This week's update includes important reminders about the current parent survey and the McDonald's ABC Award. It also includes reminders on student tech support, remote meal services, registration and Safe2Tell

Good morning, this is Dan Snowberger, Superintendent of Durango School District 9-R with this week’s community message. On Monday, Colorado Governor Polis extended his cancellation of in-person instruction in Colorado for the remainder of the school year.

Today’s message includes
information about changes in attendance and parent/student communication procedures based upon community feedback, Iimportant messages from Police Chief Bob Brammer, Executive Director of San Juan Basin Public Health Liane Jollon, information on Open Enrollment, Middle School Choice, and re-registration for next year, and closure reminders about services and supports that continue to be available for our students and community.

Good morning parents, this is our weekly communication about our district’s distance learning model. We are trying to limit our district-wide communication to once a week to limit the communication you receive about your child’s schooling.

Hello 9-R families and members of our Durango community. Thank you for your work with your children to keep them engaged in learning during these unusual times. While we have started distance learning, we recognize that our families are in different places. First and foremost, please know that our intent is not to overwhelm our families, but to provide enough academic engagement to meet the varying needs of students across our community. We know this is a stressful time for all of us. If you are finding the work to be overwhelming, communicate with your child’s teacher or your school leaders. Our goal is to keep our children engaged in learning, but we also want to ensure that we partner with families during these trying times.

As we all know things change quickly and many families are asking about the governor’s stay at home order and public health order (attached). We wanted to provide some clarity. Please know that education is considered essential.

Additionally, the order states that traveling for the purpose of “...receiving materials for distance learning, for receiving meals, and any other related services from educational institutions…” is an approved purpose.

It has been great to see the collaboration and creativity of staff as they work remotely to identify ways to support students remotely. We are excited and anxious about our first day back at school tomorrow with our new remote learning environment, and truly look forward to welcoming kids back to school. Parents should expect more information from their child(ren)’s teachers on the work being assigned. Several documents are available here. These will provide you helpful information on what to expect and how best to support your student.

Dear 9-R Families,

We have been busy standing up new services and preparing for a new way for students and teachers to support academic growth and success from home. We know this will be a critical partnership with parents as we all work together to support your child at home. We will continue to share more information that will support your home learning environments, including daily schedule idea and ways you can prepare your child for success. We truly appreciate your support and grace as we all work to navigate these new waters.

I hope you have been able to enjoy this Spring Break and spend some quality time with your families. Such family time is important during uncertain times. Like us, our children feel stress in times like this. This is a great opportunity for game time, watching movies together, reading a book, or playing outside. Lowering tension in our homes and engaging in fun, family time will help lower anxiety and keep our kids in a positive space.

Dear 9-R community,

To help mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus in Colorado, on Wednesday, March 18, 2020, Colorado Governor Jared Polis ordered that all public and private schools across the state suspend in-person learning from March 23 to April 17.

The Governor made this order via press release yesterday afternoon.