Thank you and congratulations on how well you all have done with homeschooling and managing your student’s schedule and school work! We know this is not easy, especially with everything else you have going on. Great job!!
A few quick updates from the school. Live Zoom classes take place Monday-Thursday of each week. All live classes are recorded and can be viewed at any time. We suggest that Fridays, when no new course work is offered, are great days for your students to view the recorded classes. We are striving to balance the need for new content and active, live teaching with not overwhelming you or your students. If you have questions or suggestions, please let us know. In the next week, each teacher will send you a weekly schedule which should help you in managing your student’s daily schedule.
I have heard that reliable internet service is a challenge for some families. If that is an issue you are struggling with, please let us know. We are working on finding a workable solution that might be helpful.
For the 4th marking period, rather than issue letter grades, we will be issuing an “active participant” designation for those students who make good faith efforts to log in and complete as much work as they are able. All students will receive academic credit for this marking period, and their final grade for the year will be an average of the grades earned in the first three marking periods of the school year. We will not be issuing first or second honors distinctions for the 4th marking period, but we plan to find creative ways to acknowledge those students who have put forth great effort.
We are struggling with how best to honor the 16 students who are scheduled to graduate this June. As of now, we are prohibited from holding an in-person graduation ceremony, but I know how important this event is to many of you and your students. Graduation has been moved up to Thursday, June 11th, which is seven weeks from now. I imagine a LOT will happen in the next seven weeks, so, to you parents of seniors, please stay tuned for more information!
Like graduation, the ESY (extended school year) program is still being determined. It is still possible that ESY can occur on Pathway’s campus, but today that seems unlikely. We are currently considering several different options and will reach out to get your input before we make any final decisions. Trust me, we ALL are pulling for an in-person, on-campus ESY program.
It has been great that many of you have been active participants in your children’s education, including participating during the live classes portion of our programming. I need to remind you that your participation should be limited to assisting your student remain on task or to assist in completing a task. We want you to be a partner in your child’s education, but we need your student to the star of the show. Even with technology, Pathway is still obligated to comply with a variety of federal education laws that include equity and student privacy. Please stay involved in your student’s education but doing so off-screen and off the keyboard is best. Thanks!
A quick reminder that our next school holiday on Monday, May 4th.
I speak for the entire staff when I say we really miss seeing your children and we look forward (as do you) to them returning to campus! Please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns you might have. I, and our entire team, remain available to help you make the best of this situation.
David Schultheis
President & CEO
To view the CDC’s frequently asked questions about Coronavirus COVID-19, click here.