COVID-19: Positive second week of distance learning
As the second week of distance learning concludes, there are many positives to celebrate.
One of our core values as a school district is to listen to feedback from the community to monitor satisfaction with services provided and determine any changes needed to improve those services. Last week, middle and high school parents/guardians had the opportunity to provide feedback on distance learning thus far. About 70% of the 2,800 respondents said they were satisfied with distance learning, with about that same amount saying the homework load is appropriate. These results are strikingly similar to questions regarding homework in the annual parent/guardian survey Anoka-Hennepin has done annually for several years. The numbers provide confidence that teachers are connecting with students in a way that is similar to what they have in the classroom. Elementary school parents/guardians will have a similar opportunity to share feedback next week. Stay tuned for those results.
Several examples of how learning is looking for Anoka-Hennepin students can be seen right on the district’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. Some of the highlights have included a high school band practice, a fourth grade class working on an assignment to spread kindness, and even masks being made with a high school 3-D printer. Make sure to check all these great stories out. And staff and community members alike, please continue to share this good news with us.
The number of families serviced with Anoka-Hennepin’s meal and child care programs continue to climb as well. More than 5,300 meals are now being provided. For emergency child care, hundreds of students are being cared for as their parents/guardians are providing essential services to protect the health and safety of the community.
Looking forward, there are several events like graduation, spring sports and prom that normally occur in May and June. At this point, the Governor, the Minnesota Department of Education and the Minnesota State High School League have not made any decisions about that window of time. As soon as the district receives guidance for activities in those months, families will receive communications from the district and their schools regarding these and other events.
Our staff and families are doing a fabulous job at making the best of this challenging situation. Please continue to push forward, your hard work is truly making a difference for our students.
Stay tuned to ahschools.us/COVID-19 for the latest information.
Superintendent David Law