School Update

To all South Bend Students, Families, & Community Members-

Today at a special press conference, Governor Jay Inslee announced his decision to extend the school closure mandate through the rest of this school year.  We will not be coming back to school like we had hoped.  Though I think many of us nervously anticipated this possibility, the actuality of this decision is unprecedented in our school district and in this state.  Washington now follows suit with about a dozen other states, with more to come in the next few days to weeks as our nation copes with the covid-19 pandemic.

This news is difficult and tough for us to comprehend, but also devastating to so many of our students.  From the younger kiddos who can't fully comprehend the reasons as to why they can't see their friends and teachers they love, to the older students who have had to miss out on athletics, school activities, and the many other social aspects at school, to our seniors who are facing the harsh reality of a senior year that is everything but typical.  There is no easy way to explain any of this, but I think we all have both unique and shared struggles in dealing with the fallout of this school year closure.

I expect everyone to have questions, and we will do our best to provide answers as we navigate forward.  The good thing is that our principals, teachers, and staff have done a tremendous amount of work to get us to a solid point in being able to continue an academic program.  Though it may not be perfect and there are some individual challenges, we have a good base on which to continue to improve. Our school staff is working tirelessly to stay connected to our students, to continue education, to provide needed access to food, and we will not stop--we will only get better and more efficient.

Finally, thank you for your continued patience.  We are doing our best under tough circumstances.  We do not expect perfection from our students and we all realize the challenges families are facing as they try to maintain some level of normality in these abnormal times.  Please know that we are here for you, and we will continue to do our very best work to meet the needs of our students.  I expect to have more information available for students, families, and community members within the next day and coming week.  Please stay tuned and stay safe.

Jon Tienhaara
Superintendent

Elementary K-6 academic program

To All South Bend Parents and Community Members:

Earlier this week I released an update on how our grades 7-12 academic program has continued to evolve during the statewide school closure.  That update can be found here.  This update provides information on our current elementary academic program.

In addition to the resources available on our school website (click here) elementary teachers are checking in with families and students each week by mail, phone, and email.  In addition, most teachers have class pages on Facebook where they provide daily videos, resources, and other communications for both parents and students.

Teachers are providing weekly learning packets for students.  These are being delivered by our school buses during meal service, are available in the school office, and can also be mailed to homes.  If you are not receiving these, please feel free to email your teacher and/or contact the school at 360-875-6041.

Teachers are also monitoring online learning programs available at our website (link above) and are providing guidance and feedback on returned learning packets.  They are available each school day via email for assistance, and all of our teachers love hearing from their students! 

As I am sure you can imagine, educating elementary students at a distance can be a challenge and can take some getting used to, especially for the younger students.  The good thing is that our teachers and principal are dedicated to helping our families and students during these times, and strive to stay connected as much as possible.  Parents can help by utilizing the resources teachers are providing, and by maintaining communication with their teacher.

Please be sure to connect with your teacher!  If you have questions, you can also reach out to principal Kresta Byington at byington@southbendschools.org and school secretary Tammy McDougall at tmcdougall@southbendschools.org.

Junior-Senior High School curriculum & instruction changes

To All South Bend Students, Families, & Community Members:

I want to provide an update on our academic program as it continues to evolve during this statewide school closure.  Though we still hope to come back to school on April 27, 2020, schools are being asked by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to ensure instruction and learning meets specific standards, and to further our planning in the event the school closure extends beyond April 27.  To that end, South Bend administrators and teachers are working to build upon our initial education program to not only continue meaningful instruction and opportunities for student growth, but to meet the potential needs necessitated from an extended school closure.

I want to recognize and thank our incredible South Bend Staff for their hard work, continued ability to adapt to change, and their unending care for our students.  South Bend continues to be, "A great place for kids."

A change in instructional delivery

Our school program will look different depending on the age of students.  This update focuses on junior and senior high students, grades 7-12.  An update focusing on elementary grades is forthcoming.

Beginning Monday, March 30, Principal Jason Nelson and South Bend Jr. Sr. High School teachers and staff will be implementing an online academic program through Apex Learning (for most classes).  South Bend has used Apex Learning for the last 10 years for both credit recovery and supplemental instruction.  The program is delivered via the Internet, and will be specific to each student.  Teachers will be overseeing student learning, providing instructional assistance, and maintaining student accountability.  Student participation is required and will be directly linked to earned credits and grades.

