Mr. Crawford Highland Hi-Lites April 7, 2020
An update from Mr. Crawford · April 6, 2020
HIGHLAND HI-LITES
April 7, 2020
Supporting students, families, and staff is the primary goal of Highland Schools. School has been off since March 16th, 2020 due to the COVID-19 crisis that has put our nation in gridlock. We were initially out of school for four weeks until the Governor extended our closing until April 30th. The hope is that we do get to go to school in May and finish out the year, finish spring sports, and have graduation. I believe the next two weeks will determine if we get any school in this year.
The Department of Education has granted Iowa schools the chance to do online learning either as an optional scenario or as a required learning tool for students. The administration is meeting daily and is working with teacher leaders to determine which plan gives our students the best chance to continue learning during this unprecedented time in our nation’s history. We have until April 10th to tell the Department of Education which option we are going to choose. We can pick an option - try it for a couple of weeks and switch it if necessary. We are not locked into one choice for the entire time. While wanting required education at first glance, the administrative team is alert to the stress in households at this time and the fact that online learning is new for everyone involved. The learning curve for this situation is steep and evolving daily. We do not want to add to the stress that households are feeling from this COVID-19 crisis. We just want to work through all options thoroughly and pick the option that make sense for us.
The temporary online learning plan the staff is currently working on is primarily designed to increase engagement – for students and to help parents. If we are truly done with formal school as we know it until next August, we need to bridge the gap so there isn’t such a long time between in-school sessions. To not take advantage of any educational opportunities from March until August could have catastrophic side effects to their long-term educational knowledge.
We understand staff, students, and families will be working through varying challenges in this event but we are hoping we can work together to overcome any obstacles that get in our way. Please be proactive in communicating the help you need from our school district to make your participation in this online environment a positive and productive one.
And a loud thank you to all who have donated to the Food Banks in Ainsworth and Riverside. Both are stocked full of food and ready if anyone needs the use of that service. We are also giving out meals to our school children on Monday’s and Wednesday’s in Ainsworth (Concession Stand) and Riverside (Elementary parking lot) for about 90 minutes each day around noon. Please check with each facility for exact times. And if you have any questions, always feel free to contact the elementary office.
We do have a COVID-19 link on our webpage with resources if you have any questions. The governor has resisted the “shelter-in-place” order but it is still best to go out only as needed. Keep to social distancing. Wash your hands. And cover your cough. I would love to see us come back to school in May but we all need to take these guidelines seriously. Thank you for your efforts and support of our teachers and workers in the school. If you have any questions, never hesitate to email or call me. Thank you again for your continued support of the Highland school district.
