A Word from Wayne

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It’s a great day to be a Dillo! When I was in elementary school in the early seventies there was always a line for the slide at our playground. Slides were different then. They were tall, steep, straight, and fast. The shiny metal surface would heat up to about 1,000 degrees in the sunshine. It was never a good idea to try and stop on the way down. Linger too long and you might get a third degree burn, or an impatient 3rd grader might run over you. The landings could also be rough. There was usually a big divot with exposed rocks and dirt under the slide from years of activity. There was no rubberized mulch to soften the blow. You learned to land on your feet and keep moving because the next kid was coming down fast.

This year, you will hear a new term; it is called the COVID slide. It is not near as fun as the old slides but probably more dangerous. The church reference of backsliding may be a better term that simply states a person went from doing good to doing bad. They went in the wrong direction, some faster than others. The COVID slide is a term used to describe the decline in education that our students have experienced because of the pandemic lockdown and remote instruction. Some estimates show that some students could experience a full year of educational loss that may be diffcult to make up. What that means in terms of achievement is that your student who may currently be in 5th grade may be functioning at a 4th grade level. The new 5th grade material may be harder for students to grasp especially in math and sciences. Difficulties in the normal learning process will be amplified for many students. The Texas Education Agency plans on giving the STAAR test this year with no consideration for the deficiencies our children have suffered. Fair or not fair, we will be held accountable.

Our teachers are tasked with closing the gaps and taking away the slides to try and get our students caught up. We have had our first grading period, and the data shows that our students are definitely feeling the effects of the COVID slide. Our teachers and administrators are doing a phenomenal job of closing the gaps caused from remote learning and in many cases “no” learning. With that being said, we need all of our kids back to face-to-face instruction. When the 3rd grading period starts on Tuesday, November 3rd, remote instruction will no longer be an option for students attending SSISD. All students will be required to attend faceto-face, and all students will be required to wear a face covering at all grade levels. Here is our reasoning. When we have a positive COVID case at High School or Middle School, there is minimal impact to other students because of the face covering protocols in place. At the elementary school, whole classes have been sent home because of the lack of face coverings. Students that are deemed close contact must either test negative or stay home for 14 days. This is a huge burden for families with both parents who work. Good news is that across the state, schools that report positive COVID cases show that students have not contracted the virus at school. The rise of COVID-19 in our community makes this the best solution to educate our children and keep them safe. The Governor did say that children under 10 do not have to wear a mask, but he did grant school offcials the option to implement a face covering policy that fits their needs. Many parents may worry about their children wearing a face covering. But the students have adapted well, and we have had little to no anxiety with students and masks. Many students are already wearing a face covering in all our elementary grades at parental request. The kids often do better than the adults. A big welcome back to all our Dillos to face-to-face learning.

Go Dillos!