600 Miami St.
Hiawatha, KS 66434
785-742-7181
(FAX) 785-742-2545
Lonnie Moser, Superintendent Paul Carver, Principal
Dear Hiawatha Elementary School families,
We’re halfway through the first week of our Continuous Learning format of school. I think it’s safe to say that while only a few short days have passed, it seems like more. While the majority of this week seems to be going smoothly, we’re exposing a few of the challenges that we will continue to work to overcome.
Firstly, when given a week to move a quarter of the school year online, it is understandable that some things will fail. I wanted to give a lot of credit to our technology team. In order to make sure we’re providing technology tools for you to use at home, we needed to make sure that we were providing as much protection as possible. To do that, our technology team added filters that worked on our devices when they were not at school. They worked long hours to make sure that they were ready to go out in time.
While it is good that we have the added security, it will likely block websites and resources that were opened at school. It takes time to add those resources to the unblocked side of the filter. Also, as this is a global problem, many great online tools are being used in a way they have not experienced before. Outages have occurred which are out of our control. While we know that these are frustrating, we are so thankful for the support and patience you’re affording us.
Secondly, with over 400 devices handed out just at the elementary school alone, a few of them are going to have some technical issues. We ask that if you experience an issue, you begin with your child’s teacher. They will do their best to problem solve the issue, if they can’t, they’ll pass your request on to our technical support.
Lastly, we’ve been getting questions about elementary school grades. I know this is a big concern. Our philosophy moving to our Continuous Learning plan is that the lives of our students come first. Families are dealing with A LOT of change, and just like teachers, they are quickly developing systems that work at home. New workspaces are being created, routines established, and the new ‘normal’ is happening at home. Our teachers are working hard to create with our Continuous Learning Plan a way that the important concepts from school are accessible to our students at home.
One of the most significant things we’ve put in place are the choice boards. On it, there are items students Must-Do and some they May-Do. The Must-Do options are the vital standards that your child needs in order to learn the information needed for their grade level. If you are like me, there are times when your kids need some suggestions on what to do next after they’ve finished the Must-Do options on the menu. The May-Do options are great ways that students can continue to receive educational learning opportunities.
I feel so fortunate to live in a community and serve in a school where our families are working alongside our school. I recognize that there will continue to be frustrations and challenges as we refine the Continuous Learning model. We’re all taking this one step at a time, six feet apart.
Sincerely,
Paul Carver