Hello Wildflower Community-
After much thought and consideration, the Wildflower board of directors and administration
have decided to open the school year with a distance learning model. This decision did not
come easily, and we recognize the impacts that a distance learning model may have on some
students and families. Safety for the entire Wildflower community is paramount. At this time,
with rising COVID-19 cases in our county, we believe that the most responsible way to open
school is through distance learning.
We all would prefer a full return to school and we hope that distance learning is a short-term
measure. As such, have developed a re-opening plan that includes three phases. The phases
include:
- Phase 1: Distance Learning
- Phase 2: Hybrid or blended model
- Phase 3: Full return to school
Criteria for moving through the phases is being finalized and will be available to you in the near
future. As we make the determination of when to move to the next phase, the board of
directors, administration, and staff will consider multiple measures, including criteria from the
Center for Disease Control, advisories from the State of California and the California
Department of Education, as well as rates of infection within Butte County. We will monitor the
COVID-19 landscape on a rolling two-week basis and use all available data to inform our
movement through the re-opening phases. The Wildflower community must remain flexible as
we may need to pivot between plans.
During the initial school closure in March, we had very little time to prepare for distance
learning. While our teachers did a great job, under short notice, we do recognize the need to
improve our distance learning practices. The following are a few of the improvements:
- A unified platform for distance learning called Canvas. The internet-based platform will
be used for all of our classrooms, intervention and social-emotional services. This online
platform will be the one stop shop for all things distance learning, including live
interactions between teachers and students. Parents and students will be offered
training.
- Daily (five days per week), direct instruction from classroom teachers.
- Increased training for teachers, students and parents. The first week of school will be
devoted to training for parents and students.
- Increased accountability measures and assessments, including daily and weekly logs.
- Increased social-emotional and intervention support.
- Increased opportunities for socialization. We are exploring the options of small group PE and “recess” on site or at local outdoor space.
Our staff is working diligently to prepare distance learning curriculum that is based on the
Wildflower philosophy to the fullest extent possible.
A virtual Town Hall meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, July 29 at 4:00 PM. We will discuss
reopening plans in a more in-depth manner and address any questions you may have. Please
look for a Zoom invite to our town hall in the near future.
Thank you for your continued patience and support of Wildflower. We hope that this message
finds your family healthy and well.
Tom Hicks
Director