Graduation Update

Dear North Warren Parents,


Today, June 12th, was supposed to be our day of celebration.  Instead of checking the weather and worrying about moving our celebration indoors, we are livestreaming a ceremony to our entire extended community and they can watch it wherever they like. We hope that they are watching it with their families and friends and we hope that the accomplishments of our seniors can be a northstar for our underclass to see what can be accomplished as a student at North Warren.


While none of us knew that March 13th would be our last day in person, our entire community rose to the challenge of meeting the stay-at-home orders.  We kept the curve suppressed in Warren County and in the process we learned a new way to teach and a new way to learn.  I am so proud of our staff for innovating instruction and I am so proud of our students for finding resiliency and being creative problem solvers in the face of a completely new way to learn and to communicate.


Parents, you have been partners with us this whole way.  I know none of you thought you would be overseeing homeschooling of your children while also focusing on keeping everyone in your household safe.  The challenges we have all faced are nothing we have seen before, but I have great pride in our North Warren community in working together to ensure we not only made the best of it, but made it best.


As we conclude the year, I know we are leaving you with unanswered questions, please know that we will continue to communicate throughout the summer and will be working to comply with each new directive as it is issued.


Graduation
VIRTUAL: Our Virtual Ceremony will air Friday, June 12th at 11:00am and we invite our entire community to join us via the following link:



Please note at the conclusion of the LiveStream, the ceremony will be posted on our YouTube channel for viewing at any time.


MEMENTOS: We have created USB drives for all graduates, they will be mailed to your home for you so that you have a copy of the ceremony.


IN-PERSON: On July 6th at 8:00am we will be holding a Presentation of the Graduates ceremony on our stadium field.  Students, parents, and step-parents will be invited to this ceremony.  More details will be forthcoming once approvals from the State are received.


CLEAN OUT/CLOSE DOWN
We are still working on a compliant plan for item distribution, we plan to have students come in shifts during the weeks of July 6th and July 13th.  More information will follow.


ORIENTATION
We will be sending out information to incoming 6th grade parents regarding Middle School Orientation.


SUMMER
This summer, via social media, we will push out relevant activities or books that are appropriate and align with our curriculum, keep an eye out if you are interested.


NEXT YEAR
This is far beyond our ability to speculate but we started gathering information from local, national, and international resources. We are hopeful that, within a few weeks, we receive guidance from the governor’s office.  Regardless of what the next few months bring, I know that we will create a system that is adaptable, flexible and mindful of the health, safety, and well-being of students and staff.   As processes unfold and plans formalize, we will share them with our entire school community.


We feel we would be remiss not to state that as educators, we have an obligation to ensure we are meeting the needs of all students and that means focusing on our curriculum and instruction to make sure that all individuals are treated fairly and to receive an education in a safe and supportive environment free of prejudice.  North Warren celebrates differences and teaches its students to draw strength from those differences.  As parents and educators, we all seek the same for our children, to be raised in a safe community where students and families know that we care, know that they are important, and know that no student is alone.  This is especially true in North Warren where students who identify as Black or otherwise non-white may feel they are alone.  We owe it to our community to create a place where all voices are heard.  We must continue to have courageous conversations with each other and seek to inspire each other and learn from each other.


We will be offering a series of professional development opportunities for all staff over the summer focused on blended virtual/synchronous/asynchronous learning, diversity and inclusion, and specialized instruction for core content areas.   


In closing, despite the lack of a typical capstone moment –  I hope that all of you have a sense of accomplishment and pride at what we, as a community, have achieved here at North Warren this spring.  I wish all of you and your families a healthy, safe, and well-deserved summer break!


Sincerely,
Sarah Bilotti
Superintendent