Cossack Nation:
It is with great excitement that we are able to reopen our school in August, with accommodations. First, I want to give a huge shout out to all of you for your understanding and support during the 4th quarter shutdown. We all know that it was less than ideal, there were many hurdles to overcome and education was not at a level that we are accustomed too or deserved. With all your help and with the great efforts from our teachers and students we did, however, get through it and made the most of it.
The purpose of this letter is to inform you and provide to you the North Dakota Smart Restart plan that is being implemented for Max Public School. The entire team has put in many hours to put together a plan that will get us back into school while keeping the safety and well-being of our entire Cossack Nation as the top priority. We understand that this is not ideal, not going to be perfect and also not going to be popular with everyone. But again, with your support and understanding, we feel that it is the best option to get our students back into the building and deliver a high quality of education. As our mission statement says, “Ensure, through a comprehensive K-12 curriculum, that students will develop and demonstrate scholastic, technological, physical, social, and problem-solving skills essential for achieving academic, occupational, and personal success today and in the future”, we need them here. In order to truly be engaged, we need as much face to face interaction as we can provide.
Please also keep in mind that this is a working document. What looks good in August may not be what is best in October. We can, and likely will, be adjusting this plan. When those adjust are made, the District Emergency Response Team (DERT) team will use the NDDOH guidelines. At that point we will communicate the changes to all of you.
Our goal is to have everyone back in school and to provide them with a top-notch education while keeping everyone safe. If you don’t feel comfortable with having your children in school, face to face, or with the guidelines that are set, please communicate that with the administration. There are 2 primary parts to this reopening plan:
1. Is face to face, with accommodations, in the building.
2. 100% distance learning. This would be similar in the spring of 2020, but with more rigor.
You, as parents/guardians, have the right to choose whichever route you feel is best for your family.
Please remember that we are all in this together. With all of us working together, even when we don’t necessarily agree, we can accomplish our goal of providing a high-quality of education while keeping everyone safe and healthy. If you ever have any comments or concerns, please feel free to call or stop in.
Stay Cossack Strong
Travis Engen, Superintendent