Dear Shorewood Parents,
I know the transition from classrooms to at-home learning has been challenging for students, educators and families. I am looking forward to finishing this year strong, and proud of how our community and district has come together to support our students and each other. Thank you!
I am also turning my attention to the 2020-2021 school year. At this point, there is a lot of uncertainty about next school year related to instructional models and health/safety protocols.
I am developing an Ad-Hoc School Reopening Workgroup that will meet virtually to develop recommendations for our Administrative Team on possible reopening scenarios. We will be working from the premise that we will all be able to return to face-to-face instruction on September 1st and that there will likely need to be accomodations made throughout the year, depending on the prevalence of the virus in our area. I will present these recommendations to the School Board on August 11.
The workgroup will focus on two distinct areas:
1) Facilities, Health and Safety;
2) Teaching and Learning Activities.
The workgroup will consist of approximately forty-five members consisting of school staff, parents and community members to provide multiple perspectives of the best way for us to approach the 2020-2021 school year.
I invite you to apply here to participate as part of our Ad Hoc School Reopening Workgroup. Meetings will be held virtually Thursday evenings from 5:30 - 7:30pm, beginning on June 4th and continuing through August 6th (10 weeks). I am asking that you commit to participating in at least eight of the ten scheduled meetings.
Applications will be accepted until 4pm on Wednesday, May 27th.
Eight parents will be selected, and we are looking for two lower elementary (K4 - 3rd Grade; one person from each building), two upper elementary (4th - 6th Grade; one person from each building), two SIS, and two SHS parents. Four of the parent members (one from each grade level) will be working on Facilities, Health and Safety and four (one from each grade level) will be working on Teaching and Learning Activities. Please indicate if you have a preference of working on one or the other. If we have more applicants than positions, we will randomly select applications for participation. Updates of our progress will be provided at Board Meetings throughout the Summer.
Thank you again for your support of our schools and students during this difficult time. I am confident that together, we will reopen our schools in ways that best support the safety and wellbeing of our staff and students.
Thanks and enjoy the holiday weekend,
-Bryan Davis
School Superintendent