our website, which is being updated as we receive more questions.

Tahoma is using the Washington State Department of Health Decision Tree to determine when it’s safe to return to buildings. Health officials say that when King County is in the “moderate” risk level (between 25 and 75 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people over a 14-day period), that it’s safe to bring back elementary students while also following protocols such as face coverings, social distancing and good hand washing and hygiene. With Tahoma’s class sizes, we will likely be able to bring back all students in kindergarten through grade 2 and still meet social distancing guidelines. At grades 3-5, we need to use an A/B schedule to reduce the number of students in the classroom at one time -- which is why students in those grades whose families want them to return to the building will be in a hybrid learning model. Preschool students are also able to come back to school, and we’ll be communicating what that looks like in our Lake Wilderness Elementary program directly with those families.

When hybrid students are not in school buildings, they’ll be learning asynchronously -- or independently, via videos, hands-on learning and assignments completed at home.

The timing of the return will depend on the COVID-19 numbers for King County, but if all goes well we anticipate welcoming elementary students back to the buildings in mid-October. “Our COVID activity rates across the county have to stay where they’re at or keep going down,” Superintendent Mike Hanson said.

We understand that not all families are comfortable or able to send their students back yet, for a variety of health and personal reasons. We’re pleased to be able to offer a 100% remote learning model for those students.

The data that families provide via the Skyward form -- along with teacher and staff preferences that we are collecting -- will help the district finalize teacher and staff assignments, schedules and other details. “The challenge of that is we’re asking parents to commit to something and they don’t know exactly what that is,” Hanson said. “The flip side of that would be, if we started with the opposite and tried to design a schedule and then backfill it with families, we truly do not know what the breakdown is going to be and can’t design a schedule without knowing what their wishes are for kids.”

For middle and high school students, health officials recommend beginning hybrid learning after cases dip below 25 per 100,000 people over a 14-day period

To view the King County Key Indicators Dashboard, click here.

The following update was sent on Sept. 9 to Tahoma families whose students receive Special Services.

Dear Tahoma families,

We’re reaching out today with an update about providing services to our students. Thank you each for partnering with us to help provide your student with the best education and services possible during this time of remote learning. We miss our students, and look forward to the time when we can all be back together in the buildings!

Our Special Education staff have been supporting students via remote learning. IEP teams are working to identify students who are not making meaningful progress on their goals in a remote setting, in order to determine which students need some access to services in the buildings. Our IEP teams will then plan and determine what those services look like for each student. We’re also working to arrange transportation for students who will receive in person services (if they need district transportation).

The state Superintendent of Public Instruction emphasizes that there is “no one right way for districts to provide special education and related services during COVID-19,” and notes that instruction should be adapted to meet individual student needs. “The priority is to provide students with disabilities educational services based on their individual needs in a safe and equitable way. An equitable approach means focusing on what each individual student with a disability needs to access the curriculum, to engage with various instructors and resources, and to have an opportunity to make progress within the context of the barriers created by COVID-19.”

If you have remaining questions or concerns, please reach out to your student’s IEP case manager. Or, please feel free to contact me at awhittle@tahomasd.us.

Thank you,

Annette Whittlesey

Director of Special Services

September is National Suicide Prevention Month. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline reminds us that suicide is preventable, and you don’t need special training to help prevent it. Everyone can play a role by learning to recognize the warning signs, showing compassion, and offering support. 

 

Signs to be aware of in children and adults include lack of interest, changes in eating and sleeping habits, and mood. People in crisis or having thoughts of suicide, or those who know someone in crisis, should call 911, or go to any hospital emergency department or urgent care clinic and say, “There’s a threat of suicide” and ask for a “designated crisis responder.”

 

The Signs of Suicide curriculum, which Tahoma uses at the middle school level, says "Some secrets should be shared." It also utilizes the acronym "ACT," standing for "Acknowledge, Care, Tell."

Here are some additional resources:

Thank you each for partnering with us to help prevent suicide, and for sharing information that can help others this month -- and all year long.

There is still time for people to register to vote in the Nov. 3 general election. Online registration is available through Oct. 26 by visiting VoteWa.gov: https://olvr.votewa.gov/

Mail registration and in-person registration also is available. Details can be found on the VoteWa.gov website.

Every 10 years the federal government conducts a census to fulfill the constitutional requirement to count the nation’s population. The U.S. Census data collection deadline is Sept. 30 and there is still work to do. According to the Census Bureau, only about 76 percent of King County residents have responded to the census.

Census data is used by local, state and federal agencies as well as private companies and individuals. It is the basis for determining how many congressional seats each state will have and helps determine the amount of federal funds allocated to states.

You can respond to the 2020 Census online, by phone, or by mail today. Census workers are knocking on doors to contact people who have not responded and to collect additional information or clarify what was reported earlier. Regardless of how you choose to respond, your information will be kept confidential and can only be used to produce statistics, according to information from the Census Bureau. Your responses cannot be used against you in any way. Learn more at 2020CENSUS.GOV.

September’s regular business meeting of the Tahoma School Board will feature updates about reopening schools in a hybrid learning environment, along with several action items. The board meeting will be conducted online via Zoom, starting at 6:30 p.m on Tuesday, Sept. 22. The public is invited to attend by sending an email to TSDmessages@tahomasd.us to obtain a link to the online meeting. This system is used to discourage “Zoombombing” by people who seek to disrupt online meetings.

Here is what is on the agenda:

Parents and guardians are asked to fill out the 2020-2021 Registration Verification for each of their students.

 

This includes vital information such as emergency contacts, family address, verification of military families, medical information, the OSPI Student Housing Questionnaire, Food Service Application, Backpack Buddies Application and more. At each step, be sure to click “Complete Step 1a, and move to Step 1b,” for example. This will ensure that your information is saved. You can check whether it is complete by looking for the green check mark next to each step. Finally, after all the steps, be sure to click “Complete 2020-2021 Annual Registration Verification.”

 

To find the 2020-2021 Annual Registration Verification, log in to Skyward Family Access, and select each of your students in turn. If you need assistance logging in to Skyward Family Access, please contact the registrar at your child’s school.

 

Below is a screenshot of what the registration verification looks like in the main screen of Skyward Family Access.

Meals are being served curbside, free to Tahoma students and any children 18 and younger, via a USDA program, at Lake Wilderness Elementary and Tahoma High School. For times and other details, click here.

To check out what's on the menu, click here.