Dear Westfall Families,
Over the past few weeks, I have heard from many of you. I have received many comments such as, “I am so glad that you went back to a five-day schedule!” I have also received comments questioning why we have not shut down and gone to online lessons only.
I believe that there are many good reasons for children to be on a normal school schedule. Having a well-balanced life is not just about how education is delivered.
We have now been on a five-day-per-week schedule for nearly six weeks, and things have actually gone quite smoothly. With nearly 1500 students/staff here daily, we have had a total of ten active cases, with nine of those occurring in the past week. There have also been many quarantines, with only one of those resulting in an active case.
This past week, the high school has been hit hard. Today, we have seven active cases and 91 quarantines at the high school alone. The combination of staff and students quarantined makes it almost impossible to deliver lessons effectively.
I have decided that beginning tomorrow (Wednesday, November 11), the high school will go to a hybrid schedule through Thanksgiving. Tomorrow, high school staff will prepare to deliver lessons to the “B” group of students as they attend school on Thursday and Friday, starting November 12. On Monday and Tuesday, the “A” group of students will be in attendance, and so on through Thanksgiving. Essentially, the high school hybrid schedule will be presented just as it was during the beginning of the year.
Please note: The middle school and elementary schools will be on their normal schedules.
We cannot control which preventative measures our high school students will take while not in school. We hope their actions will demonstrate their desire that things will get much better, and our students will have a normal finish to this school year.
Thank you for your flexibility during this challenging time!
Jeff Sheets