Dear WPS Families and Staff,
You are likely aware of the Governor's decision to keep Minnesota schools closed for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year due to the continuing concerns surrounding coronavirus. I know that this is not the outcome that any of us had hoped for and it's incredibly difficult for everyone.
Governor Walz has also ordered that student instruction not be held on Friday, May 1 and Monday, May 4. These days have been designated as planning days for teachers and administrators to prepare to continue distance learning for the rest of the school year.
Distance Learning Will Continue with Focus on Well-Being We are very proud of the hard work that our teachers, principals and other staff have been doing to implement distance learning. And we are beyond grateful to parents and guardians for all you're doing with your students at home to stay engaged in learning.
We will continue to work hard to create the best possible learning experience for our students as we navigate through these most challenging of circumstances together. I know that helping our young people maintain a healthy mindset is a high priority for parents and school staff. The mental health and well-being of our students continues to be a focus area of ours and a topic of concern for parents. I encourage you or your student to connect with our counselors, deans, social workers, student support specialists, principals and teachers if you need additional assistance. We are here for you and ready to help in any way we can.
Majority of Activities, Events & Assessments Canceled The impact on our students, their families, our staff and our community is significant. I'm heartbroken for our 2020 graduates and families, all the missed awards ceremonies, concerts, sports, prom and other activities that won't happen this spring. Although the majority of these events will be canceled, we are doing everything we can to reschedule some of these events or do them virtually when possible. For example, we have already moved graduation to August 1 at Mariucci Arena. More information will be shared in future issues of our school newsletters when this is possible. In addition, all state and district standardized assessments have also been canceled for this spring.
Emergency Childcare & Student Meals Will Continue We will continue offering childcare for our healthcare and emergency personnel through June 4. Register and find more information. In addition, we will continue distributing food to students in need every Monday. More information about our food distribution. We are grateful to our Community Ed, Culinary Express and paraprofessional staff who will continue to provide these important services.
Summer Programming Still Being Determined We are still in the process of determining what will happen with the district's summer programming. Additional information will be shared with families in the coming days and weeks.
I appreciate your support and know that we will continue to come together as a school community to navigate through these challenging times. I wish you and your loved ones health and well-being. Take care.
Sincerely,
Chace B. Anderson Superintendent |