I have spent some time reflecting on this past school year. I found myself in a place of deep appreciation for our students, families, staff, and community, who rallied together to make the best of a year that may not have been precisely the way we envisioned it. We have had different experiences and stress factors, but we have walked this path together. I am thankful for the support, patience, and understanding. It has been invaluable.
The summer is allowing us to revisit our policies and procedures related to COVID 19 mitigation. I am hopeful for next school year because we have learned a lot about what has worked, what has not worked, and where we can make appropriate changes. I will continue to keep you informed. A few weeks ago, there were rumors about required COVID 19 vaccinations for students. I want to clarify our District will not require students to be vaccinated unless there is a state mandate that we do which is the case with all other vaccinations that the District requires.
The creation and development of the IGNITE Online & Personalized learning program is a positive outcome of this past school year. I have written about this before, but it is hard to hold back and not share more about it. Keep in mind that this shift in thinking will allow us to serve students with greater flexibility. Students may participate differently based on their individual needs. They can attend exclusively online, as hybrid students who participate in online and Face 2 Face instruction, or take an online course to supplement their learning. A personalized plan will be developed to meet the needs of the students who participate. I look forward to seeing this program grow, expand and positively impact students.
You can watch the video here to learn more about IGNITE.
We have some new staff joining us next year. Allow me to introduce them.
Arryn Gillespie and Kennedy Hughes will be teaching Kindergarten.
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| Kennedy Hughes |
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| Arryn Gillespie |
Grant Staats will be teaching Math and coaching for the District.
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| Grant Staats |
John Coltrain joined our custodial staff in April.
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| John Coltrain |
All of them have strong connections to Southwest Iowa, so I am honored they have joined the Shenandoah CSD family.
