Principal's Message - January 2021

 

Dear Garrison Families~

Happy New Year!  As we have commenced our well-deserved Winter Break and we hope that was for each of you, it  is starting as well as it can under our current circumstances.  With that being said, the light is at the end of the tunnel. 

Walla Walla Public Schools met last evening, Tuesday, January 5th to review, deliberate and provide guidance related to our Safely Reopening Schools preparations.  The safety of our students and staff remains top priority and we believe that is best achieved by working closely with staff, stakeholders and health officials through the reopening process.  We can see the light! Please click here for update changes as we move forward. 

“We understand remote learning has been a challenge for families and students across the district,” said School Board President Derek Sarley. “The good news is there is a significant amount of research showing we can offer safe in-person instruction as long as we are following all of the state guidelines. This is especially true if we start with our younger learners then gradually phase in the older students as we are able to keep kids safe in schools and as local conditions improve.”

“To leave no rock unturned, we have also contracted with a third party agency to perform a comprehensive COVID Preparedness Review of our plans, protocols and facilities,” said Superintendent Dr. Wade Smith. “This third party inspection, led by certified hygienists and licensed safety experts, will ensure we have thoroughly vetted and put into practice all of the latest CDC and WaDOH guidance, as we make safety our number one priority.”

As we continue Distance Learning, while planning behind-the-scenes for students to return, in both the synchronous and asynchronous times, please remember that this is your student’s time to learn.  We, as parents, want to support our children in their learning especially during remote learning.   Teachers have made great leaps and bounds with their technology skills to engage students.  

In addition, teachers have designated time in the afternoon to meet, work with, read with, support and help your child.   From 8:00-3:00 is your child’s time to access the teacher.  Parents can access teachers through phone calls and Zoom  during the 8:00-9:00 and 2:00-3:00 times.  We have had families, with good intentions, sitting in on class and trying to talk to the teacher while class is going on.  Just as if we were in the building, parents do not attend class with their children.  Yes, remote learning is different, however, we need to respect the learning environment and access teachers during the appropriate times. 

We can see the light!  Thank you, again, for your support, encouragement and willingness to walk side-by-side with us during this unprecedented journey.

Best regards,

Kim Doepker, Principal
Garrison Middle School

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From the Principal’s Desk…