Today, I am happy to report that for the first time in a while, I have no bad news to share with you today. I do, however, have a few important points I would like to share with you as we finish our first week of online learning and prepare for Christmas break.
First, I want to thank our entire staff. Every individual in this district has played a role in making Online Learning 2.0 better organized, more engaging and most importantly responsive to the needs of our kids. Walking the halls I have watched the virtual learning that is taking place. I have watched our drivers deliver materials and our cafeteria workers assemble and deliver meals. I have watched our secretaries, aides and clerks work with kids in our special needs classes and Internet Cafe. I have watched our administrators field questions and be responsive all hours of the day. We have an awesome team, and when we have needed to pull together most we have done just that. I am honored to work for all of you. You are making a huge difference in the lives of our families and making this entire community proud. Well done!
Second, I want to thank our students and parents. This week our online attendance has been outstanding. Not only have students attended, they have been engaged and worked extremely hard. For our youngest students this is often not done alone. There is always a parent, grandparent or other caregiver behind the scenes making sure the connection is good and the kids are successful. You have been amazing and we appreciate you.
Finally, I need to remind everyone that even though we are learning online Ohio Law requires the District to report any cases of COVID to the Portage County Health Department and our families. If any student tests positive it is critical that you notify us in a timely manner. You can send me an email (tlysiak@jagschools.org), text or call my cell phone directly (216.534.7413).
As we look forward to our break, I want to let you know that we will continue to monitor our local data and consult with the Portage County Health Department so we can determine what learning mode we will be in on January 4th. Based on this data we will make this decision no later than December 31.
Again, thank you for all of your patience and support. In just this last month we have moved from five days to hybrid to online. Through this all, you’ve demonstrated great resolve. Each day that passes during this pandemic showcases more and more reasons why the JAG community remains the very best place to live, work and learn.
Have a great weekend, and Go G-Men!
Ted