McKenzie School District

Dear McKenzie Family Member, Thank you for your patience and understanding over the last couple of months. We know it has been one of the hardest years of many of our lives. As you know, we are carefully planning for a safe return on March 15. That being said, there are many obstacles for our district to tackle that goes beyond COVID. We are trying our best to meet that March 15 target, but that could change if challenges like connectivity and vacant positions on campus aren't remedied. Like many of you, we want to see those smiling faces back in class, but the health and safety of your student will always be our priority. You are receiving this letter because your student is enrolled in grades 1, 2, or 3 and is in the target group for our hopeful return on March 15. For us to plan for a safe transition back to campus, we would appreciate you taking the time to complete this survey about your student and family’s plans for the remainder of the school year - https://forms.gle/odL2nTUxT69z1iAs5 Families that choose to keep their student home will still have access to their classes through Comprehensive Distance Learning (CDL) as they have for the first half of the school year. There will likely be scheduling changes for CDL students, and we will keep you updated as planning progresses. Here's what we are hoping a day will look like on campus: Students will attend from 8:00 am - 2:00 pm, following the approved district calendar. Students may arrive on campus as early as 7:45 am in preparation for their health and safety screening. Transportation will be provided to and from the school. Free breakfast and lunch will also be available to all students, in-person or learning from home. Students will be required to follow all state mandated safety guidelines. Students will be required to wear a face-covering that covers their nose and mouth. Students will be expected to stay 6-feet apart, and students will eat lunch with their class. Our welcoming back committee continues to work on additional safety measures that we will share with you in the coming weeks. As mentioned above, our school and community face several additional challenges beyond COVID-19 caused by the Holiday Farm Fire. Right now we are without a permanent, reliable internet connection. We need to be connected to the internet to serve all of our students on campus. We are still diligently working to fill much-needed staffing positions, especially in the transportation department. If you or someone you know may be interested in driving for us, please visit https://mckenzieschool.tedk12.com/hire/index.aspx and apply online. Without an additional bus driver and custodian returning will be difficult, so please share this with anyone who may fit the job description. We know you will have many questions in the coming weeks, and we will continue to offer weekly messaging to keep you updated on anything new. We are looking forward to having students return to campus soon as we support all of our students in furthering their education! Go Eagles!, Lane Tompkins Superintendent Mckenzie School District Click here for more information: https://conta.cc/3uwEWov

The outpouring from our community and neighbors continues to be inspiring. Thank you to Emerald Valley Quilt Guild for sewing these beautiful quilts for our students. Each student loved getting to pick out their own unique quilt. Thank you for this act of kindness.

McKenzie families, After weeks of careful planning, our school reopening committee decided to recommend Monday, March 15, as a safe target for allowing students to return for in-person instruction for grades 1, 2 and 3. We hope to welcome back Preschool, Kindergarten, 4th, 5th and 6th grades the week after Spring Break. This will allow teachers to collaborate and mindfully plan for a supportive transition. Middle and High School grades will tentatively follow in subsequent weeks. An announcement with further details for those students will be released by March 19th. Since November, we have been safely providing in-person distance learning support on campus to more than four dozen students. These students include elementary, middle, and high school. We recognize the need to continue offering this service for those students even when we welcome our first, second and third-grade students back on March 15. We have highlighted a tentative daily schedule below. You may have started to notice other districts in our area reopening, but we are battling additional obstacles because of the devastating wildfires that affected our community. Our internet connectivity remains a problem. We have been working with state and local resources to ensure that the internet is restored on campus so that when we welcome back students, there is a stable internet connection. We are hopeful we will be fully connected by the middle of March. Another obstacle has been the debris left from the fire. We continue to clean up the campus, but more needs to be done when removing trees that still present a hazard. Thank you for your continued support through this challenging year. We hope that by setting these goals for reopening, our families have a reasonable amount of time to make plans to return. We look forward to welcoming our students back, but our priorities will always remain our staff and students' health and safety. We know it has been frustrating at times, and we are still here for you. Keep in mind our decision is based on current COVID conditions. If cases were to grow significantly in our community, we would have to make additional adjustments. We ask that our school families follow all of the recommended CDC guidelines so that we can continue to serve our students in-person. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask us. Lane Tompkins Superintendent Mckenzie School District See more of our full message by going to this link: https://conta.cc/3phLwem

