On Aug. 16, the WLWV School Board voted to add a specific Staff Professional Development Day prior to the start of school. The focus of the day will be on Care, Connection and Community as we prepare to welcome students back to fully in-person learning this fall.

The additional staff development day will take place on Tuesday, September 7 which means that the first day of school will now be Wednesday, September 8. 

How will this additional staff development day benefit students?
Establishing care and connection, especially early on in the school year, will be critical to the success of our students. We know that students are returning to the classroom with a range of emotions and experiences from last school year. We continue to hear how the impact of isolation during Comprehensive Distance Learning (CDL) affected many students’ social-emotional well-being, peer relationships and overall mental health.  

We also know that students are returning to the classroom from a range of learning environments last year. Some students joined us last year in the Hybrid Model, coming every other day, while many others learned at home with full-time CDL or in the Online Program. Some may have temporarily attended a different school or been homeschooled. 

This extra day of planning and preparation will allow staff to:

• Review social-emotional student survey data (Panorama) from last spring in order to implement strategic systems of care and connection right away;
• Plan social-emotional lessons designed to support students with transitions, peer relationships and sense of belonging (e.g. Second Steps, School Connect, Sources of Strength); 
• Plan community-building activities to reconnect students to one another, to staff and to their school community (e.g. Circle Forward, Equity by Design); and
• Provide time to integrate social-emotional routines, rituals, and structures specifically for the first week of school as well as throughout the school year that foster inclusive and equitable learning communities (e.g. 7 Components). 

The Oregon Department of Education has also provided school districts with resources on care and connection, urging educators to set aside time prior to and during the first week of school dedicated to addressing the mental health and social-emotional well-being of students.  

How does this additional day affect the school calendar?

• The first day of school for all schools and grade levels is now Wednesday, Sept. 8.
• The last day of school for all schools and grade levels is now June 20 in order to maintain the same number of instructional days for our students. As a reminder, the last day of school is subject to change in the event of inclement weather or other necessary calendar adjustments during the school year.
• Please note that these calendar changes do not apply to Three Rivers Charter School.

If families would like to read about other news and updates from last night’s School Board Meeting, they are encouraged to read the School Board Briefs Newsletter that is available now.