November 19, 2021
Dear Lyndonville Families and Community,
As expected, November has flown by and we will soon be in the midst of the holiday season, with concerts, craft fair, shopping, and of course, the onset of winter sports!
We had a successful parent-teacher conference season, however, please do not let this be the only time you speak with our teachers. Teacher e-mail addresses are available on the website, and you are encouraged to check the parent portal/Google classroom for your child(ren).
Despite mask wearing, student/staff quarantines are still unfortunately necessary at times. We have taken additional steps at school to reduce the chance of quarantines—for example, we have limited the amount of time for guided reading groups at the elementary level to 15 minutes or less. However, there are certain areas, such as the cafeteria and music classes, where it is the more difficult to manage. Our fervent goal is to keep students in school, but we must do so within the confines of the Health Department regulations.
While we offer no remote instruction this year, when your child is on remote, the expectation is that work is sent home and/or students check into their Google classrooms. We are also in the process of securing additional Kajeets (wi-fi devices) to assist with Internet access, but we realize this is less than ideal. Regardless, our principals will work collaboratively with you and our teachers to make sure the learning process does not slow down because of quarantine.
As we approach winter sports seasons, spectators/fans/parents are reminded that masks needs to be worn inside school buildings at all times. There are no other restrictions in place and we hope to see plenty of fans cheering on our teams!
Next week, we will begin our required lock-down drills, and it has been our practice to always announce the first one, as the goal is just that—to practice and ensure success. To start, the drills are being modified to account for COVID concerns, but in time, we plan to move to the traditional drills.
We have a number of special events coming up, such as the PTSA Craft Night at the end of November, the return of the Music Boosters Craft Show on December 5, and live and in person holiday concerts—which we did not have last year (again, remember those masks J )
One final health reminder: please keep your children home if they are ill, or are exhibiting signs of COVID. This is the best way to ensure the health for all, while significantly reducing the chances of staff and student quarantines—all of which have an adverse impact on instruction.
Finally, we of course will be on Thanksgiving Recess beginning Wednesday, November 24th, and classes will resume on Monday, November 29th (we will dismiss 15 minutes early on Tuesday, November 23).
Happy Thanksgiving!
Jason A. Smith, Superintendent of Schools
585-765-3101