The Apex program will provide core subject content (math/English Language Arts/science/social studies/etc.), and class elective content will be provided separately by our elective teachers.

A few things to note:

1.  Information about these changes was emailed to all students, and a robocall was sent to all parents;

2.  Students will be emailed their individual Apex login information;

3.  Teachers are available to students, Monday-Thursday from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm;

4.  Student participation is required.  Students who have challenges with Internet access or technology should contact their advisory teacher, or email Principal Nelson to arrange assistance.

Thank you for your continued patience

We expect there will be both benefits and challenges to this learning platform, and we will adapt to these as we move forward.  Thank you for your patience as we attempt to provide continued learning under unprecedented circumstances.

Please feel free to reach out to your student's teacher or to anyone below for more specific questions or assistance:

Principal, Jason Nelson:  jnelson@southbendschools.org

Assistant Principal, Jon Schray: jschray@southbendschools.org

Counselor, Adrianne Lynch: alynch@southbendschools.org

Secretary, Susie Williams:  swilliams@southbendschools.org

Secretary, Theresa Mee: tmee@southbendschools.org

Teacher Librarian, Lori Dearmore: ldearmore@southbendschools.org

Alternative Learning Teacher, Dan Raymond: draymond@southbendschools.org

Update-March 17, 2020

To All Parents, Families, & Students-
UPDATED 03/17/2020  12:20 PM

As promised, this update includes the latest information on our educational programs, food service plans, and limited child care plans.  Again, thank you for your patience as we continue to navigate these circumstances.

First, I want recognize and thank all of our staff for the amazing work they have done these last several days.  Staff at all levels of the district have pulled together and made incredible progress in preparing for this state-wide school closure.

Educational Programs

Our educational programs can be found on our district website: http://southbendschools.org, where you will find: Preschool Instructional Resources, Elementary Instructional Resources, Jr. Sr. High Instructional Resources, and resources for our 12th grade Seniors.  It is our intent to maintain consistent teacher communication between students as best possible, in order to ensure students get any help and assistance they need.  Our teachers are available on a daily basis, and will be reaching out to students and families as needed.  Please encourage your children to remain active in their learning, and to focus daily on specific tasks.  Also, please follow health department guidance and prevent exposure by limiting unnecessary student-to-student contact outside the home.

Food Service

We have been gearing up since last Friday to organize food service.  Food service will be delivered to student homes according to this schedule, and will begin tomorrow, March 18, 2020. For anyone desiring to pick up food from the school it will be available every day Monday-Friday from 7:30 AM to 10:00 AM.  Food will consist of a breakfast and a lunch in each delivered sack.  Please call 875-5000 for questions about delivery.

Childcare

We are working on a limited childcare program for emergency providers and healthcare workers.  We hope to begin this service on Monday, March 23, 2020.  We are working now to determine the number of children we can accomodate.  We will publish more information as planning continues.

Building Closures

Our school campus is now closed to the public, and school office phones will not be monitored.  If you need to contact the school, building office staff will be working remotely, and can be accessed at the following email addresses during normal school hours:

Jr. Sr. High School

Susie Williams, swilliams@southbendschools.org

Theresa Mee, tmee@southbendschools.org

Elementary School

Tammy McDougall, tmcdougall@southbendschools.org

Early Learning

Mackenzie Trotter, mtrotter@southbendschools.org

Thank you again for your patience as we implement these services and resources.  Conditions are changing on a daily basis and we will continue to update you as more information becomes available.

Finally, please take care, and I encourage you to follow the instructions of our health professionals and government.  If anyone needs help or assistance concerning student education and/or health, please contact us and let us know so that we can offer resources.  

Update--March 16, 2020

To All South Bend Parents, Families, & Students:

Thank you for your continued patience as we navigate the state required school closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  As you can imagine, school staff are working hard to finalize plans for a continued, but different, educational program while schools are closed. 

Today, administrators and teacher leaders met to develop an educational program for all grade levels.  These programs will be shared tomorrow, March 17, 2020.  In addition, food service and transportation staff have been working to structure food service preparation and delivery, which will begin on Wednesday of this week, March 18, 2020.  Finally, we are structuring a program for child care to be available for all emergency responder and health care agencies.  More information on this will also be available tomorrow.

Please understand that our situation is very fluid and is changing as we receive more information and guidance from our government officials.  We will communicate changes as necessary.