Bountiful thanks to all who joined us for last week's school-wide, Return-To-School Town Hall Meeting via Zoom. We're grateful to PRWS alumna and parent, Julia Hundt Ugo, for facilitating the town hall with such skill and heart. Special thanks to Stacy Fahey of Organic Valley for walking us through our first virtual, all-school meeting, made much smoother thanks to her expertise.
Here is a link to the recorded Town Hall meeting for those who were unable to join us (and for posterity--these are interesting times)! Members of the Returning To School Task Force shared our collective, inspired vision for the coming school year, as well as anchors and considerations in decision-making to ensure a meaningful and safe learning experience for all. Holding the needs of the developing child as our primary focus has guided us in our decisions and will continue to guide us going forward. The choices we are making are ones that we believe will allow us to stay together and in-person as much as possible this year. We value this connection and togetherness so highly that we have chosen a careful plan of action in order to protect it. The plan is available on our website here.
We will begin the 2020-21 school year on Wednesday, September 9 in the Blended Learning Scenario. We will start with this format for a few reasons, namely:
Certainty, and to aid families in planning - Of the three scenarios we have identified for the coming school year, we can say with the most confidence that this middle scenario will be possible 2-3 weeks from now. We acknowledge that uncertainty takes a certain toll. Starting this way allows us to imagine, plan, and look forward to our time together with excitement and anticipation.
To ease the back-to-school transition for all - Outdoor classrooms, along with new safety considerations, are significant changes to our usual school experience. Some exciting changes to be sure, though this will also be the first we are together again in person since March! Beginning in this format (mornings at school, with at-home work for the afternoons) gives us all the necessary space and time to settle in gradually and work out any wrinkles along the way.
Note that we will transition to full days of in-person learning on Monday, September 28 (barring recommendations/metrics that indicate otherwise).
We are planning a second PRWS Town Hall in September, with further details to follow. In the meantime, be on the lookout for an invitation from your child(ren)'s class teacher(s) for a back-to-school parent meeting for each grade to take place before school begins.
We are so heartened by the support and enthusiasm from parents and students alike as we gear up for our first days back together. We are excited about the great work that's been done to date to prepare outdoor classrooms, and hope you can join us this Saturday for another special work day.
All-School Workday This Saturday!
Please join us for the All-School Workday this Saturday, August 29, from 9am to 3pm. We accomplished so much at the special outdoor classroom workday earlier this month, but still have plenty to do in preparation for the start of school--including wood chips to spread, 40 outdoor classroom desks to build, more weeds to clear and event tents to hoist! Come for an hour or the whole day. Any amount of time helps. We have work for many hands.
Lunch will be served. Please check in at Growing for Good at 520 E. Terhune Street.
Please bring (labeled): weed and brush clearing tools, yard and garden rakes, wheelbarrows, coal shovels, cordless drills with torx bits.
We ask that participants maintain distance (to the degree possible, depending on the project) and wear a face covering. This is an outdoor only workday, except for use of the bathrooms. Children are welcome to come and help, but we ask that they work alongside their parents.
Please note that this work will be ongoing until school begins. If you aren't able to attend the workday and would like to help, contact Brendan Froeschl (brendanfro@gmail.com) to get set up with a project.
