||| FROM ERIC WEBB, ORCAS SCHOOLS SUPERINTENDENT |||
Dear Students, Parents, Staff, & Community,
Thank you…This Holiday Season is the perfect time to celebrate the magnificent things we as a district and community have accomplished during this challenging time. This cause for celebration is due to the flexibility, creativity, and great patience you have demonstrated daily to rethink, revise, and modify your role to serve our students during a pandemic. The countless hours you have dedicated to provide the best educational experience while grappling with the pandemic on a personal level and caring for your own family are to be commended. Please know I am truly grateful.
The holiday season has always been one of my favorite times of the year! It’s a special time of caring and sharing. The holiday season is also a great time for reflection. I am reminded once again of how much we have to be thankful for, especially here on Orcas Island: dedicated and inspiring teachers and support staff in our schools, motivated and talented students, devoted parents, and supportive community members!
Our Plan…OISD’s plan remains steadfast in the desire to transition students safely back onto campus after the holidays. We will start transitioning our youngest students back to campus for in-person instruction gradually over the course of two months until all of our students are safely learning on campus.
Traditions…In the spirit of the season, I encourage you to take time to observe those holiday traditions you have shared with your family year after year, and possibly start a new one together. Let’s not find ourselves too busy or too overwhelmed by current events to take time out for traditions. Some kids may grumble at the prospect of observing family traditions as they grow older, but our customs have a powerfully positive impact on children that last a lifetime. They draw us together. I like to think that we never outgrow traditions; that they simply grow with us. One day, you may be surprised to see your adult child’s alarm at the prospect of overlooking a treasured tradition that you thought they had outgrown years before! One such tradition from my own childhood was the making of homemade pizzas on Christmas Eve; a tradition that I am happy to see continue to this day with my adult children.
My wish for you this holiday season is for peace, healing, and safely connecting with loved ones.
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OISD Tentative Transition to Safely Return to School Timeline…
- OISD & OEA Surveys – Week of January 4
- K-2 and Montessori Public Return to Campus – Tuesday, January 19
- Grades 3-5 Return to Campus – Wednesday, January 27
- Middle School & High School Interventions on Campus – Monday, February 1
- School Bus Transport Resumes – Monday, February 1
Updated Guidance in Public Education…
This past week, Governor Inslee and Superintendent of Public Instruction Reykdal, and the Washington State Department of Health held a press conference to release new guidance and health metrics for school districts. More information can be located here:
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