April 6, 2020
Dear West Bath Families,
The shining sun and bright blue sky this morning certainly help to lift one’s spirits! I hope that your family had some moments to enjoy the beautiful weather outside this weekend.
As you know, the Governor declared a “Stay Healthy at Home” order that went into effect on April 2nd. As part of this order, it was determined that schools may not resume in-class instruction until after May 1st, pending further order. This is a change from our previously stated date of April 26th that I wanted to be sure you were aware of.
While there are many unknowns about the immediate future, what is very clear is the strong commitment of our community members to our students and to one other. At a time when the path ahead is murky, and perhaps there are more questions than answers, I continue to see members of our community reaching out to support one another, with offers of help and comfort. West Bath truly is living the mantra of #WeAreCrew.
We have now completed two weeks of remote learning. Our goal for remote learning has been and continues to be to provide students with some sense of structure, normalcy, and connection to others, while continuing to offer opportunities for students to be engaged, challenged, and to learn. As much of the nation (and the world) is grappling with what works best for remote learning, last week the National Board of Education made a recommendation for the amount of time in a student’s day to be engaged in remote learning activities. For elementary students it is recommended that students participate for 1-2 hours per day (with additional options/activities for enrichment). Grade level recommendations are broken down as follows:
- Kindergarten – 30-90 minutes/day
- Grades 1-2 – 45-90 minutes/day
- Grades 3-5 – 60-120 minutes/day
Given these new recommendations, grade levels have reorganized their days and priorities to aim for these time frames. What remains consistent from the first week, however, is our understanding that families’ needs vary, especially now. Students should engage in the remote learning that is being offered to the extent that they can, as they can. Do only the parts that make sense for your family at this time. We are neither grading work nor participation, only providing feedback to students. Please continue to prioritize the health and well-being of your family and choose what remote options make sense for you.
We are striving to meet the individual needs of students and families via our remote learning opportunities. As part of our continuous improvement model, please provide us with feedback to let us know what is working for your child currently, and how we could better support your child’s learning. The feedback form can be found here: https://forms.gle/6gstcSP3wScB41YU7
We continue to offer children under 18 in West Bath free breakfasts and lunches through food service with home delivery provided by Bath Bus Service. To sign up for this service, please enter your information at: https://forms.gle/CNKbPDN3qQYNZ5x9A
Additionally, the Midcoast Community Alliance is maintaining a list of local places where food can be obtained for children and families. You can access that list here: https://mcamaine.org/food-resources-for-youth/
As recommended by the Maine Department of Education, we will be observing the April vacation week, from April 20th to April 24th. During this time period, no remote instruction will be provided, giving faculty, students, and families a chance to regroup and recharge. Remote instruction will resume on April 27th. We are working on a way to continue to provide food service during the vacation week. I will communicate further about that as plans come to fruition.
We hope you are enjoying our Friday “schoolwide crew” videos. If you did not see last week’s posted on Facebook and our website, here is a direct link: https://youtu.be/dNCLvjpEfCU.
Please reach out with any needs that you have. We are here to support you.
With love and well-wishes,
Emily Thompson