Hello Loon Lake Families,

As always, I hope this message finds you healthy and well.  

I would like to give you a quick update today on transitioning kids to school for face-to-face instruction, and when that might happen.

It is important to know that, right now, NE Tri County Health’s recommendation has not changed.  They are still recommending distance learning.  However, while this recommendation is in place, there is some allowance for bringing in small groups of our highest need learners right now.  

We believe that learning on a screen is the most difficult for our youngest learners.  So, beginning next week, we will start to bring small groups of Kindergarten through 2nd grade students in for face-to-face learning a couple times per week.  

So, allow me to speak to our 3rd through 6th grade families first.  As of right now, we will continue with distance learning for you.  We will need to await further guidance from NE Tri County Health in order to begin transitioning our older students in.  Thanks for your continued patience and for working so hard to get your kids online and learning each day.  

And to our kindergarten through 2nd grade families, a few quick notes for you:  Rest assured, we will be following all required safety guidelines.  Your child’s safety, and your family’s safety, is our number one priority.  Remember that masks are required for students.  They don’t need to wear one outside at recess, but they will need to wear them in the building.  If your child needs one, we have plenty.  Remember that you will receive an email in the mornings to complete your child’s required health screening.  And finally, the department of health has very clear guidance for students who develop possible symptoms for COVID-19, which include not being at school for a period of time.  Just keep that in the back of your minds for now, and please make sure the phone numbers we have for you and your emergency contacts are up-to-date.  

Have a great weekend and we’ll talk again soon -

Brad

Whew, we made it through our first real week of distance learning.  High 5’s all around!  

Just a quick message today to say thank you.  Thank you for your hard work getting your kids what they need and getting them online every day.  Thank you for your flexibility and patience as we nail down our delivery schedules.  Thank you for your willingness to try something new, and thank you for sticking with us and walking alongside us during this time.  

We all know and understand that learning on a screen simply cannot compete with learning face-to-face.  This is not ideal.  And thankfully, it’s not permanent either.  We all hope to begin transitioning kids back soon, but whether we are behind a screen or face-to-face, we will continue to do the absolute best job we can to meet the needs of your family right now.  

If there is anything at all you need, please let me know.   Enjoy your weekend and we’ll talk again soon 

Brad

Hello Loon Lake Families,

Thank you so much for taking the time to meet with our teachers last week, and for filling out the mountainous pile of paperwork.  We greatly appreciate it and hope you found as much value in your conference as we did.  

A quick update today regarding deliveries.  As we begin at a distance, there are two things that will need to be delivered:  The first is food.  We have a pretty good idea of who needs what, and we can always add food delivery for you, or cancel your food delivery, if your needs change.  

The second delivery item is school work.  Yes, your child is learning with their teacher online, but there will be items the teachers will want in your child’s hands each week to guide their learning.  So even if you do not want food delivery, we will plan on delivering these learning materials.  

We will begin our deliveries this week, and we know there will be bumps along the way, and tweaks that will need to happen.  But the only way to work out a system is to get started, so here is our plan:  

We will deliver items 3 days per week.  

If you’re confused, don’t worry.  Give us a call tomorrow and we will try our best to answer your questions.  Like I said, we know the first week or so will be trial and error, so thank you for your patience as we work through the details.

Oh, and just a heads up, we will not be delivering in a big yellow bus.  Instead, look for a Toyota minivan that says Loon Lake School on the side.  

I think that’s it for now.  Thank you again for partnering with us.  We are excited for our first real week of this new adventure to begin.  

Let me know if you need anything.  Take good care, and we’ll talk again soon – 

Brad

I hope this message finds you well and staying healthy.  

A simple message today about next week.  Remember that we are holding conferences on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday so you and your child can meet their teacher.  Please make sure your child attends with you, and even though it’s annoying, please wear your masks, which are required by the Department of Health.  We have masks available if you need one.  

Besides learning more about how your child’s classroom will work, we will also be distributing technology, and also the required registration paperwork.  We will have tables set up so you can fill out the paperwork at the school while you are here.  

Also, breakfast and lunch will be available for pickup in front of the school on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday between 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.  

Please reach out to us if you have any questions at all about conferences next week.  

As I’ve told you before, our goal at the school, and my personal goal, is to do everything we can to support your family during this time.  Please let us know what you need, and we will work to solve problems as quickly as we can.  Thank you for partnering with us during these crazy times.  

More info to come soon about other items, but for now, we look forward to seeing you all next week.  

Take good care –

Brad

8/11/2020

Hello Loon Lake Families,

I want to thank you all for taking the time to speak with me recently on the phone.  I appreciate your input and your thoughtful concerns about the safest path forward for your family.  I have a very important message today, so thank you so much for taking the time to listen.  

As I told you all during our recent conversations, our goal was to start school with face-to-face instruction in our building, but that we might not be able to do that depending on case counts and recommendations from our local Department of Health.  

As I’m sure you are aware, we have seen an uptick in COVID cases here in Stevens County, and the numbers put us in the high risk category for holding school face-to face.  Because of this, Northeast Tri County Health has officially recommended that schools in Stevens County start with a distance learning only model.  After careful consideration, the school board and I have decided to follow their recommendation.  As our counselor, Miss Kristi, and I tell our students all the time, our number one job is to keep them safe.  So if we are going to live by that, we cannot go against the health department recommendations.  The safety of your kids, the safety of your entire family, and the safety of our staff and their families are our top priority.  This is a difficult decision, and not one we take lightly.  We are beyond disappointed that we can’t have our kids back yet, and we hope to begin phasing kids back as soon as we safely can.  I will be meeting with NE Tri County Health regularly.  We all hope this is very temporary.  

All that being said, our team is 100% committed to making the start of the school year a success for each of our students.  Forget about last spring.  We’re going to do it differently, and we are going to do it better.  We have created a daily schedule, so you and your kids know what is expected each day.  This schedule is available on our website and will be shared via our Facebook page.  We are investing in hotspots for families who need them, and we have a Chromebook available for every student.  Our teachers will be doing what they were born to do, and that is teaching your kids each day.  This is our job, not yours.  

Also, we just don’t believe it would be right to start the school year without your child meeting their teacher.  So, we are going to spend our first 3 days of school (which is September 2nd, 3rd, and 4th) doing face-to-face conferences, while of course following all safety guidelines.  At these meetings, your child can meet their teacher, we can review schedules and expectations, we can give you your Chromebook, and we can problem solve and try to answer any questions you may have.  We will schedule these conferences closer to the end of August.  

Please know that I am very aware that distance learning will be a challenge for many of you.  It will be a challenge for us, too.  It is my personal mission to listen to you, serve you, and do whatever I can to get you what you need.  

I will have more information soon about meals and other details, so there is certainly more to come.  

We will get through these tough times together.  Thank you for your continued partnership.  Please don’t hesitate to reach out directly to me with any questions or concerns you have.  

Take good care and I’ll talk to you again soon – 

Brad