Last week the doors of our schools slammed shut for the remainder of the year with plans for education in the coming months being tossed into the laps of local school districts. We contacted our local supes to get a little info on what these plans might look like. The first one featured an interview with Grant’s Brett Zuver https://www.nearnorthnow.com/the-pulse/schools-closed-now-what In the second we heard from Fremont Superintendent Ken Haggart https://www.nearnorthnow.com/the-pulse/schools-closed-now-what-part-ii-fremont-ps Then White Cloud Superintendent Ed Canning shared his input https://www.nearnorthnow.com/the-pulse/schools-closed-now-what-part-iii-white-cloud-ps Next up to the plate is Peg Mathis, Superintendent of Newaygo Public Schools What has been done up to this point to prepare for distance learning at Newaygo Public Schools? The leadership team at NPS has been meeting periodically since the closing. Before the executive order to close schools for the remainder of the year, there were so many "what ifs". Now that we know we have to put a Continuity of Learning plan in place, we have a few less "what ifs" but there are still a lot of unknowns. As a superintendent, I have worked to keep all of the staff informed as well as the school board. I write a COVID-19 Update for staff every couple of days just to share what I know which includes factual information and sometimes it includes encouragement. I think up until this point, I have sent out 14-15 updates. We have also been trying to post pertinent information on the school website in the form of a Q & A and use social media outlets to try to keep our community informed. What do you foresee as the most difficult challenges moving forward? The most difficult challenges moving forward include trying to meet the non-academic needs of students as well as trying to get them access to school content so they can learn. This is an incredibly stressful time for families. I also have to balance the demands from policy-makers who say we need to educate kids with the realities of what people who have school-aged kids are going through. Specifically for the seniors what is being looked at? I am sad for our seniors. This is not the way they should be going out. So many events that previous graduating seniors have taken for granted are no longer going to happen. All students are probably experiencing some sort of grief but our seniors especially are faced with the reality that their formal K-12 experience is ending. Our goal is to still have the Edward T. Grodus banquet, but it will look much different as it will be video-based. We still want to have a commencement ceremony and hope to do that in the summer. How have your teachers and staff responded to the situation? Our teachers and staff have responded in a variety of ways. On a professional level, they are ready to roll up their sleeves and do what they can even though the task seems insurmountable. On a personal level, they are sad for our kids and very worried about them. School employees don't choose to work in education because of the vacations or other perceived benefits they appear to have. School staff work in the schools to help kids. When they cannot see the kids they serve on a regular basis, it stings. Frequently, I get emails from staff who, on a daily basis, have emotions that fluctuate greatly. Finding ways to manage emotions while trying to think about online (or paper/pencil) remote learning can be challenging. What has the county collaboration looked like (with other Superintendents and NCRESA)? County collaboration has been very helpful. We have been meeting as a Superintendents' group to figure out logistics and to put together the Continuity of Learning plan. When developing a plan to move forward, we have to consider the needs of students with IEP's, students in Career Tech Ed programs, etc. Having all local districts and the NCRESA work together is critical so we don't duplicate efforts. Do you have any words of wisdom to share with the Newaygo Public School community? We are in tough and unpredictable times. We can let ourselves get caught up in the emotion or we can remain calm and know that this won't last forever. The young people in Newaygo County are watching us adults. They will emulate our reactions to this crisis. It is not easy, but the more the adults can maintain any kind of normalcy, the better. Two of the best things a person can do is to find healthy ways to relieve the stress you are feeling and to work at maintaining connections with others. One of my "go to" sayings is forgiveness is a gift you give yourself. We will all have to be very forgiving in these trying times. Dr. Peggy Mathis
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Last week the doors of our schools slammed shut for the remainder of the year with plans for education in the coming months being tossed into the laps of local school districts. We contacted our local supes to get a little info on what these plans might look like. The first one featured an interview with Grant’s Brett Zuver https://www.nearnorthnow.com/the-pulse/schools-closed-now-what In the second we heard from Fremont Superintendent Ken Haggart https://www.nearnorthnow.com/the-pulse/schools-closed-now-what-part-ii-fremont-ps This contribution comes from White Cloud Superintendent Ed Canning. Moving forward. With the Governor’s Executive Order 2020-35 to close school buildings for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year, White Cloud Public Schools, along with districts across America are faced with the challenges of still providing instruction to our students. Now that it’s official, the first step is the completion of the Continuum of Learning (COL) plan will be the framework that White Cloud Public Schools will use to instruct, communicate, and assess our students over the nine (9) week period, with a beginning target date of April 20, 2020. During this unprecedented time, some areas of focus for White Cloud Public Schools have been the ability to provide meals, make connections with our families and students, focus on student mental health, and the challenge of changing our instruction model to distance learning. White Cloud Public School’s food service personnel, transportation personnel, administration, and staff volunteers have been beyond amazing since March 16 in the preparation and delivery of lunches to our students. Our teaching and support staff have been focusing on what their next steps are going to be as we move forward. We have been communicating with students, families, and the community with a variety of resources from phone calls, emails, letters, Facebook, and our website. White Cloud Public Schools understands that there is no one form of communication that works for all families in our district. This certainly will be one of the biggest challenges that all districts in Newaygo County will face, as we have discussed in our Superintendent collaboration meetings. White Cloud Public Schools will remain committed to maintaining connections, which include educational expectations, health and safety, and overcoming the challenges in front of us. We have a great staff, we have great students, and we have a great community. We will get through this. WC PRIDE!!! White Cloud Public Schools thanks the community for your continued support and patience. Ed Canning Last week the doors of our schools slammed shut for the remainder of the year with plans for education in the coming months being tossed into the laps of local school districts. We contacted our local supes to get a little info on what these