Willard COVID-19 Updates 5/4/2020

BASIC INFORMATION

  • eLearning will continue on every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday through May 18th.
  • The school building will remain closed to students, parents, and community members for cleaning through the end of the academic year, with the exception of clean-out dates and times as listed below.
  • The school office will be staffed on eLearning Days from 9:00AM-2:00PM for any questions that you may have.  You may call 765-584-9171 ext. 1200.
  • The following is the schedule for the remainder of the academic year:

SCHOOL CLEAN-OUT

All students should plan to come to Willard to retrieve their personal belongings on one of two scheduled days:

·       Monday, May 18th             9:00AM-2:00PM

·       Tuesday, May 19th            4:00PM-7:00PM

Teachers will be working in the coming weeks to bag all student belongings.  Each bag will be labeled with the students name and placed in our front hallway.  Below are the guidelines for pick-up:

·       Please enter door #1 at the front of the building.

·       Only one member of the family should enter the school to retrieve belongings.

·       Once inside, please follow the marked path down the front hallway to the west (toward the library).  This hallway should remain “one way”.

·       Locate your child’s classroom table and take the bag marked with his/her name.  Please do not touch other bags other than your own child’s.

·       One you have retrieved your child’s bag, please proceed to the exit door at the northwest corner of the building.  Again, this hallway is “one way”.

·       No more than three families should be in the front hallway at the same time, and all will be asked to maintain 6 feet separation within the school and while waiting for entrance (if necessary).

If the two scheduled times do not work for you and your family, please reach out the Willard office to schedule an appointment at a different time.

LIBRARY BOOK RETURN

Students should plan to return all library books during the school clean-out days above.  There will be a marked tote in the front hallway for this purpose.  Books that were left in desks will be returned to the library by our teachers.

CHROMEBOOK RETURN

Mr. Weigand and the technology department are working hard on plan for student Chomebook return.  All Chromebooks will be returned to WCHS/DMS, not to Willard, on dates to be determined.  Students should plan to return three items: Chromebook, charger, and case.  Students are responsible for lost or damaged items.  Students will receive the same device for the 2020-2021 school year.  Please watch for more information about Chromebook return.

FOURTH GRADING PERIOD GRADES

Please remember that students will not receive letter grades for the fourth grading period.  We will continue to push out weekly Continuous Learning Progress Reports the next two Fridays (May 8 & 15).  Your child’s Continuous Learning Summative Report will be available by 2:00PM on Friday, May 22nd.  

PROMOTION/PLACEMENT/RETENTION

The above-mentioned Continuous Learning Summative Report will indicate whether students have been promoted, placed, or retained.  If you have had no previous discussion with your child’s teacher or with me, rest assured, you don’t need to worry about retention.  A “placement” for your child would indicate that the student is moving on to the next grade level, but with reservation from the teacher due to academic, behavioral, maturity, attendance, or other issues.

POWERSCHOOL & 2020-21 REGISTRATION

****IMPORTANT****

Randolph Central School Corporation will be utilizing online enrollment for the upcoming school year.  Parents and guardians of currently enrolled students will need to have an account set up prior to the end of this school year to be able to access the PowerSchool Unified Classroom portal.  Many families have already set up access to the grade portal.  If you have not, please contact your school’s office for the instructions and access codes for your children.  It is critical that these accounts are set up before the end of this school year so we can push the enrollment forms to your account in June and then we can open registration in July.  Thank you for your cooperation with this conversion.  It is our hope that this will streamline the registration process for families.

YEARBOOK DISTRIBUTION

Students who have ordered yearbooks will receive their yearbook in their bag during school clean-out.  We do have extra yearbooks available in the office on sale for $11.  If you would like to purchase one, you may do so by making an appointment through our school office.

