Our Return to In-Person Learning Task Force met again this morning to review the new state guidance that was released after our Return Matrix was presented to the community. We recognize the challenges our families are experiencing due to the school closures and are committed to getting our children back to school as soon as possible. That being said, we also want to make sure that we do so in a manner that will not require another closure this Spring, barring of course, any major changes in the status of the pandemic and local transmission rates and risks.

Happy New Year 9-R families!

As you may know, our community transitioned to Level Orange on Friday of last week with regard to the COVID-19 impact in our community. With that change, we will look forward to elementary children returning to in-person learning next week. As per a Durango 9-R Matrix developed in conjunction with teachers and staff prior to the holidays, elementary-aged children who had been previously served five days a week may now return for in-person learning two days a week, Mondays and Tuesdays, while at Level Orange. Watch for more communications and details on this return from your child's school.

We hope this message finds you safe and healthy as we move into our winter break scheduled from December 20 to January 4. Students will resume with remote learning on January 5, 2021. We have developed a matrix that outlines what our actions will be in response to our community COVID-19 transmission rate, that aligns with the level of risk and transmission in the re-opening phase as issued by San Juan Basin Public Health (SJBPH).

As the holiday season is upon us, the Nutrition Services team is assembling 1,000 meal packets, containing 5,000 total meals, to be distributed to students on Friday, December 18, 2020. These packets include a breakfast and a lunch for 5 days, as well as recipe cards and instructions for keeping the food fresh. Extra bags are also being prepared for those identified families that regularly access meal supports but are unable to order online or pre-order.

Earlier this fall the Return to Learn task force was formed, comprising teachers and administrators from all school sites, with the purpose of reviewing the current Return to Learn 9-R Plan and making proposed changes to the plan based on the current public health situation in the area. Currently the task force is evaluating and creating the data points that will help drive the district timeline decisions for returning to in-person instruction, and the variations that will be considered in learning models and needs depending on local health data and availability of school supports and resources.

The Demons had a 0-3-1 record in State Championship games prior to Saturday. The closest they came to a Championship was in 1954 when they played in class A and were co-champions with Lamar High School. The final score of the ‘54 game was 7-7. At the time, high school football didn’t allow overtime, so the Demons ended up as Co-Champions with Lamar. The last time the Demons made it to state was in 1988 against Grand Junction, but Durango came up short, so this is the first outright championship for the Demon football team.

Thank you for your patience and perseverance as we’ve migrated to the world of online learning. We can help to answer some of the technical questions that come up with your students' itslearning accounts. Below you will find a flow chart that shows who to contact if you are having trouble with logins or accessing itslearning.

Is your student struggling with technology during remote learning? The Student Tech Help Desk is available Monday - Friday from 7:30 - 4pm to assist students with hardware support, Google account services and Google application support.

Would it be easier to help you and your student to complete your daily attendance on an app? You can download the IC Campus app to your phone or iPad and input attendance, as well as check grades and grade book updates!

How is remote learning going? Share your remote learning experiences with us every week so that we can continually refine and improve the instruction your children receive while remote. We're asking families to take the survey each Friday so that we can make adjustments early in the next school week. We're excited to hear what you have to say so we know what's going well and what we can make better.