Dear Kentfield School District Community,
I will start with some good news, which you may already be aware of: CAASPP testing will not take place this year, even if we are able to return to school in May or June. This is a great relief not to have to think about in this unusually trying school year.
On the not so happy side is the fact that school closure is extended through May 1, and playgrounds are closed. I remind you that students are on the Bacich campus as we are a designated child care site for Marin General Hospital (Marin Health) workers.
In this newsletter, you will find information from Ms. Peck, Mr. Althouse and Ms. DiGirolamo describing how and what you can expect your students to be learning in the coming weeks. We are well aware that there are different opinions about how teaching and learning is going in Kentfield. We are obviously more fond of the communication we receive that says it’s all going great, but there are some who feel differently.
This is what I want to tell you as of this moment in this crisis: our teachers and administrators have accomplished a Herculean feat getting you and your children through these deeply anxious past two weeks while simultaneously preparing what is our medium-range plan described in today’s newsletter. I want to be clear. This is our plan and we believe it strikes the right balance between online time and off-screen, academics and enrichments, work and play. As is Kentfield’s hallmark, we continue to design education for the whole child.
As you have learned quickly in your homes, this learning model that has been foisted on all of us requires more independence from learners. It also requires parents to be more independent. You can imagine the deluge of emails teachers are receiving every day from parents and students. Their ability to respond to all of them is unsustainable. I ask you, therefore, to employ a practice that is used in classroom management. It is called, “Three before me,” and it is intended to get students asking each other for a repeat of directions, or simple clarification. We need you to try “three before me” before contacting your child’s teacher. Ask three other parents in your child’s class when you have a question. See if you can get it answered without having to contact your teacher.
We have heard that communications from the district, school, and teachers is overloading your inboxes. We are working on this. I am hosting virtual office hours next Thursday from 4:00-5:00 p.m. I will send out a zoom link that afternoon. The topic will be limited to “How is communication from the district/school/teachers working for you in this crisis?” One caveat: for every criticism, a potential solution must be offered!
Lastly, our School Board meeting on Tuesday, March 31, at 3:00 p.m. will be livestreamed and I will send out the link to that on Tuesday by noon.
I hope you can find some time to breathe deeply this weekend.
Liz Schott
Superintendent
lschott@kentfieldschools.org
