HTLA Community,
I hope you are healthy and able to relax this summer. The end of the 2019-20 school year has been a challenge for everyone. We want to take a moment to recognize and thank all the HTLA students and parents for their continued commitment to education in a difficult and tumultuous environment. We did the best we could to offer robust educational opportunities over the past three months. Clearly nothing was as we would have liked it but we were able to build a distance learning program that did offer some continuity. It is our hope and plan to build on this in the fall and offer a more complete educational program. More on this in a moment.
We were very happy to celebrate our 2020 graduates with a graduation ceremony and video. On June 6, our graduates and their families lined up in their cars. One by one they were able to walk across our graduation stage and take pictures. That evening we released a video with all the traditional graduation speeches. We are proud of their efforts to complete their high school education and wish them the best of luck as they move forward. I am also proud of our HTLA community for their commitment to ensure we celebrated our graduates and all their hard work. The graduation video is available here.
I know you are eager to learn more about our plans for the fall semester. We have been working on re-opening our campuses based on three models: (1) All Students on Campus; (2) Hybrid (or blended); (3) Distance Learning. It is our assumption that the most likely structure for the fall is some combination of these three. However, based on guidance from the California Department of Public Health, LA County Department of Public Health, and the LAUSD, we are focusing mainly on the hybrid or blended model.
We are currently developing the detailed protocols for this structure. Basically, the hybrid model means that students would come to campus a couple of days a week. In doing this, we will be able to provide our students with in-person instruction. On days when students are not on campus, a version of distance learning will be an evolved model that draws upon what we have learned over the past three months and data collected from students, parents, and faculty in order to provide increased time with teachers and more closely align with the daily schedules of all.
As you can imagine, there is a lot to consider from state and local agencies as we envision and redefine a new educational landscape that focuses on our mission of preparing our students for college success. Nonetheless, our team’s agility and our commitment to continue to offer the outstanding educational opportunities we always have, ensures that HTLA can adapt and transform to better support students and families.
For your planning, next week we will provide a draft of our plans. We will then have a virtual town hall meeting on Wednesday, June 24, 2020 at 6 PM to get your feedback. I hope you are able to attend.
Ultimately, I want you to know that we are working diligently to ensure a safe and healthy learning environment for your children, our students. We know this means supporting them academically, emotionally and socially. Given the challenges and unknown variables, I appreciate your patience and understanding as we aim to provide our students with a comprehensive HTLA experience. As promised, I will provide additional specifics early next week in preparation for the town hall meeting.
Stay safe.
Mathew McClenahan
Principal
HTLA