The Buildings are Closed, but School is in Session

April 8 8:45 a.m.

On April 6, with clear scientific evidence, Governor Inslee ordered that school closures in Washington would continue through June 19. Even with knowing that this was a possibility, the reality has been difficult for our students, family and staff. Dreams of receiving a diploma in front of cheering family and friends, Spring athletics and competition, Prom, playground, dances, jog-a-thon, school barbecue have been replaced with uncertainty about whether any of these can be recovered.

What hasn't been canceled is our commitment to providing special, memorable events for our students. Things won't look the same and may not take place at the same time as they did traditionally, but we are working with our students, families, staff and community to make them happen, make them memorable and make them special. 

All of us at TSD are committed to providing opportunities and meaningful experiences to empower our students to achieve their goals- its our mission to do so. Right now is a time for each of us to grieve the losses caused by the pandemic. It is important that we not leap immediately into "fixing". You can be certain that we are working on ideas and plans to recreate what we've lost and restore what we can.

OSPI has been anticipating this extended closure and  has developed clearer guidance for us on what "continuous learning" looks like. This 79-page document has detailed expectations for educators. It also provides some clarity for families, especially when it comes to how much time students should be engaged in "school work". The following are daily maximums for students depending upon age/grade level:

These maximums are for all forms of school delivery: packets, online, email, etc.
Access the full document here. It includes ideas for daily schedules and resources for families as well as educators.

Other important lessons are how do we operate as a community? What is our obligation to our neighbors and their businesses? How do we deal with adversity and with circumstances that are outside of our control? How do we manage stress and sadness? These lessons are so important and we're given an opportunity right now to model for our children what we have learned as adults: we watch out for our neighbors. We support their businesses. We control those things we can and accept those things we cannot. We watch our diet and exercise, maintain our spiritual practices and talk about our feelings with people we trust. 

In basketball, sometimes our team uses a man-to-man defense and sometimes we use a zone defense. Which the team uses depends on the circumstances of the game. Our education system is going to begin to look like that in the future. In the past, we've had a "zone"- we brought all the students together and had individual teachers cover "zones" (classrooms). Our new system is more of a "man-to-man" where teachers are reaching out to individual students in their homes, providing lessons in one way to students who have internet access and in other ways to those that do not.  It is safe to say that once the pandemic passes, we'll continue to keep our "man-to-man" defense available to us for the next time a novel virus comes along (or a flood, volcano or other natural disaster). 

Here are some specifics:

• We're hosting a Wednesday "Zoom Room" for the Class of 2020. This is mostly for them to socialize, but it is also an opportunity for me to check in with them, answer questions and hear their ideas of how to recover those special events.
• We're preparing refund checks for all athletes who paid for Spring sports. This may take a couple of weeks (we're on Spring Break and refunding isn't something we typically do), but checks should be in the mail to families before the end of the month.
• Saturday Meals. Thanks to donations from the Shindig, Lion's Club, Toledo Volunteer Firefighter's Association, the Presbyterian Church and donors to Katie's Kids, Saturday meals are funded through at least the end of May.
• Calendar: We learned yesterday that we will need to continue our school year until June 19. While there was no interruption in service to students, with reduced hours, we won't meet the minimum hour requirement of 1080 and will need the State's waivers. This also means that school will continue on May 21 & 22 (Snow make up days). 
• Family connections: we're still working to contact some families on a regular basis. If you haven't been hearing from us, please call me at 509.770.0067. 
• Construction on THS continues. Locker room demolition is underway as is site work by Midway Construction. We may be able to accelerate our schedule due to the closure.

We've been through tough times before: 9/11, Mt St. Helens, HIV. floods. Each time, we emerge stronger and more connected. This time will be no different. Throughout this closure, I continue to be impressed with our community's resilience and commitment to neighbors. Please be safe, be well and be around.