POETRY PROJECT

Many Willard children were chosen to be a part of the Young American Poetry Digest this year based upon poems written in Mrs. Schroeder’s special classes.  If your child was chosen, a letter is included in this mailing.  If you would like for your child’s poem to be included in the publication, you may sign up online with the directions given, or return your child’s form to the Willard office by Thursday, May 14th

ACCELERATED READER FIELD TRIP

For those students in grade 5 achieving a combined 300 points in grades 3-5, our trip to Kings Island has been postponed until further notice.  I am so proud of these students and their hard work, and plan to make every effort to take students on this trip, even if it is late summer or early fall.

END OF THE YEAR RECOGNITION

Although we will not have the opportunity to publicly recognize our students for their many accomplishments this year, we will still be recognizing several end-of-the-year awards such as our PRIDE work ethic certificate (Grade 5), Presidential Awards (Grade 5), and Citizenship Awards (All Grades).  Recognition will happen through our digital platforms and certificates and pins will be mailed.

PTC SPRING FLOWER SALE

Our amazing PTC will be sponsoring our annual Spring Flower Sale.  Order forms and information are included in this mailing.  Thank you for your generous support of our PTC!

OUTSTANDING DEBTS

Any outstanding debts, such as book rental or cafeteria charges, can be taken care of by scheduling an appointment through our school office.

CHOIR GREAT AMERICAN BALLPARK FIELD TRIP

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our scheduled performance at Great American Ballpark on May 12th has been postponed.  At this time, we are instead planning to perform the National Anthem at Great American Ballpark on Wednesday, July 8th beginning at 7:10PM.  Although this summer date could provide families with challenging scheduling conflicts, we felt that the opportunity and experience was one that we did not want to pass up.

If you purchased tickets online, your tickets will automatically change to the July 8th date.  You should have received an email from Reds ticketing confirming this change.  If you are unable to attend, you will need to work through Reds ticketing for your next steps.

Tickets purchased by students through the school office will automatically change to the July 8th date as well.  If your child is unable to attend, you may receive your $10 refund through the school office.  You may also choose to make the $10 a donation to the Willard choir, as we are still required to purchase a certain number of tickets.

It is still possible that the July 8th date may not work for us either, depending on travel restrictions and stay at home orders at that time.  We will cross this bridge, if needed, at a later date.  Please watch for more specifics on transportation, logistics, expectations, etc. as we draw closer to the July 8th performance.

A MESSAGE FROM MR. DUNCAN

What a year it has been!  With each passing day, our “normal” continues to shift, doesn’t it?  The things that may have been strange just a month ago (social distancing, masks in public, continuous learning, etc.) have become a part of our new reality.

Here is my encouragement for each of you…Find the hidden blessings of our current season.  While our circumstances have brought uncertainly, fear, and for some, pain and sorrow, silver linings still abound.  Time spent with family, a period to take a breath, a refocus of priorities, and an appreciation for many things previously taken for granted can be the mark of this period in time, if we look from the correct perspective.  For our students, living history in the making provides a learning experience unmatched in any textbook.

Parents and guardians, I am grateful for your patience, understanding, and grace shown to us as we have trudged our way through the unknown.  Conversely, as traditional school as turned to “home school”, I am thankful for your work helping your students stay up with continuous learning.  We are still unsure what the future holds for education and how long it will take to get back to “normal” as we have known it.  The beginning of the school year in the fall could look much different than most years.  We appreciate your flexibility as we work to provide the best for our students in such unknown circumstances.

Finally, I would be remise not to extend my deepest gratitude to Willard’s faculty and staff for their work during this period.  They have met new challenges with a “can do” attitude, putting aside personal comforts for what is best for students.  From teachers, to paraprofessionals, to custodians, to secretaries, to other staff members, I am grateful for the roles that all have played in keeping the ship afloat.  We are truly blessed to have amazingly selfless people serving our kids.

Finally, please know that I am always here for each of you and your students.  It is truly a blessing for me to serve at Willard, in both the smooth and challenging seasons.  Thank  you for sharing your children with us!  We miss them dearly.

Mr. Duncan