Message Tuesday 5.19.20

As of this week, I think I have contacted most of you now about whether or not you plan to have your student(s) attend ICA in the fall, and I very much appreciate your responses.  With those I have heard back from so far, we are up to about 90 students at least tentatively planning to partner with ICA!  

Even as many of you are saying you are planning to return in the fall, I know the big question for for you and for us is: "What will school look like in the fall?"  It is a question that is taking up many of my thoughts.  

While it is quite impossible to say with any certainty, it may be helpful for you to know at least the possibilities and planning process in which we are engaged.  The most likely scenarios seem to be:
1.  Back to Class:  We get back to school with several new protocols for social distancing resulting in smaller classes and some different practices built into our school day.
2. Hybrid model:  A rolling high and low of cases throughout the winter would cause schools to move between distance and in-person learning.
3. 100% distance learning:   I do hear some people hinting at schools being entirely distance learning in the fall in our state, but it does not seem very helpful to students in general or practical for working parents in the long term.  My hope is this will not be the case.

Distance Learning re-make:  With two of the three scenarios involving distance learning, the staff and I will be completely evaluating our current program and dropping things that have not worked well, keeping what has worked and adding elements that would provide a higher quality learning opportunity for students.  One of the primary goals of this re-design is less over-all screen time and reserving the limited screen time to provide high quality teacher/student/class interactions.  We are happy to receive thoughts you might have as we take on this challenge as soon as classes dismiss in early June.  

End of Year:
Last day of Classes:   The last day students will receive assignments is next Friday, May 29th. 
Report cards will be published in Gradelink by June 8th.

The Great Exchange Days:  Monday and Tuesday, June 1st and 2nd parents are invited to stop by the school to pick up any personal items left at the school including desk/cubby/locker contents, emergency supplies, lost and found items and yearbooks.  Also, please plan to drop off any school textbooks or devices that belong to ICA.

In order to maintain the social distancing guidelines, we will separate this event into two days:

Monday, June 1:  Families with last name A-L
Tuesday, June 2: Families with the last name M-Z

Where:  Please enter through the doors by the main office desk and leave the building through the courtyard doors.  We will plan to stage all of the belongings for each family in the entry and downstairs hallway. 

Time:  You may come any time between 9:00 am and 3:30 pm.

Memorial Day:  Next Monday, 5.25.20, is Memorial Day and students will not have any assigned homework that day.

Latin feature:  I am happy today to highlight the artwork of another Latin student!  Sixth grade ICA student, Codie Nysether, has submitted the following original drawing for a Latin assignment:
Here is the translation:
"Candidus is preparing dinner.  Candidus is cooking fish and beans and eggs.  Candidus dropps the eggs.  The eggs are broken."

Great job, Codie!