Hello McKenzie families and community: Are you or do you know someone who has or is a caretaker for young children? Check out his opportunity from the Family Resource Center (FRC)! Circle of Security Parenting, a curriculum based in connection and relationship offered free to our community. Click link for more information and to register: https://forms.gle/8pekPfx4ecvWLTjHA

Our reopening committee has been working hard to find a safe solution for our McKenzie families hoping to return to campus. We know you are anxious to hear about our plans and we are getting close to a decision. One of our biggest obstacles has been securing stable internet connection. As we prepare to welcome back students, we want to be sure everyone can remain connected. Here’s a message from Mr. Tompkins, with more to come this week. https://youtu.be/FhNRpOlwaSA

We have a lot of great things happening at McKenzie. Here is our latest email with all of the most up to date information. https://conta.cc/3pxs52i

For nearly five decades, Jenny Stamatis has been a part of the Eagle family. She graduated from McKenzie in 1974. She worked for our district for 25 years and spent 22 years driving buses for our team! She says she has loved connecting with students over the years and McKenzie will always hold a special place in her heart. Please help us congratulate Jenny on her retirement.

We are expanding our Eagle family with two job openings right now. Click here to apply - https://www.mckenziesd.org/o/mckenzie-school-district/page/jobs--6?fbclid=IwAR1Nv-DCFOWFtjQelTFx6COeMVpREvFig9r51gQnCxNwmZQQZobVnZfmLrU

As part of school board appreciation month, we want to thank our charter school board members for all of the work they have done for our kids. We have a wonderful team and our district is so lucky to have these caring adults as role models.

Continued Breakfast/Lunch Deliveries Hello McKenzie Families, There have been a lot of changes since we first sent out the food program sign-up in October. If you would like to continue or begin please fill out form. By not filling out the form you are cancelling or letting us know you do not want food. Thank you! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfxbs5nW1j0IFpuBZkXUereV-KmzHCihVlJ8-FcrR9SYF_3DA/viewform?usp=sf_link

As part of school board appreciation month, we would like to recognize our amazing board members. Despite all of the challenges we have faced, our members continue to put kids first and advocate for their safety and education. Please take a moment and offer your kind words in the comments below. #schoolboardmonth

Check out our latest update on three future virtual public meetings. We need your input! Click here for the zoom link: https://conta.cc/39A5pYy

Good Morning McKenzie Families: Sorry for switching gears so soon, due to the widespread power outages up river there will be 𝒏𝒐 𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒐𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝑴𝒄𝑲𝒆𝒏𝒛𝒊𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒖𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔. Neither of the support sites will be operating today. 𝐍𝐨 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐝𝐮𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐧𝐨 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫. Thank you.

Good Morning McKenzie Families: On Site Support 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐮𝐬 is cancelled for today as there is no power at the school. The Holiday Inn learning site 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧. Classes will be in session as usual, it is only the CDL site support at the school campus that is cancelled. If you receive meals, they will be available at the school site for pick up only. Sorry for any inconviences. Have a wonderful day.

Click the link below to read our latest distance learning update and watch new videos with Mr. Tompkins. https://conta.cc/2XA81Qp

My apologies, the picture did not come through. Important dates for January: -Tomorrow, Friday, 1/8/21, In session (make up day). -Monday, 1/18/21, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, No school - Holiday. -Friday, 1/22/21, In session (due to the holiday Monday). -Friday, 1/29/21, In session (make up day). Thank you.

A friendly reminder that we are in session tomorrow, Friday, 1/8/21. Please see attached snip of January from our revised calendar that was adopted on 11/5/20. "See" you tomorrow.

Welcome back, Eagles! We hope you had a safe and fun break. We are looking forward to a brighter 2021 and we are happy to share some of the good things happening on campus relating to our cleanup efforts. We know that connectivity remains a major issue, and we are working with our local and state agencies to find solutions. Thank you! Click here to watch: https://youtu.be/DebcDKWw00I

A big thanks to our secretary, Pam Sullivan. She's been helping us stay on task and organized this year as we navigate the continuous changes. We are lucky to have you on the team! #McKenziestrong

This year has been tough for so many of us, but our district has stayed so strong. We are proud of you and we hope you find joy this holiday. #McKenzieStrong