Hello and happy Friday!
As we wrap up the school year, I want to say thank you again. Thank you for everything you have done to support your students this spring. None of this has been easy, and I truly appreciate everything parents and guardians have done.
Please click here for my
video update, or keep reading the email for more updates and reminders for the week.
Your Voice Matters: Planning for the 2020-2021 school yearI’d also like to thank all of you who have shared your thoughts so far this week! On Tuesday, we sent our feedback survey on distance learning, and we have already had a tremendous response. The survey will remain open through Tuesday, so
please share your thoughts if you haven’t yet.
Students who are completing grades six through 12 will be receiving a link for a feedback survey in their email today. Parents/guardians of students in grades 3 through 5 will receive a survey link for their children next week.
All of these surveys are part of our three-phase feedback and planning process for next school year. You’ll continue to receive updates on this process on Tuesdays through the month of June.
Update on school sports and athletic fields
State leaders recently announced an easing of the restrictions on school sports and other activities at the high school and middle school levels. We are receiving guidance on this from many sources right now. Let’s just say things are still developing rapidly on this front - but we do know that social distancing will be the key to everything.
We will continue to review this guidance as we work on our plan to begin phasing in some of these activities. We hope to be able to begin around June 1 with skill training and conditioning for fall sports and activities at the high school level and phase in others as we are able to do so safely.
In addition, we are reviewing new guidance from state leaders and health officials regarding the use of the district’s outdoor athletic facilities. We hope to be able to safely reopen these areas to our community soon.
Reminders
- Celebrating the Class of 2020: There were many special and creative celebrations across the district this week to mark the end of the 2019-2020 school year for students, and this weekend we will celebrate our seniors in some special ways. First, our virtual graduation will debut on the district’s YouTube channel at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday. We will also have a car parade that will allow seniors to ride through the heart of UA in cars as friends, family and community members offer support from their own parked cars (or yards if they happen to live along the parade route). The parade will begin at 10 a.m. on Sunday. Please click to view the parade route and important access and safety information about the parade. Thank you to everyone for helping us make this a safe and celebratory event for our seniors!
- Memorial Day week meal schedule: Our free meal program for any school-age children in Upper Arlington will continue next week with a special schedule due to the Memorial Day holiday. Grab-and-go lunches and breakfasts will be distributed on Tuesday (two lunches and two breakfasts) and Wednesday (two lunches and two breakfasts) - for times and locations, and more information about the start of the summer meal program, please visit our website.
I wish you and your family the very best for this summer. We look forward to building upon your feedback to design plans for next school year. We can’t wait for the day that our schools can be safely filled with the sounds of learning and laughter again.
Take care, and Go Bears!
Sincerely,
Paul Imhoff, Ed.D.
Superintendent, Upper Arlington Schools