Hello HTLA Community,
Yesterday was quite a day. The governor gave a speech in which he announced school sites closing through the end of this semester. Yesterday afternoon the CA Dept. of Education issued some guidance with respect to grading and graduation. Let me touch on some of these issues.
Before I do, I want to announce two virtual Town Hall meetings tomorrow. We will have a meeting for students at 2 PM. We will have a meeting for parents at 6 PM. I am looking forward to speaking with you more directly. I hope you can make it.
Now, the school site is closed, but school is open. We have teaching and learning going on. We have assignments and live teacher sessions going on. We are committed to our students’ education even in the face of this severe disruption. Communication is the key. Please reach out to us, teachers, counselors, administration, when you have a question or a problem. Don’t let it sit. Ask. Problems often don’t simply resolve themselves so let us help!
The grading and graduation part is complicated. The basic guidance was to give schools “local” control over this. So, we have been waiting for weeks for guidance and the gist of the guidance (although there is a great deal of detail in the CDE information) is for us to figure out what we are going to do. So, please bear with us. We need to wrestle with this a little before we come to a decision. It is our nature to ponder things and make the choice that is best for students rather than making a rash choice. I will give you more concrete information as soon as we have worked through it all. Unintended consequences can be very powerful so we want to think through this a bit.
Next week is Spring Break!!! This means no new assignments, no live sessions, and a great opportunity to catch up if you have missed some assignments. Even better, it is a chance to catch your breath and relax. We are looking at a couple of months of school in this awkward situation. We have to make the best of it. So, enjoy the week and get ready to do your best with all that follows.
Finally, parents, once again, I want to give you some praise. Many of us are parents, too. We know exactly what you are all going through. Please know that perfection is not the requirement here. We are looking for effort and progress. We have the best faculty, the best students and the best parents. This is an awful challenge but it one we can meet together. So, parents, keep doing your best. Reach out to us with any questions. I hope you can attend tomorrow’s Town Hall meeting.
All my best. Stay safe.
-Mr. M