2020 - July

Jul 27, 2020, 10:08 AM

Dear Members of the Milford Community:

I am pleased to present to you the District’s DRAFT Re-opening of Schools Plan. Our 46-member task force has worked diligently over the last month to provide input into the various components, and the District Leadership team spent four very long days last week working through an incredible amount of logistics. This work has enabled us to provide thoughtful and sound recommendations to start the 20-21 School Year. I am extremely proud of the work that has been done under incredible circumstances.

This week offers the opportunity for public feedback on the plan. We have provided a survey link to capture that feedback here.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfdPMwAw7w1G-IA38NPf0JRyE2tpnkjyG4BF2wYPLNLNku2lA/viewform

The District has also created a new tab on our website to provide you with any and all information that we have up to this point regarding the re-opening of school.

http://www.milfordk12.org/apps/pages/Reopening-of-Schools-2020-21

We have also scheduled a public forum via Zoom on Wednesday, July 29th, from 6-7 pm. Please join us on the below link. Our District Leadership team will be available to answer any questions, or clarify any aspects of the plan for you that evening. It will also be live-streamed by Granite Town Media.

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Meeting ID: 835 3502 8303

Passcode: 05C0Qg

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Meeting ID: 835 3502 8303
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Meeting ID: 835 3502 8303
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Next Monday, August 3rd the Board will review the plan in public. The Board Meeting is scheduled for 7pm and will take place in the High School Cafeteria. There will be a limited number of seats in order to maintain social distancing. However, it will be live-streamed by Granite Town Media.

Thank you in advance for your continued support, flexibility, adaptability, and kindness. What lies ahead of us is unchartered territory. I do not pretend to know everything. But what I do know is that our success is predicated on a whole new level of community collaboration. We need to support our students, families, teachers, and administrators in ways we have never before. We will need to partner with the community in even greater ways than ever before. We are Milford, and together, we can!!!!

Best Regards,

Dr. Jessica Huizenga

July 20, 2020

Jul 20, 2020, 4:56 PM

Dear Milford Community:

I hope this email finds you all well, and enjoying some restful family time this summer. I want to extend my sincerest thanks to all of you that have responded to our family survey. This information is incredibly helpful to us as we continue our work on planning for the Re-Opening of School. If you have not taken the time to complete the online google form, please take a moment to.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdTyrNEBRKLs75c-2ZRoSzHWmkY_S9Cn2EnX7FRoMF2eSD4Ng/viewform?usp=sf_link

I am also writing to update you all on our Re-Opening planning progress. I can only imagine how anxious everyone is to begin wrapping their heads about what school might look like in the fall. I do not believe there has been a more complex challenge we have faced in Public Education in our history, than re-opening school in these unprecedented circumstances. Our entire Administrative team appreciates your patience and support as we prepare for a strong start to the 20-21 School Year.

Our Re-Opening of Schools Task Force has been meeting for the past three weeks. The task force consists of 46 individuals including teachers, administrators, staff, community partners, police, fire, and parents. This group has been incredibly helpful in thinking through the realities we are facing, and making recommendations that will inform our comprehensive plan. The Governor just recently released guidelines on July 14th, which has also informed our work.

Today, our Administrative team began working through feedback from the task force sub-committees. Our task force is completing our meetings this week. We have also surveyed our staff to get feedback on re-opening, and will be meeting with staff representatives next week. Over the next few days, we will be compiling the draft plan. Our goal is to share that plan publicly next week for a period of public feedback prior to presenting the plan for discussion at the Milford School Board meeting on August 3rd.

There is much to be done in the next two weeks, and we appreciate your understanding as we work through such a daunting task as this. We have an outstanding team of administrators and staff working incredibly hard to ensure a safe and healthy start to school. Thank you for your ongoing support.

Best Regards,

Dr. Jessica Huizenga

July 13, 2020

July 13, 2020, 7:05 AM

Dear Milford Community:

It’s hard to believe it’s almost mid-July of 2020, and we’ve been living a new normal for nearly 5 months. I hope everyone is safe, healthy, and enjoying some quality time with friends and family; especially as things have begun to re-open.

We have been hard at work preparing for the start of a new school year. While we do not know all of what is ahead of us, what we do know is it will be different than years past. Our district staff, and families did an extraordinary job this Spring with Remote-Learning. Now, our work has shifted to opening a new school year in the safest possible way for students, staff, and families.

In order to assist us with our planning, we have developed a questionnaire that we need ALL families to take the time to complete. No answer you give us will be set in stone, and you will have the opportunity following our presentation of our reopening plan, to modify your response. This information will give the Reopening of Schools Task Force, and the School Administration, a sense of how to best prepare for a successful 20-21 School Year. Each family needs to fill out a questionnaire for EACH child that attends school. We appreciate your time, and support during these extraordinary circumstances.

Here is the link to the questionnaire:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdTyrNEBRKLs75c-2ZRoSzHWmkY_S9Cn2EnX7FRoMF2eSD4Ng/viewform?usp=sf_link

Enjoy the beautiful summer weather, and we will be sending updates as we have them throughout the summer.

Best Regards,

Dr. Jessica Huizenga