Winston Churchhill said, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.”
As we make our way back from our holiday break, let me give you a sincere expression of gratefulness for having the courage to continue with your support of our plans and processes so we can persist in offering in-person schooling. We do recognize that the sacrifices made by all have been challenging. I wish for you to be encouraged by the successes of students within all of our programs. We will continue our commitment to our high quality Distance Learning, College Prep Homeschool, and In-Person offerings.
Distance Learning Program:
We want to encourage our more than 450 families utilizing our Distance Learning Program to use the Redding School District Brainfuse live tutoring site. This site can be accessed within your child’s Clever account and has live tutors for content from Kindergarten to 8th grade. These tutors are trained to help teach your child a concept they are struggling with. Children should struggle a bit when they are learning something new and it is always important to support them when they are still solidifying those concepts for the first time. Please take advantage of this service. Brainfuse will also help your child with a piece of their writing and give feedback for improvement. We purchased this service to better support your child’s learning.
College Prep Homeschool:
Our homeschool families are working hard to become their child’s primary teacher with support from our highly skilled College Prep teachers. The detailed weekly plans, scheduled support sessions, and bi-monthly meetings are designed to help you help your child. Thanks for choosing College Prep as your homeschool option. They are here to serve you.
In-Person Instruction Continues:
Redding School District will carry on with In-Person Schooling five days per week on January 5, 2021, after the Winter break in order to continue to educate and guide our students. We want to remind you of the help you have been doing that makes In-Person schooling safe.
- Please take temperature and screen your child each morning and keep them home if they are sick. Please call the school to let us know.
- Students enter campus at designated locations based on classroom/grade.
- Students report directly to their classrooms 15 mins before school is to begin.
- All students/parents must wear masks when entering or exiting campus.
- Keep children home who have had contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19 and please call the school.
- Access to campus is limited for nonessential visitors, volunteers, and parent access is limited to the front office. Masks must be worn at all times.
Protective Factors in place:
*K-8 student mask requirements (K-2 is now highly recommended to use masks)
*Cohorting of classes throughout day
*Frequent hand washing/sanitizing
*Classrooms w/HEPA Air Purifiers
*Protective barriers
*Quarantining when necessary
Redding Schools are following Shasta County and California Health guidelines for schools and those processes and procedures remain critical to our schools remaining open to In-Person Instruction. Teachers and staff will continue to be vigilant with providing our students with a solid education focused on learning while maintaining a safe environment.
Ongoing Challenges:
These processes and procedures have brought unforeseen challenges that weigh heavily on our operations and ultimately on our families. When students are sick or are a close contact of a COVID case, quarantines are triggered. School offices are then tracking quarantine timelines and testing information for multiple students. It does put stress on the already busy system. We do not take the decision to quarantine students lightly but know that they are necessary to ensure safety. When teachers or any staff exhibit symptoms, schools face significant challenges getting substitutes when needed. We hope that we are not forced to cancel In-Person schooling for short periods of time due to these staffing shortages. The schools are committed to clear and honest messaging to keep you informed.
The Redding Schools are more determined than ever to meet our students’ needs. Additionally, with a perseverance mindset, I can emphatically state that we are doing the right work. We have instituted tutoring within all of our programs and counselors have been hired on each of the seven Redding School District campuses. Our staff's commitment, resolve, and dedication to developing our students academically, socially and emotionally is without bounds.
Let’s continue to stand together in these unusual times,
Sincerely,
Robert Adams
Superintendent