STATUS: DISMISSAL THROUGH MAY 1
3/26/2020 8:00 AM
A NOTE FROM MR. TAYLOR REGARDING SCHOOL WORK
Good morning parents! I hope that things are going well for you and your families, all things considered.
I have had a few parents message me regarding the amount of school work that I have assigned. As a parent myself, I understand your concerns. However, please understand that I am doing what I have been asked to do by my superiors. While the rest of the world seems to be in a limbo stage, I have been asked by the governor of Utah, the Utah State Board of Education, the Granite School District and my principal to continue the education of my students. And with that, I must fulfill certain requirements, once of which is to provide about four hours of work a day while we are in dismissal. (A regular school day is seven hours.) I know this may seem like a lot, and I understand that the daily assignment list looks daunting, but in all reality, you will see that I have assigned significantly less than four hours of work per day. Most of what I have on there is review from what they learned the day before.
Please know that even during this time, I am still trying to do my part in helping your children be better prepared for 6th grade and beyond. Besides fulfilling the needs of my own family, your children are my priority during this time. I care for them deeply and I want them to succeed in everything they do.
Having said that, I can only do my part by posting the work. I can neither force your children to do it, nor can I force you to force them do it. But I am asking you, as someone who cares about your child, please help them in every way you can. I am available to you and your students by email and phone every day from 7:30 am until 5:00 pm. (Even after that, but I may not answer immediately.) Just go to my contact page.
Please help me in helping your students to finish off this year in a huge fashion.
Thanks,
Mr. Eric Taylor
I have had a few parents message me regarding the amount of school work that I have assigned. As a parent myself, I understand your concerns. However, please understand that I am doing what I have been asked to do by my superiors. While the rest of the world seems to be in a limbo stage, I have been asked by the governor of Utah, the Utah State Board of Education, the Granite School District and my principal to continue the education of my students. And with that, I must fulfill certain requirements, once of which is to provide about four hours of work a day while we are in dismissal. (A regular school day is seven hours.) I know this may seem like a lot, and I understand that the daily assignment list looks daunting, but in all reality, you will see that I have assigned significantly less than four hours of work per day. Most of what I have on there is review from what they learned the day before.
Please know that even during this time, I am still trying to do my part in helping your children be better prepared for 6th grade and beyond. Besides fulfilling the needs of my own family, your children are my priority during this time. I care for them deeply and I want them to succeed in everything they do.
Having said that, I can only do my part by posting the work. I can neither force your children to do it, nor can I force you to force them do it. But I am asking you, as someone who cares about your child, please help them in every way you can. I am available to you and your students by email and phone every day from 7:30 am until 5:00 pm. (Even after that, but I may not answer immediately.) Just go to my contact page.
Please help me in helping your students to finish off this year in a huge fashion.
Thanks,
Mr. Eric Taylor
3/23/2020 5:00 PM
As of today, the State of Utah has released new guidance on the current school dismissal. As such, Granite School District will continue with distance/online learning through May 1 of this year.
Please stay in contact with your child's teacher as they will continue to make updates to move forward in the curriculum. It is the expectation that that students are working every school day at home as if they were in school. Teachers will be available during regular school hours to help assist them with their learning. It is essential students are accessing as much curriculum as possible to help them prepare for the following year.
You can still check out Chromebooks at the school from 8:00 am-4:00 pm. We will continue serving breakfast and lunch as well.
I know this is an unusual time, and I thank you for your patience and support as we continue to work through this new learning model. Please stay safe and healthy.
Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
Crista Holt
Principal – Westbrook Elementary
Please stay in contact with your child's teacher as they will continue to make updates to move forward in the curriculum. It is the expectation that that students are working every school day at home as if they were in school. Teachers will be available during regular school hours to help assist them with their learning. It is essential students are accessing as much curriculum as possible to help them prepare for the following year.
You can still check out Chromebooks at the school from 8:00 am-4:00 pm. We will continue serving breakfast and lunch as well.
I know this is an unusual time, and I thank you for your patience and support as we continue to work through this new learning model. Please stay safe and healthy.
Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
Crista Holt
Principal – Westbrook Elementary
3/23/2020 10:00 AM
Since I promised you that I would keep you updated as I find out, here is the latest.
With today being the last day of Spring Break, school will be open again tomorrow for breakfast, lunch and Chromebook check-out. If you haven't done so, please come get a Chromebook so your children can do some work.
As our original plan to return Monday, March 30 is a week away, we received word from the state education department that we should prepare for a couple of more weeks of school dismissal. This is NOT a for sure thing, but they wanted to prepare us as teachers that we should get stuff ready so we're not scrambling on March 29th.
