March 15, 2020

Dear YES Families, 

As Dr. Dolloff shared with everyone last night all students will be physically out of school for these next two weeks. As a result, we will begin distance learning at YES this week. Thank you for reaching out and sharing your support with us during these unprecedented times. We appreciate your feedback and questions, which will continue to help us to meet our students’ needs. 

We know that our initial foray into remote learning will present a myriad of challenges that we are unable to anticipate. We will be working to create positive and productive distance learning opportunities for all of our students. This will take some time. We appreciate your patience and flexibility as we address the variety of challenges, questions, and issues that will inevitably arise as we implement remote instruction. 

On Monday, March 16th our staff will be working all day to prepare for the launch of distance learning to begin on Tuesday, March 17th.  After tomorrow, teachers will be reaching out to you directly with the next steps to access your Seesaw account. I will be sending regular updates to you during the time that our schools are closed.

Please note the following information:

-All staff will be at YES tomorrow to continue planning for distance learning, which will begin on Tuesday, March 17th. We will provide balanced distance learning opportunities for all of our students, being mindful of the amount of time students spend on and off screens to complete their work.

-Students will not have any classes at YES for the next two weeks and should not be at school for any reason. Unfortunately that also includes the playground area for the time being. 

-If there is something essential your child needs from school for the next two weeks, please contact the YES main office and someone will get back to you about when you can pick up this item or items. Please remember that an essential item is something that they cannot be without for the next two weeks. :)

-Again, please let me know directly if you do not have internet access in your home or if you do not have a device at home that can be used with the Seesaw app. Seesaw works on just about every device type including Chromebooks, computers, iOS devices, Android devices as well as Kindle devices.

-Again, your students’ teachers will be in touch by email to share further information about the structure for remote learning days. 

-Our school counselor and social worker will also reach out with resources, strategies, and information that will be helpful to share with your children as we move through this time. 

- Parent-Teacher conferences will be postponed for the time being. We will communicate with you on this topic as things evolve. 

-Our K-12 communications systems are experiencing an overload at this time. This means that you may not receive our communications at the same time. Please feel free to share communications with friends/family if you become aware that someone you know is missing information. Our goal is to respond to all emails in a timely manner. Thank you for your understanding if it takes a bit longer than usual to hear back from us. 

-You can reach us by phone at the YES office from 8:00 - 4:00 daily. 

There are many lessons to be learned from situations that challenge us to work together as a part of a strong and dedicated team. We value your partnership in this effort, and look forward to learning these lessons with you. We will continue to support each other and our students in the days ahead. 

With Appreciation,

Ryan Gleason YES Principal