A Message from the Director
Greetings Madrone Trail Community,
We made it! This has been one of the most stressful years to be a student, a parent, a teacher, and definitely an administrator. I sincerely hope to have just one completely normal year next year and, in fact, am very optimistic that will be the case after reading Governor Kate Brown's latest announcement, which details the lifting of all COVID-19 restrictions. You can read it in its entirety here.
Some highlights:
- The state will not require masks and face coverings in almost all settings, with some exceptions following federal guidance, including airports, public transit, and health care settings.
- Because the same mask and social distancing rules will apply for all individuals—vaccinated or unvaccinated—vaccine verification will not be necessary.
- Because many children are still not eligible for vaccination and remain vulnerable to COVID-19, local schools will be guided by health and safety guidance as students resume a normal school year in the fall.
- Students will attend school full-time, five days per week. K-12 guidance is being revised to support schools in safely delivering in-person instruction throughout the school day.
Some questions we still do not know the answer to:
- Can/will the local health authority still require masks?
- Will schools still be required to offer a distance learning option?
- Will schools be allowed to resume overnight field trips?
- Will guardians/parents be allowed to volunteer and/or simply be allowed on campus to view plays, etc?
As we become aware of more information, we will share it throughout the Summer via the Friday Update. The Friday Update will be sent on an as needed basis throughout the summer, and will resume weekly updates August 20.
My goals this Summer include building the school kitchen and sourcing healthy ingredients so that we can offer hot and freshly prepared meals each day to our students. Given we have moved Woodwork, Handwork, Music, and 8th Grade out to the yurts, we have more space available for other uses. Besides the kitchen, I also plan on building a library.
If you have not turned in your laptop and/or hotspot, please do so promptly. Service for the hotspots has been turned off. Please be sure to include the charging cords for both as well. We will ask you to replace the cord if you have lost it. There will be someone in the office everyday of the week in June and 4 days a week in July.
I hope everyone has a safe and exciting Summer! Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns.
~John Bissey
Director
