Dear Saklan Community,
Attached, you will find the Saklan Reopening Roadmap. This document represents hundreds of hours of research and planning by the COVID-19 Task Force. Their work kept safety and student health at the forefront of discussions. Decisions were informed by experts, guided by the mission, and built to be nimble. This Roadmap is both foundational and fluid.
As we witnessed with the governor’s announcement on July 17th, things can change quickly. That announcement meant Saklan needed to shift priorities from preparing the school for the return of students to campus to readying our distance learning program. The word “shift” does not quite describe what is going on behind the scenes at Saklan as we have a dual focus of both reopening campus to students and preparing to start the year with a robust distance learning program.
Therefore the attached Roadmap is the first part of at least three documents. The second part of the plan will specifically address our distance learning program (to be released in the second week of August). We envision this to be followed by a third document that gives specific policies, expectations, and logistics for the return to campus.
While we remain proud of our response to the crisis in March, we also have learned much from the process, subsequent surveys, and current research. While our complete plan is not ready for release yet, I would like to share with you a few of the changes we will be putting in place.
Increase in scheduled classes with “live” content and teacher interaction and support
Technology will be in place that is easier to navigate and more predictable
‘Live” Specialist time increased with more interaction and support
Increased time for one-on-one and small group interaction
Increased time for accountability and feedback
Regular opportunities for parent feedback
Increased attention to the social-emotional and wellness aspects of this crisis
Increased opportunities for students to interact with each other
To launch the distance learning piece successfully, we believe that it is essential to connect with students beforehand personally. Therefore, we will be using August 19th, 20th, and 21st as a time for students (and parents in the case of LS students or new families) to come to campus individually or in a small cohort. This time will be used to help set students up for a successful start, connect and build relationships, and distribute materials. During these visits, we will also be practicing and explaining all the health and safety protocols needed for the return to campus.
Our first day of distance learning will be Tuesday, August 25th. We will be adding 2-3 days into the second semester to make up for the lost instructional time.
Once again, I want to thank everyone on the COVID-19 Task Force for all their help, including those parents and physicians who jumped in to help at a moment’s notice. There will be more information in the next couple of weeks; please stay tuned. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please contact me.
Hopefully,
David
P.S. On July 20th, Saklan was instructed by the county to email a letter requesting a waiver. We immediately did so, but have subsequently been informed that the State is currently developing an approach for all counties to follow. Once we have clarity from the State, we will reapply.
Please visit our COVID-19 and FAQ pages for past communications and information.
