Submitted by Greenwich Board of Education members Peter D. Bernstein (Chair) and Kathleen Stowe (Vice Chair)
While we take time to celebrate Thanksgiving holidays with our immediate families, let us pause and reflect on where we are as a school district and where we are going through these strange times. We have much to be thankful for this year.
We are very thankful that we were able to open our schools to our students this year and meaningfully improve remote learning for those who chose that option.
We are thankful for our Superintendent and her team for providing stable leadership and for the parents, teachers and community that supported these efforts.
We are also thankful for the partnership with the Greenwich Department of Health, who have been with us every step of the way. Most of all we are thankful for our students who have adapted to the new protocols and continue to bring us their excitement, energy and enthusiasm every day.
There is plenty of uncertainty in the world, but we are doing our best to ensure that quality local education is a constant. While some changes were necessary for health and safety, great strides have been made to continue to provide opportunities for our students to grow.
We learned from our early experiences this spring and we continue to adapt and improve the offering for all of our students. Beyond that, there is also a focus on supporting the social and emotional needs of all of our students.
Even in this dark hour we can begin to see the light at the end of this tunnel, with multiple vaccines on the horizon. We look forward to a return to normal with all of our students back in classrooms, on fields and participating in all of the other activities we’ve missed in the past several months.
Like the students, we truly miss being in the schools and the special energy that comes from being in a classroom where teaching and learning is happening – where teachers are making those connections and enabling the students to truly access the content.
Please be safe during this holiday season. Each of us can play a role in protecting our schools and our community.
We hope you all enjoy the holiday and we thank you for your continued support of the Greenwich Public Schools.