Dear TRA Families,
Phew! What a crazy start to the new year we have had. First, it was the snowpocalypse, then a burst water main (which was seven feet under one of the portables, by the way). Praise God those two are behind us now and the plumbers were able to dig the entire hole by hand. What a crazy deal.
With these interruptions to our normal schedule, plus the lost week of school we had in October due to Covid, some parents have asked if we will plan to extend the school year into the summer.
The short answer is no. We do not have any plans to extend the school year beyond the current end date of June 10th at this time. If there is one thing I can say we have learned as a result of COVID, it is the art of gracefully adjusting. Last year, we essentially had ⅔ of the number of in-person instruction days that we normally have in a school year, and we managed to finish most of our curriculum. The two disruptions we have had so far this year are nothing compared to what we faced last year (I almost want to say knock on wood, but I’m not superstitious).
With this said, we are making adjustments. For example, we have made the decision to not hold a spelling bee or speech meet for our elementary students this year. This was primarily decided as a way of giving teachers back the time they would have spent preparing for those events, enabling them to focus on their primary subjects. Likewise, we are pursuing fewer field trips this year as a way of giving back some teaching days. We are still trying to provide some fun experiences for students, but just less than we normally would.
I am confident your students will still receive a rigorous, high-quality TRA education this year despite the interruptions. Yes, we have had to adjust and cut out some things we love about our school, but on the whole, we are right where we need to be.
Please feel free to reach out with further questions.
Have a great week!
Eric
