Ray-Pec Parent Community,
We are approaching the end of week 5 in the Ray-Pec School District. It is truly a blessing to say that. From the earliest stages of our planning efforts back in May to where we are today, this has been a total team effort. I want to use this space to once again shout “Thank you” to all of our teachers, support team members and administrators at our school campuses and administrative center for their incredible work and dedication to get us to this point. There have been so many new expectations and changes required of our team this year. Additionally parents and guardians, thank you for your continued patience and grace. Together, we are doing something in Ray-Pec that not all school districts have been able to accomplish.
An update on our Covid numbers
As of this writing, 1 student and 0 staff members are in “isolation” and are not in school due to being tested as positive for COVID-19. It appears that none of the isolations are due to a school-related virus transmission, and this is continued great news. We have a total of 26 students and 5 staff members not in school due to being in “quarantine.” Only 8 of those in quarantine are due to a potential exposure at a school or school-related event. These numbers are vastly improved over what I reported to you two weeks ago, and we are very thankful for that. I believe that the more diligent we remain on our mitigation efforts, the better our learning environments will be. All of this information can be found on our COVID-19 dashboard, which is updated weekly on Fridays.
Our continued call for help
Adherence to best practices in combating the spread of the virus needs to be at the top of our minds. Physical distancing, wearing face coverings, washing hands frequently, staying home if you have symptoms of COVID-19, and following isolation or quarantine directions from the CCHD are commitments we need to continue to make. Very importantly, if your child is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, please keep her or him home from school. I know of at least two instances where parents have been proactive in keeping children home from school when exhibiting a symptom consistent with COVID-19. Both students eventually tested positive for the virus. By keeping those students home, far fewer students had to quarantine for potential exposure to the positive cases. Exercising caution in the home when deciding if to send a child to school who has any symptoms consistent with COVID-19 has proven to be a very effective mitigation strategy. Please keep up the good work.
There is still much uncertainty ahead. Please prepare.
Because of the coming cold and flu season, public health experts are warning about an uncertain next several months. You need to know about the potential for frequent transitions between in-person and distance learning for those students who selected the in-person option. To our parents who work outside of the home, there is the potential for classroom, school or district closures and transition to distance learning throughout the upcoming months. Please think about and prepare a personal contingency plan should a classroom, school or district closure become necessary.
Our Work Is Still Progressing
As you know, school looks very different this year in many ways. ViPR, the A/B schedule at the secondary schools, Canvas, and Seesaw are just a few examples of the pivots we have made to ensure quality learning experiences for all of our students. Over the course of the next couple of weeks, we will reach out to you to ask what is working well for you and what is not. We want to hear about both, so that we can continue to make adjustments where needed to improve the learning experience for your children.
The Board of Education and I thank you for your continued support. This is a year unlike any other, but together is truly the only way to move forward.
Thank you for entrusting your children to the Ray-Pec School District.
Mike Slagle
I am passionately driven by the belief that Everyone Is Created To Flourish
