Read the important community update in full here.
View Superintendent Jolly's Video Message here.
March 22, 2020
Greetings
Tiger Family,
As you are all aware, the last few
weeks have been an unprecedented time in our country and world. With daily guidelines and orders coming from
our President, Governor, CDC, and Ohio Department of Health, we will have to
make many adjustments as each day brings new developments.
I know this feels uncomfortable and often uncertain. As the great Martin Luther King Jr. stated: “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” Our ‘Team’ has worked hard to insure that the children of this community has continued to be educated and fed during this crisis. I am honored to serve with such caring and dedicated educators.
We want to do everything we can to
help get through this difficult time.
During this extended closure we also will continue sharing updates and
reminding you of important messages.
As it stands today, we are planning
for a tentative return date of Monday, April 6th. You may have heard the governor say that it
is possible schools might be closed for the remainder of this academic
year. While our District, along with all Ohio school districts, are not sure what this would mean, we have already begun preliminary plans so we can be prepared—and it is our goal to share those remote learning plans with you by the end of this week. We also believe the Governor’s Office and the Ohio Department of Education would provide additional guidance, should this happen. We will continue to keep you updated to any developments that might cause further adjustments to our current return date of Monday, April 6th.
I also feel it’s important to address our District’s seniors; Warrensville Heights High School Class of 2020. I am sure you also have many questions about what lies ahead. While we do not have all the answers, we do know how hard you have worked over the last four years. Please know that the District is committed to doing our very best to make sure you experience your earned and much anticipated senior year milestones. This week, Senior Class Advisor Calhoun, Principal Reynolds and I discussed prom and graduation and agreed on new tentative dates: Prom
will be held on Friday, May 29, 2020 and Graduation on Saturday, June 6 in
Tiger Stadium at 11:00 a.m.
Next, per the Ohio High School Athletic Association, and in accordance with Governor DeWine’s order, a MANDATORY no-contact period is in effect for all school-sponsored sports from March 17 through April 5, 2020. There will be no team practices, team conditioning or games during this time. All winter sports championships have been
postponed. This means our Boys Basketball team's journey is still on hold as we await the final ruling from the OHSAA.
In addition, all mass gatherings have
been limited to 10 people or less. Therefore, all school sponsored events are
also postponed until at least April 6th. However, school board meetings will continue
as scheduled. Meetings will now convene
at the District Administrative Office Building, 4500 Warrensville Center
Road. Meetings will begin promptly at
6:30pm with limited seating for the public so to adhere to guidelines on social
distancing.
Earlier last week we launched our ‘Mobile Meal’ program which will continue weekdays, including during Spring Break, throughout this extended closure so that we can ensure all scholars have access to nutritious meals. Volunteers are needed on the buses and in the kitchen to help prepare for the next day. If anyone wants to volunteer, please report to the high school at 10:00 a.m.-Monday through Friday.
Finally, this extended closure has placed in-person instruction on hold, while we move to remote learning. For students in Pre-K to Grade 8, there are student work packets and digital e-learning tools. If you were not yet able to pick up your child’s work packet please visit the little library outside of your child’s elementary school to pick up that work. Scholars in grades 9-12 should be working daily on their Chromebooks following teacher’s assignments delivered via Google Classroom. All of these digital resources, including links and at-home work can be found on our district website under our COVID-19 webpage.
The upcoming week (3/23-3/27) is
considered spring break and it is not expected that our scholars or teachers
work this week. We will resume
e-learning on Monday, March 30th until at least April 3rd
for all District scholars.
Also, if your family is in need of
internet services both Charter Communications and Spectrum are offering FREE 60
day internet packages for households with school aged children. Please visit our website for full
details.
Please continue to check-in regularly
to our District website, social media pages and stay alert to our all-call
communication system as developments and updates continue to evolve.
Thank you for your understanding, your patience, and your cooperation as we all navigate these unsettling times. We are resilient and will get through this together—One Team, One Vision, One Goal.
With
#TigerPride,
Donald J.
Jolly II
Superintendent