On July 14, Silver Valley Unified School District superintendent Jesse M. Najera, sent a letter to the families, staff and local communities outlining plans for the coming school year in light of the current coronavirus pandemic.
The school district includes Fort Irwin Middle School, Fort Irwin Lewis Elementary School, and Tiefort View Intermediate School ñ all on Fort Irwin, Calif.
“After careful consideration of current conditions, consultation with public health officials and feedback from our stakeholders, our schools will open under a Distance Learning Model on Aug. 6, Najera said. “However, we plan to transition to a Hybrid (A Day/B Day) Model on Aug. 31 if safety conditions allow. This difficult decision was made with the safety and well-being of our students and staff as our highest priority.”
Najera went on to assure the community that the Distance Learning Model put forward by the district for the coming year will be improved.
“I am proud of the program that we implemented last spring and we learned a lot from our experience,” she said. “This summer, our teachers and administrators worked hard to develop a Distance Learning Model that has daily, live instruction and accountability to ensure the daily participation of all of our students. In the next couple weeks, our school principals will be communicating the details of their program so that you are informed and prepared to begin on Aug. 6.”
The district is also offering a virtual ‘home school’ learning model for K-12th grade students for the entire 2020-2021 school year. This virtual program will allow students to still have access to a Silver Valley teacher and access to their home school activities, clubs, field trips and athletics. Any student that enrolls in the virtual program is asked to stay in that program for at least one semester. For more information, visit the district website at www.svusdk12.net/virtual_learning.
Additionally, every student in grades 3 through 12 will receive a laptop or chromebook to ensure access to distance learning. The district will also be able to support any TK through 2nd grade student that is in need of a computer to access online instruction.
“The investment in this 1:1 laptop initiative will ensure our students are afforded greater opportunities and additional tools to enhance their learning, collaborate with others, and prepare our students to be college and career ready,” said Najera.
Online enrollment is currently available at www.svusdk12.net for all new students registrations. Returning students who wish to participate in Silver Valley Virtual Learning can email the district at olr@svusdk12.net.
“Thank you for choosing Silver Valley Unified School District and thank you for your support and understanding,” said Najera. “It is truly an honor to serve our community. Together, we will get through these challenging and unprecedented times.”
