West Hancock sends out letters to parents addressing learning opportunities

West Hancock Community Schools administration and board of education sent out a letter to the parents of students on Friday in light of Gov. Kim Reynolds ordering schools to remain closed till April 30.

“We miss the students that we are accustomed to being with seven plus hours a day, five days a week,” the letter said. “Further we are saddened by the fact that extra-curricular and co-curricular goals may go unmet. It is also unfortunate that our seniors are not experiencing the senior year they expected.”

The letter addressed the challenge of continuing student’s learning in this time away from school.

For the past three weeks, teachers have been taking and continue to take coursework as training to help with online learning.

Training has not been completed yet, but has given West Hancock teachers more tools to teach already.

“Since we want to get started with more rigorous instruction, to help meet state mandates and do what is best for our kids, this will be a “learn as you go” process for both our staff and students,” the letter stated.

The school district is working on gathering information on internet access and other resources for families in need to help students continue learning.

Starting the week of April 13, West Hancock will provide continuous learning opportunities, including teaching new content.

The administration and board of education stressed the importance of students making the adjustments with the school.

“Upon our return to school, we will do our best to review and cover some of the standards being taught at this time, however that might not be possible in every situation,” the letter said. “In order for your child to be successful at the next level it is important to spend the time now doing the work provided by teachers.”

The letter also touched upon senior graduation.

Pending approval from the board, seniors who were on track to graduate at the time of the initial school closure will graduate in the spring.

Students who may have had issues with grades or credits at that time will have the opportunity to improve their situation.

Lunches are still planned to be provided every Monday, Wednesday and Friday until April 29 – April 10 being the only exception.

A thank you was also extended to the custodians for continuing to clean and maintain the school during this time.