It has been an interesting two weeks. The amazing teachers at ICMS prepared the year in two weeks with our new curriculum Edgenuity. As we get more practice using this platform, we are able to work out the kinks here and there. The teachers and students have been incredibly flexible in working through this new process we are using . While things look different, we are still completely committed to seeing our students be academically successful.

As we continue to do the work we do, we find ourselves missing our students. We want to see them back in the classrooms, the hallways, and the cafeteria. The building is too quiet without our fabulous students. However, our teachers are doing a great job of continuing the work of learning just as if students were here.

While we want our students back, and we know students want to be back, it is the health of all our school families that takes first priority in our decisions. While the percentage of deaths from Covid are small, it only takes a death in your family for it to become your central focus. So, we continue to monitor the numbers in Oklahoma County to see when it will be safe for our students to come back. Please know, this is a hardship on all of us, and we know you face challenges at home you have never had to deal with before. So, we must partner together to see your student be a success even during difficult and strange times.

Reed Harriman will be joining our faculty on October 12th. He will take over the 8th grade US history class October 19th. He is coming to us from Texas; however, he earned his bachelors in social sciences from Harding University in Arkansas. He has a love for history, and his enthusiasm for the educational growth of students is refreshing. He hopes to have the opportunity to coach here as well when we have athletics back. We are thrilled to have Reed join us at ICMS!

This is such a difficult time. Is there a right answer to bringing students back to the building? I don't think so.

When we put together our Covid policy this summer, we were doing so without having to live it out. As we have been teaching during Covid, we have learned some things. So, we will be sharing an updated version of the Covid policy after the board has approved any changes we suggest. Also, we will share out a return to school plan once the board approves that as well. These items will be shared with you mid October.

Some other things we've learned is that teaching virtually is not the easiest for anyone: not for students, not for parents, and not for teachers. We are all doing our best in this unprecedented educational time.

Teachers:

As we have started the year, they have learned how to use technology in ways totally different from the past. Getting students to do their work is challenging to say the least. Missing the students is harder than they first thought it would be. Engaging students - meaning getting them to respond to questions asked by the teachers - is beyond challenging. One teacher said he gives great wait time, but no one responds to his questions. It is hard to teach to students who don't reply and engage in the content.

Students:

Our students are learning that their education is really up to them. Our teachers are teaching, and our students are choosing to engage in the lessons or not. Their choices to attend the classes or leave them will affect whether or not they get credit for their classes and move on, or have to go to summer school or take more core classes next year and forfeit their electives. This is a hard way to have reality hit them, but with students working from home, their learning is falling more squarely on their shoulders.

Parents:

Our parents are learning that teaching is much harder than they probably thought. That keeping their children focused on classes is not easy, and learning can be an arduous task. They have also found out that it is a challenge to go to work, keep their children in class, help with classwork they may not understand, and still do all the stuff at home they need to. Challenging does not begin to describe some of what our parents are facing right now.

Administration:

Making decisions is not always easy. We want students back in the classrooms and building, so we are working on the logistics of this. However, OKC went Orange 2 for the first time last week (9/25/2020), so when we want to bring students back in, the Covid cases are rising. The belief from doctors and epidemiologists is the numbers will continue to rise through fall and winter. So, how do we keep our students, families, and staff safe and healthy while bringing students back to school? This is our conundrum.

We want to invite you to join the staff in wearing a college t-shirt on Fridays. If you wear a college shirt on Fridays, you are welcome to wear jeans. Let's support our favorite universities!

I think not. We are human, and we are imperfect. When we try to create perfection, we end up with so much imperfection. This is why I like utopian/dystopian novels. This doesn't mean we stop doing the right thing. It just means we need to constantly be analyzing our decisions and the results to make sure we are still doing the right thing. So, I have included the book trailer on The Giver by Lois Lowry because it is such a powerful story about what is right. We do the right thing even when it's difficult.

Enjoy,

Ms. Mann