COVID-19 Closure

On Monday, September 20, the District will begin COVID-19 testing. Testing will be conducted weekly at each of our school buildings over the course of three days. Students in grades K-12 will be tested. Please know that if you do not opt your student out of testing, they will be tested each week for COVID-19.

As a reminder, earlier this week, families and staff received a link to our 2021-22 COVID-19 Safety Protocols handbook. This is a reference tool for families and staff so that we all understand our health and safety protocols and expectations. Please read through the information carefully so that we can work together to keep our students, staff and families safe. 

It is clear that the start to the school year will once again include COVID safety protocols to keep our students, staff and community safe and healthy. We continue to update safety protocols for staff and our handbook for families.

​In today's Weekly Reopening Update, I want to focus on two major topics: Graduation Planning and the Summer Computing Device Exchange.

Following many long days of interest-based bargaining over the last several weeks, the Northshore School District and the Northshore Education Association (NSEA) have reached agreements on a return to hybrid learning that are in accordance with Governor Inslee's March 15 Emergency Proclamation.

At this time, I can tell you that the model for students in K-5 hybrid will be two days of in-person learning and two days of asynchronous learning, and those K-5 students choosing 100% online learning will be two days of synchronous learning and two days of asynchronous learning.

Today, after conversations with our NSEA leadership and other valued education partners, I am sharing our plan for a safe and sustainable return to school buildings for our youngest learners.

Based on our best assessment of the consistent and reliable availability of these safeguards and priorities, I am announcing that we are planning to phase in a few groups.

We are sending an initial survey to our kindergarten and first grade families this week to gauge interest in returning to school knowing that there are yet many scheduling details to be worked through in the coming weeks.

Weekly Covid Update 12.11.20

At this time, we will maintain our Stage 2 learning Model status. Our staff continue to follow the changing information so we can be prepared for students to begin returning to the classroom for in-person learning as soon it is safe to do so.

So much has transpired nationally and locally since my last weekly COVID update.

As today is Friday, I am sharing my weekly COVID update. We are currently maintaining our Stage 2 Learning Model status, and we continue planning for a return to school buildings when it becomes safe to do so.

I am sharing my weekly COVID update with additional resources describing the local and national picture. We are currently maintaining our Stage 2 Learning Model status. Staff continue to meet regularly to make sure we are prepared when it’s safe to move into the next stage. In those meetings, they are discussing safety protocols, PPE, staff training, family attestation and the various elements that need to come together for the best possible outcome.

Due to the current COVID surge in our region, we will maintain our Stage 2 Learning Model status until further notice. Our teams continue to prepare for a successful return to school buildings for students in a Modified Stage 3 when it is deemed safe to do so.

Based on the current data, we must further modify our Stage 3 planning status by delaying the return for students in the Headstart and ECEAP Programs.

I am announcing that we have planned and are scheduling the move to a modified Stage 3 Hybrid Learning Model beginning on Monday, October 26. This means we plan to begin phasing in some of the groups listed in Stage 3 - starting with students in Headstart, the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program, and the Adult Transition Program - Pathways.

As we watch the changing numbers around our state along with positive test/exposures among our district staff, our best approach is to continue to review the fact pattern over the weekend and provide an update by Monday afternoon.

As we head into our first weekend of the autumn season, I want to provide you with our latest thinking in this weekly COVID update. After moving into a regular Stage 2 this week, we were able to provide in-person contracted services for some of our students in greatest need of additional support. We will continue in this same model next week. 

Today, I am sharing the details of Northshore Learns 3.0, a distance learning instructional model that offers more – more community-building, more rigor, more positive outcomes, more socially and racially just instruction and practices, and more flexibility that allows us to pivot as the COVID-19 health situation changes.

At this time, we plan for our students to begin the 2020-21 school year with a more robust and flexible 100% distance learning model through Northshore Learns 3.0, using a staged approach for in person re-entry to school.

In reviewing his phased approach for reopening the State, it is clear that we are a ways from safely gathering groups of students, staff and families. After taking this new information into account along with multiple meetings with student leadership, principals and other district staff, and many communications from parents and guardians, I am able to share plans for Northshore’s Class of 2020’s graduations.

Due to Governor Inslee’s closure of school sites and his Stay Home-Stay Healthy order in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of activities, athletics, and events across the District were cancelled. To help alleviate any stress caused by these cancellations, we have already begun refunding some fees.

Just a short while ago, Governor Inslee announced that schools across our state will remain closed through the end of the 2019-20 school year. This is another step in slowing the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. By keeping Northshore school sites closed per Gov. Inslee’s directive, our community is helping to slow the rate of infection and mitigating the impact on our healthcare system and our community.

As we end our first week of Northshore Learns 2.0 and head into spring break 2020, we want to provide you with helpful updates and reminders.

March 26 and March 27: Educators will meet virtually with their school teams to plan for the rollout of Northshore Learns v 2.0. March 30 through April 3: Educators will initiate the rollout of Northshore Learns v 2.0.