plans might look like. The first one featured an interview with Grant’s Brett Zuver https://www.nearnorthnow.com/the-pulse/schools-closed-now-what Today we hear from Fremont Superintendent Ken Haggart Response to School Closures at Fremont Public Schools With the Governor’s Executive Order to close schools for the remainder of the year, Superintendents, Principals, teachers, and school boards are scrambling to put together a plan for how students will continue to learn at home for the next two months. The Executive Order is quite clear on a number of issues like the mandated closure, redeployment of teaching staff, attendance, lunches, staff pay, and evaluation. Clarity gets a little gray after that. All districts will create a Continuous Learning Plan for all students in grades K-12. Each district has to make a determination of the on-line resources that will be used in conjunction with hard copies of instructional materials depending on internet availability within a district’s borders and amount of bandwidth needed to run various on-line programs. Districts also need to determine how to manage and monitor the learning of students over this time period. Additionally Districts need to develop ideas for maintaining connections with students outside of the educational expectations, which include making sure our kids are safe, valued, and surviving in these unprecedented times. Mental Health for both students and parents needs to be the primary focus of school districts. At Fremont Public Schools our teachers and administrators have already been reaching out to kids and parents. We do this through phone calls, emails, letters sent home, Facebook, and home visits. We bus lunches to students across the district which allows us to drop enrichment materials, put notes in lunch bags, or talk to parents and students face to face (while practicing good social-distancing). Teachers employ ClassDojo, Zoom meetings, Microsoft Teams, and other programs which allow them to connect with their students. Over the next two weeks we will continue to work on the best learning options for our kids. We are working with staff, seeking community input, and using volunteers to assist in the learning process. We have a target date of April 20 to have a completed educational package ready to go that will also support student wellness. It takes a community to raise our kids. Here in Fremont, we have been blessed with a very giving and supportive community. Packer Proud! Ken At first what appeared to be a blip in the school year, a short recess that would postpone the tournament season and deliver a jump start on spring break began to loom larger as the COVID-19 crisis lengthened. Soon bars and restaurants closed or moved to take out only, business began shutting down or providing limited services and trips to the grocery store took on a whole new meaning. The timeline for a return to school was pushed out a bit more, and then a bit more and then… And then reality set in for teachers and other staff, administrators, students, parents and guardians,and so many others throughout the community. School was not postponed. It was done. Over. No one would be returning to the buildings this school year because this school year had come to an end. After the Governor made it official Thursday and school systems were given notice to develop a plan. We contacted our local supes to get a little info on what these plans might look like. The first is from Grant Superintendent Brett Zuver who was interviewed by N3 editor Alexis Mercer. What has been done up to this point to prepare for distance learning at Grant Public Schools? I have been meeting for a week and a half with administration, directors, and teachers. We are coming up with a plan for what we feel like would be best for our students. We know every family has different issues with accessibility so we are trying to be as proactive as possible. Making sure everyone has access to signal is tough. The plan isn't done yet, but it will be a combination of paper/pencil and online for those who can do it. We are working hard to make sure we can take care of every student regardless of obstacles that may be in the way. What do you foresee as the most difficult challenges moving forward? Spring break was supposed to be next week and after that we have 6 weeks left of instruction. Above and beyond the academic end, we care about our students as human beings. We want to make sure they are fed and in a good place mentally. It is hard to be away from your friends and a routine. A lot of adults are struggling with that, let alone students. We want to make sure basic needs are being met. Specifically for the seniors what is being looked at? Seniors. This is so hard for them. Extracurricular activities, fine arts, sports, spring things - they are missing out on all of that. One thing we are committed to doing is having a graduation ceremony at some point. Maybe in July or August depending on how long this lasts. But our seniors and their families deserve to get together one last time and celebrate their accomplishments. This won't be held on the originally scheduled day but sometime in the summer. We will know more as days go by. How have your teachers and staff responded to the situation? The teachers and staff have been unbelievably incredible. Everyone rallied right away for the food distribution program volunteering. Many teachers, before distance learning was required, have been having zoom meetings, making phone calls, writing letters, dropping things in the mail to students - all just because that's who they are and they love their students that much. What has the county collaboration looked like (with other Superintendents and NCRESA)? We have been meeting as county superintendents virtually since prior to the first day of dismissal trying to get our ducks in a row. NCRESA has been very helpful to make sure we are at least similar in our thought process. We don't want to be polar opposite. Each district's plan will be different because each district has areas that have different capabilities as far as devices, internet, all of that. But NCRESA has done a wonderful job trying to help us have a common vision. The executive order states that the RESA has to approve our plan, so we've been working with them collaboratively. Do you have any words of wisdom to share with the Grant Public School community? It's always tough any time there is a routine change or health scare like this. There are a lot of unknowns and people get nervous, understandably so. That being said, everybody is really pitching in community wise and school wise both to make this the best possible experience for everyone. Student and staff safety is always our first priority, this is just something different than what we have looked at before. I have 100% confidence we will come out ok in the end. Everybody misses seeing each other. We can't wait to see everyone back safe and healthy again. I also want to emphasize the amount of compassion and service mindedness that has been shown by so many individuals in the community, especially in the food programs and reaching out to help with anything at all. Any way they can help, people and businesses in Newaygo County have been incredible. Fremont Area Community Foundation has reached out numerous times. Really there are too many businesses, individuals and groups to even count who have offered help. This has been so reassuring to me, to our families, to our staff members and students. They all care and want the best for all of us. |
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