Dear Parents, Caretakers, Students, and Families of Woodland Public Schools:
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our return to education this fall looks different than in the past. Health and safety must be the top priority for our students and staff in addition to providing a quality education for our students. With these important goals in mind, I am writing to share an update on our plans to deliver education this fall.
In early August, state leaders and the state Department of Health (DOH) announced a “decision tree” framework to guide school districts as they determine how to resume learning this fall. The framework emphasizes that community transmission must be low in order for schools to reopen safely for in-person learning.
Using the DOH’s “decision tree” framework and recommendations from the public health leaders of both Clark and Cowlitz County, we have developed a plan for school reopening as approved by the Board of Directors:
To review the district’s Fall Reopening Plan in its entirety, please click this link:https://district.woodlandschools.org/storage/file/7086/WPS%20Reopening%20Plan.pdf
Many parents and community members have expressed concerns that the learning experienced this spring lacked structure and one-on-one lessons from our teaching staff. These concerns were also expressed by our teachers.
Over the summer our administrative team along with dedicated workgroups of teaching staff have revamped the district’s approach to distance learning. As such, we have developed new approaches to learning at each grade level. Teachers will receive additional training in distance learning before the school year begins. Each student will be issued a Chromebook and we will work with families who have difficulties obtaining high-speed internet access.
Attendance will be required and structured learning will be provided from each of our schools with live lessons taught at each grade level. Teachers will be available to help students as needed and guide students through their academic learning. The district’s grading model has also been returned to pre-pandemic grading with grades A-F provided in respective classes.
More information will be sent to you shortly from your students’ respective schools. Families whose children cannot attend live lessons during the school day due to scheduling conflicts from work or other responsibilities need to reach out to their student’s teachers to arrange for asynchronous learning options (learning performed from recorded lessons).
As we all know, plans and information will change as the coronavirus progresses through our lives. We pledge to keep you informed with regular updates as we move forward together. You can stay up-to-date with the most recent status updates by visiting our COVID-19/School Reopening Headquarters at www.woodlandschools.org/covid-hq. In addition, Cowlitz County Health posts the latest information each Monday at: http://www.co.cowlitz.wa.us/2750/COVID-19-Data-Reports-and-Presentations
Thank you for your patience as we navigate Back to School 2020.
If you have questions, I encourage you to reach out directly to your child’s principal. In addition, please feel free to reach out to me directly at greenm@woodlandschools.org.
Sincerely,
Michael Z. GreenSuperintendent – Woodland Public Schools
Woodland Public Schools