I am sending this letter to let you know we will not be providing our customary third quarter progress reports this year. To be clear, all work from the third quarter is important to final semester grades.

Our team of education leaders and partners have been thoughtfully and collaboratively planning a new model to engage our students in the learning experience moving forward. We expect to have details this week.

I have been so impressed with the wide variety of projects you have created and that you have shared with me.  We will be continuing these for the start of our new week. I will be providing an update later this week on new education ideas for all of us moving forward ;>)

To support families during this challenging time amidst the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, we have developed a Home Learning Resource page, which has a list of resources to continue the process of home learning.

Throughout our planning and preparation and the first week of Classroom to Cloud, we kept our focus on our commitment to meeting the needs of all students, while attending to the health and safety of our staff as well. As I indicated late last week, we have had to pause our work and iterate as we make space to continue to address challenges related to state and federal expectations that could result in a loss of critical funding.

I want to make you aware that a member of our Bothell High School staff informed us late yesterday that they have tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus and are now in self-quarantine. Our understanding at this time is the employee was last on campus on March 3 at the staff online training and in the 100 building.

This afternoon, Gov. Jay Inslee announced that in order to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 in our state, he is ordering, “the closure of schools in Snohomish, King and Pierce counties.” Under this order, schools “must close and end classes by the end of this coming Monday. The first possible weekday back will be April 27.”

This is an update on the District’s response to COVID-19 coronavirus since we have moved learning from the classroom to the cloud. News about this health concern across our country is rapidly changing. We will do our best to keep you informed.

Let me begin by saying that I consider our community to be our strength with our common goal being to provide the best possible education to our students in a safe and welcoming environment.  This evening, I want to provide a brief update on our response to the COVID-19 coronavirus as we are making final preparations to begin official online learning on Monday.

All schools in the Northshore School District will be closed beginning Thursday, March 5 for up to 14 days while we continue to monitor the situation and health department recommendations. Today and tomorrow we will communicate plans to transition instruction from classroom to cloud (online learning) beginning Monday, March 9. This decision was made thoughtfully and with the support of a variety of district and community leaders.

As you know, your school was closed today as we awaited the results from a staff member who is being tested for the COVID-19 coronavirus and has been directed to self-quarantine. As of this writing, we have not received those results. Out of an abundance of caution, I have ordered Frank Love to remain closed tomorrow, Thursday, March 5.

We have just been notified that a Woodmoor parent/volunteer has tested presumptive positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus. The parent/volunteer was diagnosed with a different illness and hospitalized in late February. Medical professionals made a decision to test for the coronavirus yesterday.

As I shared with you on Sunday, our instructional teams spent today planning and preparing for online learning experiences for our 23,577 students. An added benefit to this important staff training day is that our custodial staff were busy cleaning high-touch, high-traffic areas of each school, our food service workers were cleaning their areas and innovating meal service practices to decrease the risk of spreading germs, and our transportation department made sure every bus and van was disinfected. 

When I learned of the test on Sunday evening, I felt it was prudent to have the school closed and disinfected on Monday while we awaited the test results. Unfortunately, we have just confirmed that we will not have the results today. Therefore, Frank Love Elementary will be closed again on Wednesday, March 4.

All Northshore schools will be closed to students tomorrow, March 3. During the day, we will provide training to staff to engage students in remote learning that may take place outside the four walls of their classrooms.

Monday, March 2: All schools in the Northshore School District will be in session with the exception of Frank Love Elementary School. Tuesday, March 3: All Northshore schools closed to students so we can provide training to staff to engage students in remote learning that may take place outside the four walls of their classrooms should this become necessary in the coming days.

It has come to my attention today that a Frank Love staff member with flu-like symptoms is being tested for the COVID-19 coronavirus and has been directed to self-quarantine. Out of an abundance of caution, I have ordered Frank Love to be closed tomorrow, Monday, March 2 to allow our support services staff time to disinfect the entire school and hopefully, time for me to receive the aforementioned test results.

During today’s news conference with local and state public health authorities, it was stated that although the risk to the general public is increasing, transmissions are not occurring on a widespread basis. Understandably though, this situation is causing concern throughout our region and right here in Northshore.

I am writing you with possibly the best news we’ve had all week. As a result of the CDC accelerating their testing process and dissemination of results, this afternoon, I have received word from our Bothell High School employee, that their family member’s coronavirus test results have come back negative.

After much consideration and information gathering from multiple sources, including our partners at Public Health Seattle & King County, I have decided to keep Bothell High School closed on Friday, Feb. 28. This will provide us an opportunity to complete the cleaning and hopefully receive the results of the test.

As we are midway through our first week back from mid-winter break, we are gaining more insight into the number of families in our community that traveled internationally during our time off.  At the same time, the situation regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to evolve around the world. In the past five days, we have heard from families who are seeking guidance on precautions and we have heard from those who are expressing concerns. We all understand that we have a social responsibility to each other in situations like this as we are one community. Here in our house, we take this responsibility seriously.