Dear Shorewood Families,
It was a beautiful day, and I hope you enjoyed the sunshine and warmer temperatures.
The community Covid-19 case burden report on Friday, March 5, was 68, meeting the District’s gating criteria threshold for students in grades 7-12 to transition to four days per week of in-person learning. Letters to Intermediate School and High School parents were sent earlier today providing updates for both students who will attend in-person classes and those who will continue with the remote option. These changes will be effective on Monday, April 12.
Though the District’s transition guidelines called for a two-week planning period upon meeting approved Covid-19 metrics, we decided to begin in-person learning at SIS and SHS on April 12th (instead of March 22) for two reasons: to allow these students to finish the third quarter in their current learning model, and to provide a one-week “buffer” after Spring Break to minimize the risk of virus transmission following family travel, etc.
Full in-person learning at the elementary schools begins Monday, March 15. Our school principals, faculty and support staff, the Medical Advisory Group, teachers’ union representatives and administrators have worked together on planning the day-to-day details for our in-person and remote students. Our “back-to-school” planning at the elementary level also required new class rosters and some teaching changes in order to honor each family’s learning model selection. Thank you to all of these professionals for their focus on students, and for the compromises they have made to prioritize the well-being and academic growth of all of our young learners.
Atwater and Lake Bluff faculty and staff will be spending time together this week to share information that can ease the transition for children who will have new teachers, and the District’s Instructional Technology team will be working with virtual teachers daily over the next few weeks to provide supplemental assistance and resources. I will also be in close contact with the principals about any additional, District-level support needed to ensure that we provide the best possible experience for students - learning in-person and remotely - as we finish this school year.
Please contact your principal if you have any questions about these updates or plans for your student(s).
Sincerely,
Bryan Davis, Superintendent
Shorewood School District