Dear Panther Families,
We are almost through our first week back on campus after returning from our remote learning venture and we are so happy to be back! As we continue to adjust and navigate mitigation and response to COVID-19 in our community we often find the need to adjust our protocols.
This year is different from last year as our district is no longer contact tracing or recommending quarantine for close contacts of known COVID-19 cases. As such, moving forward when a known exposure presents itself, a letter will be sent home with students and/or emailed to parents indicating the possible exposure with instructions on what to look for should your student begin to exhibit symptoms. If there is a known positive case in your household, your child/children will be required to remain home and remote learn. Individual classes or cohorts will be shifted to remote learning in the event of an outbreak on campus as advised by County Health. Students who are sent home or remain home in response to a COVID-19 event will be given access to remote learning immediately.
As we begin to venture into cold and flu season, I felt it important to highlight that our staff is held to the same strict guidelines when determining when to stay home or be sent home. One or two symptoms as outlined by our district’s COVID-19 Guidelines will send and keep staff home just as it does students. This very important protocol and a lack of available substitute teachers can put a district in a difficult situation, very quickly. As you can imagine, we cannot run a school without a staff!
The purpose of this update is two-fold. One is to prepare our Panther families for the possibility of the district having to shift to remote learning due to a lack of staffing available to be here on campus. We simply cannot safely, or successfully run a school without a certain number of adult bodies on campus. Secondly, we are (as many schools are) in dire need of substitute teachers. If you are interested or know someone interested in substitute teaching, please reach out to Mrs. Michael or me to apply. A background check is required, and Pioneer School pays $100.00 per day to be a substitute teacher.
As always, we appreciate your support as we navigate these challenges. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Melissa Schnitzmeier
Principal/Superintendent, Pioneer Elementary
Email: [email protected]
