Dear Families,
We’re in the last week of school in what can only be described as an unprecedented year. While we can’t close out this year in person as a community, we hope you enjoy the virtual celebrations occurring this week. We can’t be physically together, but we can come together to celebrate just how much our community has overcome. We also know that dealing with the impact of COVID-19 is not the only challenge our community is facing. Please know that we stand against police brutality toward Black people as well as all other forms of systemic racism.
We had hoped to share more details with you for the start of the school year, but we are still waiting for guidelines from the city and state. Regardless of those guidelines, we expect that the beginning of next year will not look the same as it has in previous years. We anticipate some of our students being able to return in person, while others might need to continue to engage in learning remotely. It is our priority to provide a high-quality educational experience for our students that will emphasize meeting their academic and socioemotional needs, regardless of the situation we are operating under. Our 20-21 school year will begin on Wednesday, August 26th (August 24th for Kindergarten), either remotely or with some students in-person, if possible.
In addition to the work provided by your school, over the summer, please don’t forget about these exciting opportunities and resources to engage your child:
Explore Schools Reads! – Join our staff, families, and students in recording a read aloud for our lower school students. This is a great opportunity for students to see their older peers reading books out loud to them. This is an optional activity, but we encourage students to participate! Please complete this survey to share a read aloud. If you need technical help, please reach out to our Director of Special Projects, Jeremy Thomas at jsthomas@explorenetwork.org.
Summer Opportunities – Click here for access to the read alouds, as well as additional activities to do over the summer. These resources include activities created by members of our community as well as external resources and programs. If you know of resources that might benefit other families, please share with our Director of Special Projects at jthomas@explorenetwork.org.
Click here to return to The Owl Post’s landing page to get more information about Exceed Lower School’s Summer Learning Plan.
During July and August, Explore Schools will also be providing optional summer counseling check-ins to families with children who have mandated and at-risk counseling services. If your child does not currently receive counseling services but would like to speak with a counselor, please contact FIRST LAST and one of our on-call counselors will get back to you within 48 hours.
Lastly, as a reminder, for families needing additional financial assistance during this time, please consider applying for our Emergency COVID-19 Family Relief Fund by completing an application here.
We hope you and your family are safe and healthy during this challenging time. We can’t wait until we can all come back together! Please don’t hesitate to reach out with questions or concerns.
Be well,
Christina Froeb Carrie Mauer LaKiesha George
Superintendent Executive Director Principal, Exceed Lower School
cfroeb@explorenetwork.org cmauer@explorenetwork.org lgeorge@explorenetwork.org