Message from the Superintendent – 04.27.2020

Dear Students, Staff, and Families,

I hope this message finds you well during this challenging time.  As you know, Governor Raimondo made the decision to keep schools closed for the remainder of the school year.  Therefore, we will be continuing with distance learning until the last day of school in June.  

Unfortunately, spring athletics and the activities we look forward to at the end of every school year have been profoundly impacted by this pandemic.  As the Governor stated, we know this news is disappointing for our students, staff, and families especially for the graduating class of 2020.  Under these circumstances, our challenge is to find ways to celebrate the accomplishments of our students in different ways.  We will be sharing the end of year plans for graduation, promotion, and other milestones as soon as possible.

In anticipation of the Governor’s decision, we have been planning for the possibility that schools would remain closed.  There are several details below which apply to all students:

  • The Rhode Island Department of Education expects districts to complete the school year by following the calendar approved by RIDE.  Therefore, our last day of school for students PK-11 will be Wednesday, June 10th.
  • The spring sports season for middle and high school has been canceled.  I know this is particularly disappointing to our student-athletes.
  • RIDE has provided a calendar for the remainder of the school year.  The calendar is provided below.
  • The School Department is developing plans that will allow families an opportunity to safely pick up materials left at school.  Our goal is to develop a plan that follows the Governor’s social distancing order.  We will share the plan in the coming days.
I know that this is a very difficult time for our seniors, the class of 2020.  Although everyone in the school department has been impacted by this pandemic, our graduating seniors and their families have been profoundly impacted.  One of life’s major milestones and all of the celebratory activities leading up to graduation are affected.  Our goal is to find a meaningful way to celebrate this significant accomplishment. 

I want to thank our students, staff, and families for their impressive work over the last five weeks.  This has been a learning experience for us all, and I appreciate the feedback you have shared with us at every level.  We have learned that the single biggest challenge for families and our staff is balancing their job-related responsibilities and at the same time supporting their children with distance learning.  We know that there are students and adults struggling emotionally with the impact this pandemic has had on our lives.  Help is available.  There are several resources on the Rhode Island Department of Health website: https://health.ri.gov/covid/.  Here are resources available to both adults and students:

I will continue to update you as we get new information.

RIDE Calendar for May and June

Sincerely, 

Robert A. Mitchell

Superintendent

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