Date: March 5, 2021
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Last night our Governing Board Members met to discuss Governor Doug Ducey’s Executive Order. What is important to note about this meeting is that parents have a choice. The decision to continue online learning or to return to in-person instruction is solely yours to make. We want you to know that virtual learning is still the top option for our families. Please call your school today and inform them of your decision if you haven’t already done so. For those of you we are already accommodating for in-person instruction, you will still report to school on Monday, March 15th. For those of you that are returning to in-person learning for the first time this year please report to school on Tuesday, March 16, 2021. If you chose to continue with distance learning, we will try our best to keep your child with the same teacher. As we have already communicated, we will not provide before school and after school care, and students do not have to wear uniforms.
We want to thank you for your patience, perseverance, and dedication to your student(s) during this global pandemic. There is no way we could have gotten through this difficult time without your grace and grit. We are so thankful to you because you have a direct role in educating your child through this pandemic and because of that, we are forever indebted to you. Our motto is One Team, Una Familia! You more than any set of parents rose to this unprecedented challenge. You sacrificed so much, I promise you that we will make this transition successful and that your children will thrive through their educational journey in the Cartwright School District.
Sincerely,
Dr. LeeAnn Aguilar-Lawlor
Superintendent
Safety:
The safety of all students and staff is one of our top priorities. Here is what you will expect in terms of safety precautions when your child comes back to school:
· If you have not filled out a COVID-19 Acknowledgment Form you will be asked to fill one out prior to your students’ return to in-person learning.
· All students, staff, and visitors are required to wear face coverings (masks or shields). These will be provided for students and of course, parents can send their child with their own personal masks.
· Bathrooms will be cleaned and disinfected multiple times throughout the day with special attention to high touch areas.
· We will be educating and ensuring students practice good hygiene including frequent hand-washing, the use of sanitizers, understanding social distancing protocols and refraining from touching the face.
· Students will have opportunities for physical activity throughout the day but there will be social distancing and no sharing of materials. All materials will be cleaned and disinfected.
· Students will eat in their classroom and will be following cleaning and disinfecting protocols before and after eating.
In-Person and Distance Learning:
Instruction will continue to be provided to scholars both in-person and virtually in an environment that allows for direct instruction from our certified teachers, opportunities for collaboration with their peers, and ensures opportunities for effective feedback that keep students on track with their learning goals.
Transportation:
If your scholar qualifies for transportation you will need to complete a transportation application to secure a seat. Unless your child has IEP. Transportation is doing everything possible to implement safety procedures for all students who rely on transportation to get them to school. Students riding the bus will be screened for COVID-19 symptoms prior to getting on the bus. Buses will be cleaned and disinfected between every route. Students will have assigned seats, one student to a seat, and all children will be facing the same direction.
Food Services:
Effective March 15th, meals will be available for pick-up at all of our schools, both for students online learning as well as for anyone under the age of 18 years of age. Food deliveries will cease. Home deliveries will be on a limited basis. Please call your school for more information.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions):
1. As a parent will there be restrictions when visiting my child? Yes, if you are visiting the front desk, you will be required to wear a mask. Visitors will be limited during school hours.
2. What if my child is at-risk? What do I do? Your child’s safety is a priority. A plan to meet your child’s needs will be discussed with you. Please contact our Special Services Department at 623-691-4090 or your school administrator for further instructions. We encourage you to consult your doctor.
3. What happens if there’s an outbreak at school? We will follow CDC guidelines and alert parents if this happens.
4. Will PAC (Phoenix After school Care) and Boys and Girls Club still be offered at schools who previously offered the program? At this time PAC is not available, we will continue to update you as soon as it is available. Boys and Girls Club will stay open. For specifics please contact your school.
Date: March 3, 2021
The Governor issued an executive order today. This order gives parents a choice for their children to continue on distance learning or start in-person instruction after Spring Break. Please be aware that the final decision as to whether or not your child comes in for in-person learning or continues with distance learning is yours and yours alone to make.
As a district, we will be complying with the order. Here is the link to the Executive Order:
https://azgovernor.gov/governor/news/2021/03/governor-ducey-issues-executive-order-requiring-schools-offer-person-learning
We will be having a special Governing Board meeting tomorrow at 5 p.m. to discuss further plans. You can catch the live stream on our YouTube channel.
If you decide to bring your child for in-person instruction and qualify for district transportation, you will need to fill out a transportation application. We will be sending an email with the application or you can go to our website csd83.org to fill out. It must be turned in before March 11, 2021. Food meal drop-off will cease beginning March 15th. Uniforms are not required for in-person instruction at this time. We will continue to share information on our social media channels, website & through email blasts.
