March Principal's Blog

Dear FSE Parents,
I hope you are all keeping safe and healthy during this crazy crazy time.  What a difference a few weeks has had on all of our lives, it really has brought into focus the really important things: family, health and community.  I am grateful to serve this community and the wonderful group of teachers that work daily to educate your children. I miss the children already!!!

I held our first staff meeting this morning on Zoom, realizing that this is the way it is going to be for a while.  I was humbled by the hard work that our staff has already done to ensure that your children feel supported and connected in this really crazy time.  My message and our district's message is first and foremost, to ensure that you and your families are supported by the DCSD community.  We are taking it week by week as we roll out online learning.  This first week you can expect the following:

• Daily communication from your child's teacher (many have communicated their classroom plans today), learning tasks will start tomorrow
• Communication on how to contact your child's teacher
• Learn how to do school online so assignments will be review, practice or enrichment
• If you are struggling on a particular day, close down and start new the next day
• Support staff (SPED, Counselors, etc) will also be reaching out to families that they currently work with to see how they can support.
• Mrs. Jacques and I are letting the teachers get this up and running this week so as not to overwhelm you or your kids, but after that, we are working on some virtual 'fun' for our FSE community as well.

In summary, please don't hesitate to reach out to me if you have questions and concerns.  I will be working as an online principal and homeschool teacher to my two girls as well so I get the struggle and we are in this together!  I will end with the below quote that I shared with my staff this morning.

Be well and let's support one another,

Kelli Smith, FSE Principal

"And the people stayed home. And read books, and listened, and rested, and exercised, and made art, and played games, and learned new ways of being, and were still. And listened more deeply.

Some meditated, some prayed, some danced. Some met their shadows. And the people began to think differently. And the people healed. And, in the absence of people living in ignorant, dangerous, mindless, and heartless ways, the earth began to heal.

And when the danger passed, and the people joined together again, they grieved their losses, and made new choices, and dreamed new images, and created new ways to live and heal the earth fully, as they had been healed."

----Kitty O'Meara.