Dear Parents,
November 2020, another month of new territory in our world. We are facing an election, a pandemic, flu season, virtual learning, the holiday season and the uncertainty of what is next continues to weigh heavily on all of our minds and hearts.
Every family has their own situation and their own journey to take during this pandemic. I am not an advocate of virtual learning. I believe that in-person learning, social interaction, play and relationships are a necessary part of a child's growth and development. I am extremely excited for the day that we can all be back in school safely together!
With that being said, I am extremely impressed with GDS teachers and the ways they are working together to create accessible lessons for all students through virtual education. I have watched teachers' creativity and technology tool boxes grow immensely over the last 8 months. When we are in the building it can be difficult to motivate students to learn or connect students to learning, however virtual learning seems twice as hard. Pair that with how students miss their friends and the structure an in-person school day provides, it is really all they have known since they started kindergarten. We understand that a lot falls on families, even though we have tried to make everything more streamlined and accessible. We have made the daily schedule contain fewer classes each day, so students and families do not have to navigate between too many classes and teachers each day. We have created a virtual teaching and learning environment where students are showing some success and are able to have some interaction with classmates and teachers. It is not perfect, virtual education is not perfect, but our teachers have and will continue to go above and beyond each day to help our children continue to learn during this unprecedented time.
If you and your family are experiencing issues with a class, a schedule, or a situation, we are here to help. Please reach out. We have a student services team that is very knowledgeable when it comes to support and area resources. We also will be empathetic and understanding as each family faces their own unique challenges. We will not judge. We will do our best to help.
We miss our students, and we are so excited for the day when we can all be back together again safely. Until then, we are here, we care about you and your family, and we want to help. Please, if you have questions for me, call me, I would love to talk with you. Do not believe all you read on social media, as I have recently been misquoted. Schools are the heartbeat of the community. Let's work together and continue to create a healthy, safe, positive environment for our children to thrive in.
