MESSAGE FROM SUPERINTENDENT DR. ROBERT TAYLOR RE: DISTANCE LEARNING
Dear Walnut Valley Families,
First and foremost, I am very thankful for your continued support of our schools, especially during this unprecedented time in education and across the world.
I am proud of our instructional plan during this PHASE 1 of SCHOOL CLOSURES (through April 9), which provides resources to our Walnut Valley students. I appreciate all of the efforts of our parents and families throughout this process.
While the PHASE 1 plan was designed to support students for an initial period of time, and now that the SCHOOL CLOSURES period has been extended through May 5, I believe we also need to expand our Distance Learning program as we enter into PHASE 2 (beginning April 20).
We have begun working collaboratively with our Principals, teachers, and staff members across the District to discuss expanding our Distance Learning plan that will allow us to effectively (and practically) do so in a manner, which ensures that all teachers will facilitate the education of their assigned students. We all recognize that this is a significant shift in the instructional delivery methods with which we have been most comfortable (as students, parents, educators, etc.).
Therefore, we have started the process of asking for teacher and staff input and perspective on various aspects of an expanded Distance Learning program (including areas such as Professional Development needed for teachers, recommended methods and guidelines for teacher-student interaction, effective and practical Distance Learning platforms, technology hardware and software needs for students and teachers, etc.). Additionally, I would invite you to share any suggestions with us by utilizing the “COVID-19 School Closure Inquiries” section for input found on the cover page of the District’s website. We will consider all inquiries as we develop the expansion of our Distance Learning program over the next 10 business days in preparation for an April 20 start date (following Spring Break).
In the meantime, please continue to access and utilize our Learning Enrichment and Resource Network at http://learn.wvusd.org . Additionally, please refer to the DEVICE / INTERNET REQUEST FORM sent to all parents (we understand that some families might need additional technology support as we continue this transition).
I look forward to updating you in the near future regarding next steps. I appreciate your continued support.
Thanks again for all that you’re doing for your kids.
Please take care,
Bob
Robert P. Taylor, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Walnut Valley Unified School District