#WESDReturntoLearn

BY DR. PAUL STANTON, SUPERINTENDENT, WESD

Hello! I am Dr. Paul Stanton, the proud superintendent of the Washington Elementary School District. As we prepare for reopening of the 2020-2021 school year, I want to take this opportunity to thank you – our parents, grandparents and neighbors – for your ongoing support and perseverance during these fluid times.

The beginning of the new school year will look differently this year; however, the WESD Family continues to uphold our mission to prepare all students to become responsible, successful contributors to our diverse society even through the challenges that we all face together. The WESD leadership has been working with our dedicated staff to develop our District’s reopening plan. I would like to take a moment to highlight the key updates of our WESD Return to Learn Reopening Plan here.

#WESDReturnToLearn

WESD schools will begin Monday, August 10 with virtual learning. This means all students will begin online for the first 30 calendar days of the school year (through Labor Day). During this time, administration will be evaluating the options of the plan based on the guidance from federal, state and local health officials, the Governor, and the Superintendent of Public Instruction. All information related to WESD’s Return to Learn Reopening Plan can be found at www.wesdschools.org/returntolearn.

In preparation for distance learning, the WESD provided Chromebooks to every student who needed one. School administrators and staff distributed Chromebooks July 30 and 31. Hotspots were also available for families who do not have Internet access. We are grateful for all of the time and effort that our WESD teachers, instructional coaches and principals put into developing engaging lessons and activities to be taught by WESD teachers using Google Classroom and Google Meet.

We know that our parents and staff members have questions and we are doing our best to clarify and answer them as we approach the first day of school and throughout the start of the new school year. A comprehensive list of Frequently Asked Questions continue to be updated at www.wesdschools.org/returntolearn. Please know these answers are subject to change dependent on the most recent guidance. Questions and answers will be continuously updated as information becomes available.

School Offices Now Open

The school offices at Lookout Mountain Elementary, Mountain Sky Junior High School and all other WESD school are now open from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Office staff will be available to answer questions and update contact information. Please remember that social distancing measures will be in place and visitors to the office will be required to wear masks.

Now Enrolling for the 2020-2021 School Year

The WESD Welcome and Registration Center is open for in-person registration. Our staff is carefully limiting the number of people inside the center at one time and masks are required on site. Registration documents should be completed before coming to the center to limit the length of time inside. General center hours are Monday through Friday 7:15 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Wednesdays.

New this summer, we are pleased to offer more registration options to welcome new families to the WESD. Parents can now register at one of our five temporary in-person satellite registration sites at Alta Vista Elementary, Chaparral Elementary, Mountain View School, Ocotillo Elementary and Shaw Butte Elementary now through August 10. We also launched our Online Registration to make it easy for parents to register online. To get started on the registration process for K-8 students, visit www.wesdschools.org/domain/55.

Connect with the WESD on Social Media

If you haven’t already done so, please like, follow and engage with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. Search for @wesdschools and be sure to use the hashtag #WESDFamily. We also encourage you to bookmark www.wesdschools.org for up-to-date District news and information.

We look forward to welcoming our students and staff back to our schools through distance learning and offer our ongoing support to meet their academic and social-emotional learning needs. It takes a village and we are thankful that you choose the WESD to provide an exceptional educational experience for your child. We know you have choices regarding your child or grandchild’s education. Thank you for choosing the WESD family to educate them.

Dr. Paul Stanton

Superintendent

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