Having said that, I hope to return to school in one week with whatever students I get. (It sucks working from an empty classroom.) I know that is highly optimistic, but one can dream, right?
With today being the last day of Spring Break, school will be open again tomorrow for breakfast, lunch and Chromebook check-out. If you haven't done so, please come get a Chromebook so your children can do some work.
As our original plan to return Monday, March 30 is a week away, we received word from the state education department that we should prepare for a couple of more weeks of school dismissal. This is NOT a for sure thing, but they wanted to prepare us as teachers that we should get stuff ready so we're not scrambling on March 29th.
Having said that, I hope to return to school in one week with whatever students I get. (It sucks working from an empty classroom.) I know that is highly optimistic, but one can dream, right?
3/13/2020 4:00 PM
*Note – These updates have been sent to all employees and parents via text and email. If you have not been receiving these notifications, please contact your school to ensure your personal information is up to date. Please also check your spam folder, and ensure your email server is not blocking district messages.
In line with the newly announced guidance from the Statewide Coronavirus Taskforce, Granite School District will immediately implement a districtwide two week student dismissal.
Effective immediately, students will be dismissed from daily attendance through March 27. During this time, students will not report to school, but facilities will remain open and staff will report to work as normal, using appropriate social distancing. School will continue on a digital and distance platform.
This is NOT a closure. These are preventative measures to help reduce the spread of disease. This recommendation will continue to be evaluated and further adjustments could be made with ongoing guidance from state and local health officials.
In line with the newly announced guidance from the Statewide Coronavirus Taskforce, Granite School District will immediately implement a districtwide two week student dismissal.
Effective immediately, students will be dismissed from daily attendance through March 27. During this time, students will not report to school, but facilities will remain open and staff will report to work as normal, using appropriate social distancing. School will continue on a digital and distance platform.
This is NOT a closure. These are preventative measures to help reduce the spread of disease. This recommendation will continue to be evaluated and further adjustments could be made with ongoing guidance from state and local health officials.
- On Monday and Tuesday (March 16-17), teachers will prepare to teach on the new platform.
- All Granite employees will report to work at their normal contract time and adhere to appropriate social distancing measures.
- Starting Wednesday, March 18 schools will initiate digital and distance instruction. Parents and students who do not have access to technology or a device at home may come to the school to pick up a Chromebook (which will require wifi access at home). Parents will need to sign a checkout form in order to obtain access to a device.
- Hardcopy learning modules will be made available to students who do not have access to the internet at home. Students will not be required to come to campus once digital and distance learning is initiated.
- We will not be able to accommodate student usage of school internet during this dismissal.
- As always, the expectation is that students will be accountable for the work assigned and we ask parents to work with their teachers and children through this very non-traditional instructional platform. Assignment turn-ins, retakes, etc. will be coordinated with teachers through Canvas, email or phone.
- Grab and Go lunches will be provided to ALL students. These will be available Monday, March 16 through Wednesday, March 18, and Tuesday, March 23 through Friday, March 27. Students will NOT be able to eat their lunches on campus. Schools will provide specific information on pickup times.
- School locations that provide breakfast - which includes Westbrook - will continue that service in the same Grab and Go service at pickup times that schools will specify.
- Spring Break dates for our district are still applicable (Thursday, March 19th – Student Non-attendance day; Friday, March 20th-Monday, March 23rd – Spring Break).
- All other additional school-sponsored activities are canceled for the next two weeks. This includes extra-curricular activities and other sports practices.
- There will be NO supervision on school property, including playgrounds and play fields.
- Student internships and other external programs are canceled for the next two weeks.
- Adult Education courses are dismissed but the testing center will remain open with appropriate restrictions. Please contact the testing center for information: (385) 646-5447
- ALL preschool classes are canceled.
- Community Center parent classes will be cancelled.
3/13/2020 10:30 AM
Many of you have reached out seeking permission to keep your children home. We are committed to support you and your decisions by continuing to provide educational opportunities for those who are currently attending and those who remain home. We have given guidance to schools and teachers to be flexible regarding absenteeism and support all students with opportunities for distance learning and online options in addition to current in-person instruction. As such, if you feel your children should stay home, please do so and we will support your decisions.
There is some confusion regarding the guidance that came from the Governor and his task force in yesterday’s press conference and what was said later in the same press conference. Below are quotes from that press event with specific guidance to schools from State Superintendent Sydnee Dickson.
“We want to make sure that we do not close schools unless there is an imminent threat to our children and the adults who serve them. Our situation is different than that of higher education.”
“To all district and charter schools: Please do not attempt to close a school unless your local health officer is directing you to do so. Closing a school out of anxiety or fear, and not because a health officer deems it necessary, can have ripple effects, not just throughout your immediate community, but throughout the entire state.”
