| July 15, 2020 Dear MUSD Parent/Guardian and MUSD Employee: I am writing today to provide an update regarding our Safe & Thoughtful Return to School plan. I recognize that this is a lengthy communication, and I am hopeful you will take the time to read the important information contained in this letter. Before I talk about this fall, I want to take a moment to reflect on what has occurred since last spring. When we think about what happened last March related to school closure, school districts across the state entered phase 1 of what we call the three phases of recovery. Phase 1 was the Relief Phase. It was the fourth quarter of the school year, and school districts were challenged to change their instructional delivery model over the course of a weekend. Teachers, administrators, and staff worked tirelessly to deliver student instruction and relief services to families as quickly as possible. Family, student, and employee routines changed overnight, and everyone experienced a range of emotions associated with a real-world emergency. During this critical, turbulent time, MUSD and families worked together, stayed connected, and completed the last nine weeks of the school year. Upon arriving on the last day of the school year, MUSD entered Phase 2 (Planning and Preparation). Phase 2 saw our Return to School Task Force begin their collaborative work to take a deeper dive into each of the components of our instructional model to determine what our academic and support resources will look like as we move forward into the coming school year and to eventually, Phase 3, Recovery. As part of Phase 2, our Task Force, working groups, and parent and teacher focus groups continue to meet, engage in collaborative conversations, evaluate input, and review lessons learned from last spring as we refine our Safe & Thoughtful Return to School Plan and various contingency plans. Additionally, I am working closely with the Marana Education Association (MEA) leadership, and our District team and I continue to meet regularly with health officials and local and state education leaders with a focus on health and safety. It has and will continue to be our commitment to offer every student a safe, high-quality learning experience with a focus on school connectedness while providing additional services and supports to our students and families. I continue to be impressed with the quality work, hard work and dedication, collaboration, and passion that exists in Marana. I would not want to be anywhere else, as I know that together, we will continue to navigate this situation and come out the other side better and stronger. When Governor Ducey issued an Executive Order delaying the start of in-person instruction until August 17, 2020, MUSD implemented our contingency plan to begin school on Wednesday, August 5 in a remote learning/distance learning environment. Remote Learning will continue through Monday, August 17, or until we can safely return to in-person instruction. While disappointed to not be able to welcome our students and families back in-person, the health and safety of our students, employees, and community remain our focus. We are monitoring the situation closely and reviewing safe options for reopening schools, aligned with guidance from our health authorities. We also believe there is a very real possibility that Governor Ducey will extend the current school closure beyond August 17, and as a District, we are prepared for that scenario as well. We will continue to keep you informed. So what is next? Beginning August 5, we will begin the school year delivering a thoughtful and rigorous Remote Learning and Distance Learning experience. There is no sign-up required for your child to start the school year through Remote Learning. Families interested in Distance Learning are encouraged to review carefully the information and registration information on the Distance Learning webpage. Marana has a tradition and reputation for its strong family-oriented culture and parent/community to school partnerships. In keeping with this, the following principles are guiding our work: - Community Building & Connectedness
- Creativity & Critical Thinking
- Collaboration
- Communication
- Consistency
As part of our communication efforts, please find attached additional information of our Remote Learning plan. We recognize that there continue to be new questions and many of you may have uncertainties related to this ever-changing situation. Please know that we will continue to provide weekly updates from the District and your student's school and share new information as we prepare to begin the school year in a few weeks. I look forward to the time in which we are able to safely, responsibly, and thoughtfully reopen our schools for in-person instruction. We miss our students. We miss our employees and students being together in their classroom, their schools, and their offices. When schools are able to safely resume in-person instruction, I want to assure you that MUSD is committed to providing families the choice to make the decision that is best for their student's learning. As shared with you in previous communications, MUSD plans to offer three high-quality learning models to provide choice for students and families: Classroom Learning, Flexible Learning, and Marana Distance Learning. We can all agree that we are in a challenging time. This is a unique situation, one that none of us has faced before. It is the unprecedented nature of this situation, which has created this challenge. Despite the challenges ahead, I am confident that our Marana team and families will continue to work together to provide the best possible experience for our students, with health and safety being our top priority. Let us continue to offer each other support and care as we navigate this together. Thank you for being a part of the Marana family. Your trust, partnership, and dedication are greatly valued. Please continue to stay healthy, take care of each other, and stay connected. Sincerely, Dan Streeter, Ed.D.
Superintendent | 
July_15_RemoteLearningIssue1.pdf (1081.2 KB)