Thank you for being on this journey with us. Your patience and perseverance through the changing landscape of the COVID-19 is appreciated. Our motto is “One Team, Una Familia!” and we will get through re-opening our schools together, safely and successfully.
Sincerely,
Dr. LeeAnn Aguilar-Lawlor
Superintendent
Date: February 26, 2021
Dear Cartwright Families and Student Scholars,
Our principals and teachers are very proud of you and are sharing with me how much you have been learning this school year.
Although most of our families are on virtual learning, we are asking for parents, grandparents, any of you to contact our schools if you need support or if you need in-person school accommodations. If you need internet access, please call your schools or if your laptop is not working, again call us. We are here to help always!
In-person testing has started. Your school will contact you for testing when it is your turn. We LOVE seeing our scholars at our schools. Thank you for helping us through this process.
Kindergarten registration has begun along with six grade students seeing all the choices they have for 7th grade. We are all excited to register you for the upcoming school year.
For now, keep up the excellent work, have a great month, wear your mask and stay careful. When it is your turn, get vaccinated just like I did! We want to stop the spread of the Coronavirus so we can open our schools to in-person learning on June 1 for summer school.
Sincerely,
Dr. LeeAnn Aguilar-Lawlor
Superintendent
"One Team, Una Familia!"
Date: February 13, 2021
Dear Parents/Guardians,
The Cartwright School District Governing Board voted unanimously to remain in distance learning for the remainder of the 2020-2021 school year. Their reasoning was based on the fact that vaccines are not readily available to our community and that returning for in-person instruction would be too risky for families. If you have a scholar who needs to come back to their school for in-person support, please reach out to your school, we are still here to support you! Our Governing Board and I have put your safety at the forefront of our decision-making and we will continue to do so. Thank you so much for staying strong and supporting our district as the COVID-19 pandemic unraveled and moved through our country impacting so many. If we all do our part, we will have an opportunity to see our students soon and in-person at our amazing schools. I also want to convey that Summer School for small groups will begin on Tuesday, June 1, 2021.
As always, we miss you, we care about you and we will continue to keep you informed as we move forward.
Sincerely,
Dr. LeeAnn Aguilar-Lawlor
Superintendent
"One Team, Una Familia!"
Date: February 5, 2021
Dear Parents/Guardians!
We have an important announcement about in-person instruction!
First, I want to thank you for being on this 10-month journey with us. Many of you have had to adjust your schedules during distance learning, and even stepped-in as educators at home. We appreciate you immensely for your dedication and we consider you family. As you know, our educators are currently being vaccinated for COVID-19, and we are anxious to return to school, as long as it is done with safety and with precautions at play. Our plan is to have scholars return to school on April 6th, pending Governing Board approval on the evening of February 11, 2021.
If this plan is approved you will have the choice of bringing your child physically to school or of continuing with distance learning at home. The deadline for families to reply to their school on that decision is February 10th. Students will be required to wear masks and to social-distance. If you have a high-risk student, please keep them home on our distance learning plan. If you have a high-need student you'd like to bring to school, I suggest you consult with your doctor to be safe.
Fridays will remain deep-cleaning & virtual days for our district. Transportation will be provided for in-person instruction, as always, but please call your school for details.
Again, this plan is a recommendation that will go to our Governing Board, they will be voting on its approval on February 11, 2021. If you are interested in watching the Governing Board meeting, it will be live-streamed through the Cartwright YouTube Channel beginning at 5 p.m.
Thank you again for all your hard work and we hope to see you soon. "One Team, Una Familia!"
Sincerely,
Dr. LeeAnn Aguilar-Lawlor
Date: January 29, 2021
Dear Cartwright Community,
A lot has happened since the start of 2021. We continue to serve amazing student scholars and families from a distance. Although not ideal, I continue to be proud of the efforts our teachers, staff, families and especially of our scholars.
The effects and devastation of the Coronavirus has continued to impact our staff and community and I continue, like you, to wait to see when our trajectory of cases starts to go down.
At our January 28 Governing Board meeting, we shared our current plan to predict the beginning of our in-person, back to the building school plan. From now until our Feb 11 Governing Board meeting, we will be looking at the opportunity to take the vaccine and information about the Covid-19 vaccine at a special Governing Board Meeting on Feb 4. Surveys and information will be coming from your schools. In any event, parents will have a choice to keep their children at home on distance learning or have them return to school in-person IF a date is set on Feb 11.
I want to thank you again for your continuous support, patience and partnership. Stay safe by wearing your mask, staying physically distanced and washing your hands often. We will get through this as one team, una familia.
Thank you!
Dr. LeeAnn Aguilar-Lawlor
Superintendent