I hope everyone is doing well and all your families are healthy. On behalf of the Cedarwood staff, I want you to know we miss all of you very much. We would have never imagined a situation like this. We appreciate your patience and understanding as the Cedarwood staff continues daily to develop ways to help our students and connect them to school.

I am aware of the many questions and concerns you have as distance learning is extended, particularly in the social and academic areas. Our staff recognizes that instruction is different, and families are having to support their children in the midst of obstacles such as, working from home, sharing electronic devices and managing a household. As we continue to develop a plan to ensure there is no gap in academic progress for next year, our teachers are communicating weekly with students to answer questions and inform families about lessons, materials and how to access them. Most common methods of communication include: Zoom meetings, YouTube lessons, Dojo communication, email, and phone calls.

All work is on our Cedarwood website under the “Students” tab. You will then click on “Academic Resources”. We encourage families to send work electronically to their teachers. This could be as simple as snapping a picture of competed work and sending it to the teacher. If this is not a possibility, we will have bins outside the front office every Monday for families who would prefer to return hard copies of completed work. We also encourage families to send work electronically to the teachers rather than returning hard copies. Teachers will communicate the different options to their specific classes.

The good news is most major concepts had been taught prior to distance learning. Having said that, we know there are still some new concepts to teach in addition to much spiral review that needs instruction. Teachers are working with their grade levels and other grade levels to articulate key concepts that need to be taught throughout the remainder of this year and the beginning of next year. We will be reviewing concepts at the beginning of next year to help students be prepared for grade level standards. Our teachers and staff are committed to continuing to have our students master standards at Cedarwood.

I know many people have questions about grading. Teachers will be communicating specifically with their classes on expectations. It is expected that students complete as much of the work as possible. We also understand there is limited instruction on some concepts, so teachers are prepared to be very flexible. Grades will be based on effort rather than accuracy. Teachers will work to get feedback to students on specific standards and assignments. This will look different at some grade levels, as expectations are different as students get older and are more independent. We are working with the district to develop a plan on what grades will look like for the fourth quarter. Teachers will send you more information as we receive it.

Cedarwood takes pride in all the great things our students do. We want to continue to acknowledge students for all of the great things they are doing. The staff is looking at things like Block C and other end of the year activities. We want to continue those whether we are back in school or not. Please look for more information to come from teachers in the upcoming weeks, as we are adjusting and planning what these may look like.

Thank you for all you are doing at this time. Our Cedarwood students are very special, and I truly miss seeing all of their smiling faces every day. I understand that there are probably many more questions than what I addressed in this letter today. Our staff is committed to our students. As our Governing Board continues to direct us on the timeline to return, please know we will do everything in our power to support our students in their learning. Please continue to lean on your teachers for guidance. We are here to answer questions. Thank you for your support and understanding as we work through this as a team. We will continue to communicate updates in the upcoming days and weeks.

Sincerely,

Matt Lucas

Principal

Cedarwood Elementary