As we all know, this winter has been generous. Maybe too generous. And after using more than our allotted five calamity days, we heard loud and clear from families, students, and staff that coming to school additional days in June isn’t always the best solution. It disrupts summer plans, vacations, and honestly… morale.
So we listened.
Earlier today, the Board of Education approved a new make-up plan for excess snow days that replaces some of the June make-up days with asynchronous virtual learning — a more flexible and meaningful option for students. Think of them as “Blizzard Bags”. Some will be virtual, some will be paper/pencil, depending on the grade and subject areas.
Here’s what that means.
Snow days one through six are now what we would consider traditional snow days — no school.
Snow days seven, eight, and nine will now be made up using asynchronous virtual learning days.
If we ever reach snow day ten or beyond, those days would still be made up at the end of the school year — but let’s all agree to hope winter decides it’s had enough before then.
The first asynchronous lesson will be posted for students by 9:00 a.m. this Friday and will serve as the make-up for the snow day we had on January 28th. Students will have up to two weeks to complete the assignments, giving families flexibility and reducing stress.
These lessons are not live classes and not busy work. They are thoughtfully planned learning experiences prepared by our teachers ahead of time.
Moving forward, families can expect communication from teachers by 9:00 a.m. on any day an asynchronous virtual learning day is used for snow days seven, eight, or nine.
If a student does not have access to a device at home, we’ve planned for that too. Students will be able to complete the work once school reopens, with the same two-week window beginning at that time.
The full learning plan can be viewed here. And as always, if you have any questions, I would be happy to answer them. Feel free to reach out or stop by anytime.
I want to take a moment to thank our teachers. They’ve put a great deal of time and care into preparing these lessons, and this is our first time implementing asynchronous virtual learning days. We ask for your patience and grace as we work through this together.
This plan reflects what we heard from our community — a desire for flexibility, meaningful learning, and fewer disruptions to family schedules. We truly appreciate your feedback and partnership.
Thank you for your continued support, and let’s all keep our fingers crossed that winter cooperates from here on out.
Have a great evening, and as always — Go G-Men!