Parents – Students – Staff

Your perspective and input is valuable and absolutely critical for our planning to reopen schools in the fall. We are in need of your feedback on your experience with distance learning from the spring and your input about next year.

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Dear Creswell Families and Community Members,

This year has truly been unique and has definitely had sweet moments with many successes as well as bitterness that came with the challenges of the unexpected end of the year COVID-19 school closure. The goal from the very beginning of the 2019-20 school year was to come together as one K-12 school district. I honestly believe that as a result of our hard work and determination through the COVID-19 crisis, we came together as a community united around providing extraordinary care for all of our CSD kids.

I sincerely appreciate all of your patience and determination with our distance learning approach as we all had to switch, adjust and quickly respond to connect, care and put together plans to educate and engage kids in a different way. Although it wasn’t ideal in many ways, we worked together and made it all happen. This collective spirit of collaboration and tenacity in the face of adversity helped us grow closer as a community. This is what makes our District and community so special.

Currently, we remain under the Governor’s Order 20-20 and all school buildings and campuses are closed to the public. All athletics and activities on campus for the summer have been postponed until we receive an extended order from the Governor. I anticipate more information about summer activities from the Governor and the Oregon Department of Education within the next few weeks.

Many of you are wondering about what instruction will look like next year. I have received school reopening guidance from the Governor and Oregon Department of Education (ODE). ODE and the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) convened a task force of school Superintendents and other stakeholders to develop a framework of possible procedures to open our schools in the fall. The guidance Ready Schools, Safe Learners contains criteria schools must meet such as physical distancing, proper cleaning of facilities, grading & attendance guidance, and student transportation parameters. This letter does not describe a definitive plan for CSD, but provides an outline of where we may be headed and the process toward our goal of providing an exceptional education this fall. Our goal is to safely prepare for a full schedule with face to face in-person instruction. However, the plans for reopening will consider state guidelines, local impact, and sustainability.

Please know that you will be fully informed of the criteria as our plans evolve, as I will be providing you with updates every three weeks throughout the summer.

Preparation: Over the summer, the district leadership team, along with teacher leaders, will be working to create a plan for four different approaches to learning.

• On-Site Learning (Full In-Person Instruction)
• Hybrid Learning (Face to Face + Virtual Instruction)
• Off-Site Learning (Formal Distance Learning)
• Temporary Off-Site Learning (Response to Confirmed Coronavirus Case)

All four approaches have different implications and challenges for elementary, middle, and high school grade levels. We are hopeful that we will have flexibility at the district level as to which model we will be able to provide instruction through. It is our goal to avoid an entire closure like this spring and we will need to create a plan that supports flexibility to switch between models as directed by the State, ODE, and OHA. Our plan will involve data from surveys with staff, students and parents to learn about the successes and challenges of distance learning from this years’ experience and to include input from teachers in the actual plan development. Surveys will be distributed by July 1^st.

We are planning for the four options mentioned above, keeping in mind:

• How do we do so in a way that is protective of the health and safety of students and staff?
• How do we do so in a way that makes teaching and learning successful for all students and can be adaptable and flexible as needed?
• How do we do so while realizing that some of our parents need to get back to work and cannot stay at home with their children?
• How do we do so in a way that demonstrates our commitment to equity?

I realize many of you are expecting more specific details to what school will look like in the fall, but this is the most I can provide to you at this moment. Unfortunately, the situation remains to be fluid and the needs of each community are different in terms of child care and access to resources. As I mentioned previously, more details will be shared as the information and refinement of our plans evolve.

It is an honor to be your Superintendent and to serve the Creswell community.

Sincerely,

Mike Johnson, Superintendent

Dear CSD Families,

On Monday, June 15 and Tuesday, June 16 school staff will be stationed at each school to receive back the loaned Chromebooks and iPads from students and families. A morning and afternoon session will be in place for the device drop-off. The morning session will be from 9:00 AM to 12:00 and the afternoon session will run from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM. These sessions are the same for each day and each school.

All schools will have school staff stationed in the parking lot to receive the devices. We will document the return for you. You will not need to leave your car. Please return the checked out device to your child’s school. Please note, devices can be returned to any school.

Technology Devices Drop-Off Summary

On either Monday, June 15 or Tuesday, June 16:

• Please return the checked out device (with its power cord) to your child’s school.
• School parking lot device drop-off times:
………AM Session: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
………PM Session: 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
• You will not need to leave your car.

Please contact your students’ school if you have questions or need additional assistance:

• Creslane Elementary: 541-895-6140
• Creswell Middle School: 541-895-6091
• Creswell High School: 541-895-6025

Creswell School District would not be able to successfully close the books on this school year without YOU, our educational partners. Thank you for working with us. Connecting, Caring and Continuing to Learn can only happen together. It truly is One Team, One Dream.

Kind regards,

Joel

—

Joel Higdon
Director of Technology Services & Facility Operations

Dear CSD Staff, Students and Families,

I am writing today with a heavy heart and deep concern caused by the recent national events triggered by racism and the senseless killing of George Floyd. These violent acts against people of color have an effect on all of us: students, staff, parents and community members, as we mourn, experience confusion and fear, and try to make sense of what is happening in the world around us. In these times, more than ever, we must ensure our commitment against racism and violence in our schools and community.

As educators, all district staff are committed to creating schools where diversity is welcomed and appreciated, all perspectives are heard and listened to, and ALL students can thrive. I realize that many of our students and staff, particularly those of color, face incredible challenges. We can no longer just celebrate diversity; we must take actions aimed at removing inequities and biases in our system.

In a time when we are physically separated from our students, it can be especially difficult to provide opportunities to discuss emotional events in an environment where they can process their feelings and trauma with peers. Even though we are physically apart, we can and will get through this together. Please know that our school administrators, counselors, and staff continue to work tirelessly to provide support to our students. Please contact your principal or inform any staff member if your family needs additional support at this time.

It is time for us to be better prompted by poet Maya Angelou’s words: “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”

Thank you for supporting our efforts as a school district and keeping us accountable to being better.

Sincerely,

Mike Johnson, Superintendent