Hello Blakely Families,
It’s hard to believe that October is here and fall is in the air. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate and allow all of us to spend as much time outdoors as possible. I do enjoy the winter and snow, but am not quite ready for it yet:)
With all things these days, change seems to be a consistent thread. In past years we have had conferences in the middle of October, but with the potential for a K-1 re-entry into school we felt it appropriate to move conference dates to October 28-30. These conferences will be via Zoom and lasting approximately 25 minutes.
We have also been thinking about the transition back to school for our Kindergarten students who have never been at Blakely or transitioned into school from the bus or drop off loop.In an effort to mediate stress and anxiety we will be creating a video that highlights a day in the life of a Kindergarten student. I wish we could be in person and provide a tour, but unfortunately this is our best option at this point in time.
This Thursday, October 8th at 5:15, the BISD School Board will be discussing and making a decision on how and when to return to school. It is important to note that BISD continues to approach the potential of reopening with a comprehensive three part checklist: 1) COVID 19 Activity Level, 2) Ability to Implement Health & Safety Measures and 3) School & Heath System Ready to Monitor and Respond. We are working on (and closely monitoring) all three of these areas, and will continue to provide updates to our community every step of the way.
An additional update that I would like for you to be aware of is that our School Board recently adopted a new five year District Improvement Plan (link) , with a heavy focus on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) work. As a part of this work we are participating in an all staff read using Ijeoma Oluo’s book, So You Want to Talk About Race. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion work needs to become a part of the fabric of BISD, and not just a passing initiative. We will continue to keep this work on the forefront and will be intentional by looking through DEI lenses in all that we do.
Lastly, please know that we are continuing to monitor and adjust our Continuous Learning plan. Our staff are getting to know their students, their class needs and the best overall flow for instructional delivery via Zoom. We are spending a great deal of time reflecting on the social emotional health of our students throughout all of this. It is highly important to us that our students feel safe, cared for, and feel excited and happy about “going” to school each day. We will continue to make changes as needed, and above all will strive for positive, caring connections with our students!
Wishing you a wonderful week,
Reese
