Implementation

I was extremely excited to begin this plan, as it was something I believed we could accomplish - potentially to start as soon as next year. We had our first meeting on Feb. 26 and even though some committee members were not present, it was very informative. The notes can be found at https://docs.google.com/document/d/18MSPL9fkenlJSVD4mszF4RzCycZx_4U-f-gHo2L5MVA/edit?usp=sharing. We were able to discuss the needs of the students entering next year, and how some of those needs could be addressed if we had a Transitional Kindergarten program on top of our regular Kindergarten classroom. We also discussed how it might attract more families into the school, which is a huge plus right now because, as stated before, our enrollment is declining. We also did some light research about other schools nearby that already have these programs, and at the end I assigned every member a school to reach out to so we could see how they run their programs, which can be found in the notes.

COVID-19

On Sunday, March 15th Montana schools were ordered to close for two weeks by our governor and I had to redefine what and how I educated students within the course of a day. Schools were not informed if we were supposed to be providing instruction during this time. Under the absence of any directives, Lone Rock decided to continue education through distance learning, and would start on March 18. This gave me 72 hours to decide how I would educate my young students for the next two weeks and make packets for pickup. In addition to this, I volunteered to organize our packet pickups and drop-off, organizing paraprofessionals and teachers to work shifts and maintain safety for these volunteers and the families. Little did we know our school would be closed for the rest of the year.

This completely derailed my project, as most of my stakeholders (including myself) now had challenges to conquer that were far more immediate than the challenge I was trying to address. I looked at reviving the committee in April, but unfortunately most of my stakeholders live in areas with spotty reception or no internet access. Meeting in person was out of the question, as we were still under stay-home orders. There was (and still is) the question of what school will look like in the fall, meaning that many are not willing to change our current model until we know just what our model will be.

However, I still have hope for next year. Depending on how COVID-19 affects Montana during the upcoming year, I have confidence I can restart the committee in the late fall for possible implementation for the 2021-2022 school year. The challenge and inequities still need to be addressed, and while I am committed to tackling a few other, more immediate challenges first, I will keep striving to provide a more solid educational background for the students of my community.