Hello Gibbs Penguin Families!

What a wild ride this has been! We hope this message finds you and your families in a good place where you are starting to settle into a new routine at home given all the uncertainty that surrounds us. We are also hopeful that everyone is safe and well!!

We are so incredibly grateful for everyone’s flexibility, understanding, patience, and support during this time! We miss seeing every student – we cannot wait until May to have them back in the building!

We also want to take this opportunity to publicly recognize the amazing staff at Gibbs. Like you, we have been thrown a curve ball and we truly feel like our teachers and paras are knocking it out of the park! They have worked tirelessly learning how to teach in a very different way using many different tools and strategies. Please offer grace to your child’s teacher and other school personnel. We promise that taking care of and educating your children is still their #1 priority. ❤️

We also recognize that every child is different and every family's circumstance is unique. To support our families we sent resources home to help keep your children engaged in learning each day. You know your child best and we trust your parental instincts. Please know we do not expect children to do every single thing provided. If your child is experiencing frustration, please stop and contact your child's teacher. We are here to help and happy to connect with you!

Attendance: We miss our students and we want to be in touch with them as much as we can! During Distance Learning all students are expected to be in communication with their teacher(s). This may be different for each of your children as what is appropriate for a kindergartner is very different than what we would expect from our fifth graders. Please share with your child that school is in session and teachers will be taking attendance. If you have questions, on how your child(ren)’s teacher is going to be taking attendance, please reach out to them.

Communication Expectations: Our Gibbs team is here for you! We are creating a Gibbs Distance Learning Site that will have all the links that your child(ren) will need to be successful. It will be available by 4:00 today. Please check the site daily for updated information. We will use that as a main vehicle for all communication so we do not inundate your inbox or voice mail.

Spring Break: Spring Break is still scheduled staring March 30^th and ending on April 3^rd. We will still be honoring the break. We will not be sending out resources and staff members will use the time to focus solely on their own families. We encourage you to use this time with your family playing together, creating together, and exploring together!

Remember to take care of yourselves and allow time each day to really be present with your family. Play a game, go outside, or read together. When your children sense your full presence and attention, they will experience more calm themselves.

We are so grateful for YOU!! Thank you for your partnership!!

Your Partners in Education,