GDPST Family,
It is hard to believe we will soon celebrate Thanksgiving. Though this is a different holiday season than any of us has ever experienced, there is much to be thankful for in the last few months of 2020. We continue to ask everyone to be as safe as possible as you celebrate with your loved ones.
Because every decision we make is all about the students, we believe that an in-person learning option is best for academic success. However, we (still) believe in science.
With COVID cases hitting over 800 per day in Shelby County, our collective anxiety is rising. We remain hopeful that conditions will allow for the safe return to school but in case the city moves into a larger shut down similar to the beginning of the pandemic, we wanted to provide you with an updated timeline below for decision-making:
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December 7: Teachers and staff will return to campuses as planned. It will be important to prepare classrooms and build proficiency with the In-Person Learning tools.
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December 8-11: Student orientation and testing will still happen; however it will be virtual for all students. It is critical that we accurately assess student learning, and that we provide them with an opportunity to learn more about what a return to school entails. School leaders are working on a modified orientation schedule that will allow for successful orientation and assessment in the Distance Learning model.
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December 11: We will make a decision on whether to start second semester as planned or to continue with Distance Learning for the month of January.
We’re hoping that providing a clear timeline for decisions will help lower anxiety (at least a bit). We will host another virtual community meeting, December 3, 2020 at 6:00 PM to answer any questions you may have about the second semester re-entry plan. Please keep an eye out for a newsletter on December 3 with a link to join the meeting.
