Dear Shelby Families and Community,
On Monday, April 20, Governor DeWine announced that remote learning will continue for all students through the end of this school year. Of course, we in the Shelby City Schools are saddened by this news, but we also understand that all of us have to collectively continue to do our part to keep our students, neighbors and loved ones safe. Of course, the big question is, what does the rest of the school year look like? For the Shelby City Schools the end of this school year is May 27th; our expectation is that staff and students will continue working on instruction through that date. Yes, I recognize that remote learning is difficult and challenging for everyone, parents included, so it’s extremely important that we all continue to work together and communicate well. If you have questions or concerns about your child’s education during the remainder of the school year, please reach out to your child’s teacher or principal. Also, as I mentioned in a previous post, certain teachers and buildings may tweak things just a bit…so if you are a parent of a Shelby student, please watch for announcements and updates from your child’s building principal. Also, please keep in mind that you can always go to our district website www.shelbyk12.org to see all district updates, particularly those dealing with our remote learning and related information on our COVID-19 page.
Just as remote learning will continue for the remainder of the school year, so will food distribution to our families. On each Monday, all food pickup for any students in the District will take place from 10:00-12:00 at the middle school; enough food will be distributed to each family so that each child has breakfast and lunch for five days. Please enter the school property from the roadway off Sunset, drive past the track and follow the road to the back of SMS to the loading dock area to receive your food. The one exception to this schedule will take place the last week of May; there will be no food distribution on Monday, May 25th, which is Memorial Day. That week’s food distribution will take place on Tuesday, May 26th, again from 10:00-12:00.
I recognize that this is a very difficult time for many of our students, but particularly our class of 2020. Seniors and parents, please know that we are still considering a variety of options to celebrate this school year. And let me clarify, while it may be challenging to host the traditional year-end activities that our seniors are accustomed to, please know that we are working creatively to make the best of a difficult situation and still celebrate the class of 2020 however we can. As we work on the options for these celebrations for our seniors we will certainly keep students and parents informed about possible plans. As I’ve said in other posts and letters, creativity and flexibility are going to be important during this challenging time and we are working diligently to make the end of the year for our seniors special.
Of course, with Governor DeWine’s recent announcement regarding schools, we have to also begin shifting our focus to the 2020-2021 school year. Quite frankly, speculation is rampant right now and I understand that, but please also know that the Shelby administrative team is already holding meetings and brainstorming what next school will/could look like. Again, not to be redundant, but our ability to be creative, flexible and innovative will go a long way to our future success. Our team will continue to meet and establish plans in which the ultimate goal is for your child to be safe and successful. As we begin making decisions about what next school year looks like, be assured that we will keep Shelby families and the community as updated and as informed as possible.
Finally, as I have said many times before and what I will continue to trumpet…I want to thank our entire staff, parents and community for their tremendous support, patience and cooperation throughout this extremely challenging time. We in the Shelby City Schools recognize that your family may be hurting in a variety of ways; if there is anything that our school district can do to help, please let us know. And whether you are a front line worker during this crisis or a single parent trying to juggle life as we know it, please stay safe and healthy.
Stay strong; go Whippets!
Sincerely,
Tim Tarvin
Superintendent, Shelby City Schools