As of this morning, our guidance from the Salt Lake County Health Department indicates that there is no imminent threat to students and staff and we should remain open. There are no confirmed cases in Salt Lake County, and there is no confirmation of community transmission, which is the trigger for the health department to direct restrictive steps.
There is some confusion regarding the guidance that came from the Governor and his task force in yesterday’s press conference and what was said later in the same press conference. Below are quotes from that press event with specific guidance to schools from State Superintendent Sydnee Dickson.
“We want to make sure that we do not close schools unless there is an imminent threat to our children and the adults who serve them. Our situation is different than that of higher education.”
“To all district and charter schools: Please do not attempt to close a school unless your local health officer is directing you to do so. Closing a school out of anxiety or fear, and not because a health officer deems it necessary, can have ripple effects, not just throughout your immediate community, but throughout the entire state.”
As of this morning, our guidance from the Salt Lake County Health Department indicates that there is no imminent threat to students and staff and we should remain open. There are no confirmed cases in Salt Lake County, and there is no confirmation of community transmission, which is the trigger for the health department to direct restrictive steps.
3/12/2020 2:00 PM
Dear Granite District Patrons and Employees,
We have been awaiting the conclusion of a statewide press event announcing new measures as a result of the dynamic COVID-19 situation in our state. We continue to collaborate with our Health Department partners on multiple levels and the information in this message entails all of the latest guidance. We are very aware of the concerns parents and employees have regarding the health of students and staff in our schools. There have been many employee questions and many parent questions. We believe it is beneficial to address this message to our entire Granite community to share our broader approach as follows:
EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY:
The most current information we have to relay from the Health Department (media reports notwithstanding) is that COVID-19 is unlikely to be transmitted by someone who does not have symptoms, so any interactions with an individual before they were ill, are considered low-risk for transmission. Consequently, 2nd hand contact is also considered low-risk. In other words, YOU HAVE TO HAVE SYMPTOMS (fever, cough, shortness of breath) IN ORDER TO TRANSMIT THIS DISEASE.
For our students and families, we respect the rights of parents to make decisions as they feel appropriate and our attendance policy will reflect that respect. We expect that our schools will work with our families to provide appropriate accommodations in light of the current circumstances. As always, students who are absent from school will be provided opportunities to make up their learning. We also have plans and the capacity for digital/distance/online learning where instruction can proceed. We are prepared to implement these plans should the need arise.
The direction we have received from the state, is that schools should REMAIN OPEN if at all possible, because of the unique impact on our total community when a school is closed. Only in cases of “imminent threat,” and in concert with the Salt Lake County Health Department, would a closure decision be made.
We have been awaiting the conclusion of a statewide press event announcing new measures as a result of the dynamic COVID-19 situation in our state. We continue to collaborate with our Health Department partners on multiple levels and the information in this message entails all of the latest guidance. We are very aware of the concerns parents and employees have regarding the health of students and staff in our schools. There have been many employee questions and many parent questions. We believe it is beneficial to address this message to our entire Granite community to share our broader approach as follows:
EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY:
- All out of state student travel scheduled through the next 30-days (April 11) will been canceled. Further guidance and additional restrictions will be evaluated at that time.
- Mass gatherings including school events, field trips or sports activities that involve more than 100 people in close proximity are canceled until further notice.
- NO SCHOOL CLOSURES are recommended at this time and we have been given guidelines and trigger points from health officials that we will adhere to in order to enact a closure. Additional steps will be taken at the school level to minimize congregation of students in close proximity per state guidance.
- No dances, assemblies or school wide activities that involve mass congregation of students (over 100) in a concentrated group, will take place in the duration.
The most current information we have to relay from the Health Department (media reports notwithstanding) is that COVID-19 is unlikely to be transmitted by someone who does not have symptoms, so any interactions with an individual before they were ill, are considered low-risk for transmission. Consequently, 2nd hand contact is also considered low-risk. In other words, YOU HAVE TO HAVE SYMPTOMS (fever, cough, shortness of breath) IN ORDER TO TRANSMIT THIS DISEASE.
For our students and families, we respect the rights of parents to make decisions as they feel appropriate and our attendance policy will reflect that respect. We expect that our schools will work with our families to provide appropriate accommodations in light of the current circumstances. As always, students who are absent from school will be provided opportunities to make up their learning. We also have plans and the capacity for digital/distance/online learning where instruction can proceed. We are prepared to implement these plans should the need arise.
The direction we have received from the state, is that schools should REMAIN OPEN if at all possible, because of the unique impact on our total community when a school is closed. Only in cases of “imminent threat,” and in concert with the Salt Lake County Health Department, would a closure decision be made.
