Solon Salutes: May 15, 2020
SOLON SALUTES
Check out our 2nd week of the MHS Senior Spotlight!
Check out our 1st week of the MHS Senior Spotlight!
RESOURCES DURING COVID-19
SENIOR NEWS:
If you are not receiving separate emails from me specific to Senior Updates, please send your email to reneed@mpsvt.org so we can get you on the email communication regarding graduation. We don't want to miss anyone!
On May 8th, Vt. Secretary of Education, Dan French, stated that end-of-year events are limited to no more than 10 people at a time. With that information, we will begin to tailor our graduation ceremony, using student and parent voice, to make this happen in the best way possible.
Here is the updated memo as of 5/15 from the state with guidelines for end-of-year events.
Here is the updated memo as of 5/15 from the state with guidelines for end-of-year events.
DISTANCE LEARNING and COMMUNICATION:
As we continue to teach and learn from a distance, we recognize that our students may be having varied challenges accessing school right now. It is essential that the lines of communication stay open so that we may support as needed. We want students to stay engaged, and we'd love for them to stay connected to school and on track...if they can. If they can't, and this is all too much, please reach out to your student's guidance counselor and/or teachers to discuss what we can do to support your student's circumstances. You can email me directly (reneed@mpsvt.org), and I can forward your email to the appropriate person if necessary or you can call 225-8010 which is my direct line. I'm here for you, for our students, and I know our teachers feel the same.
As we continue to teach and learn from a distance, we recognize that our students may be having varied challenges accessing school right now. It is essential that the lines of communication stay open so that we may support as needed. We want students to stay engaged, and we'd love for them to stay connected to school and on track...if they can. If they can't, and this is all too much, please reach out to your student's guidance counselor and/or teachers to discuss what we can do to support your student's circumstances. You can email me directly (reneed@mpsvt.org), and I can forward your email to the appropriate person if necessary or you can call 225-8010 which is my direct line. I'm here for you, for our students, and I know our teachers feel the same.
- Drivers Education: We are still awaiting guidance from the Secretary of Education as to how we can complete these courses for those already enrolled.
- Last day for 9th-11th graders is June 16th. Teachers will soon begin to communicate with students and families who are at risk for getting an INC for this semester. We understand that there are a number of extenuating circumstances, and we always welcome families and students to communicate with us (guidance counselors and administration) so that we can collaborate around a plan moving forward.
In the next week or so, we will be sending out a survey to all students and parents to share their experiences of what worked during this time, what didn't work, and what we should think about in the future as it relates to supporting students and engaging them in learning. Student and parent feedback will be integral as we start to plan for next year.
END-OF-YEAR EVENTS:
A group of students and staff members have been meeting regularly over the past two weeks trying to make sure our end-of-year events celebrate our seniors as best we can. As you know, last Friday we received notice from the State that we would need to limit these celebrations to 10 people. With that information, we are restricted in what we can offer. It has been very important to the committee that we hear from our students. We sent out a survey a few weeks ago, and many students were interested in being able to still walk across the stage; however, a slightly larger percentage believed a good option would be a virtual ceremony based on our circumstances and the guidelines for social distancing. Well, we're going to have both! The adults on the committee are 110% committed to making this graduation as amazing as it can be for our Class of 2020. And we're on it! See below for all the details:
- Graduation: The official graduation date is set for June 12th at 6 pm. That will still continue to be our official date and time, but it will look much different. On the week of June 1st, we will be scheduling students and families to join us for an opportunity to walk across the stage. Please be on the lookout mid-week next week as we will be sending out a scheduler (like parent conferences) to get your Senior scheduled to walk across the stage that week of June 1st from 2pm-6 pm. In an effort to make graduation feel as "real" as possible, we are working with ORCA Media to support these efforts. ORCA will be working alongside us to record each of our students walking across the stage just as they would in a traditional ceremony(but without the large audience). Families of no more than 8, including the graduate, will be invited to attend this quick moment of celebration. These will be 10-minute opportunities to be announced, walk across the stage, take pictures, and get back in the car(s) to exit. During that same week of June 1, we will be recording student and staff speeches and our tradition of Sail On Solons. At the end of all of these happenings, we will put together a beautiful video, including all Seniors walking, and then ORCA will broadcast the video on June 12th at 6 pm. It will also be on YouTube Live. I will send all details out ahead of time.
- Caps and Gowns: We are planning to have a distribution of caps and gowns the week of May 25th. Once we have a confirmed date for delivery, we will confirm dates for pick up.
- Senior Spotlight: Check out our Week 2 Senior Spotlight! Students, if you haven't signed up yet, we'd love to have you join! You can fill out this form and you'll be in one of our weekly Senior Spotlights. Before the end of the school year, we will compile all of these spotlights and send you one video of all! And in case you missed it, here's Week 1 Senior Spotlight.
- Yard Signs: Teachers and staff members are heading to our Seniors' homes on Monday for the delivery of our Class of 2020 yard signs. If you happen to see your student's teacher and can take a picture, we'd love to highlight our teachers and students sharing a moment. You can send those pictures to me directly. All yard signs will be delivered between 11 am and 5 pm, so be on the lookout!
- Banner Installation: Senior banners will be installed next week! They are done being printed and are off to be prepped for installation. I'll let you know of a date once it is confirmed!
- Awards Ceremony: Unfortunately, we will not be able to hold our annual awards ceremony, but we will still be honoring our students with a number of awards. There will be more to come on this in next week's newsletter.
- Prom: We haven't spent much time talking about this, but I have heard from a few seniors that they would be interested in a "Winter Ball/Prom" possibility at the end of 2020. We will circle back to this and get some senior feedback to see how many would be interested in coming back to MHS for their final prom.
