Superintendent's Message for August 2020

The 2020-2021 school year is quickly approaching, and the Southwest Valley Schools are ready for the challenge that lies ahead.  We know that this school year will have trials and concerns, but we are prepared to take on the year. 

The district has some new faces to welcome this fall: Paige Beyer, High School Math; Steve McGrew, High School Social Studies; Marie Palmer, High School Spanish; Kristin Tripp, Middle School/High School Art; Liza Osborn, Sixth Grade; Darren Kelley, Middle School ELA; Stephanie Riley, Middle School Special Education; Janae Shough, West Campus Elementary Fourth Grade; Sarah Maeder, Special Education-Behaviors; Haley Bals, East Campus Elementary Fourth Grade; and Emily Ackerman, East Campus Title One.  Liz Timmerman will start her first year as the Middle School Principal.  I am excited to lead these new Timberwolves through the challenges we may face this school year.

The district released the Return to Learn plan on July 31st, and the manual is available online on our website and Facebook page.  A hard copy is available in all buildings by request.  The district chose to educate children with in-person instruction as our primary choice.  We believe we have the resources and human resources needed to keep everyone safe at school. 

However, we will not be allowing visitors or parents to enter the buildings beyond the office while the pandemic is still going on so we can control the environment as much as possible.  We have established secondary nurse stations in the event we have a student showing the signs of Covid-19.  We will immediately contact parents or guardians to come to pick up their child and consult with our nurses on the course of action that is needed to return to school.  We will work with public health if we have a positive case and will inform the community promptly.

I appreciate the community being patient and understanding while we worked carefully on the Return to Learn plan.  The administrators, nurses, business managers, and directors spent many hours preparing plans and then changing them because of the new guidance.  This situation is fluid, and changes happen daily with different governing bodies giving us different directions on how to handle different situations. 

In conclusion, I am excited about the school year and know that the Timberwolf family will be brave and we will be stronger when the global pandemic is behind us.

It is a great time to be a Timberwolf!