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Weekly Update from Mr. Veit

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Good afternoon! We hope everyone is healthy and well! On behalf of the entire Joyce Kilmer staff, I would like to wish you all a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I know I said last week that my Thanksgiving gift to you all would be one less communication from me this week, but given the recent announcement that we will be fully remote until after the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Holiday, I needed to share some important information.

1. Attached you will find the December and January (up to 1/18/2021) calendars for your reference.

2. Both Joyce Kilmer and Parkview Schools will remain on an early dismissal time schedule. Because there is no need for a Wednesday deep cleaning due to the schools being closed, Wednesday will now be a full instructional day following the same early release time schedule as Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. This means from Monday through Friday (unless otherwise indicated on the district calendar) students will all be learning virtually, following their daily schedules, using early dismissal times.

Think about this as everyday (now including Wednesdays) being your virtual day if you were in the "A" or "B" group. If you were in the "D" group, nothing has changed, except for now Wednesdays are an instructional day. If you were in the "C" group, you are now fully virtual 5 days a week.

Given JK's circumstances prior to this announcement, this will simply be a continuation of what we as a school have been doing the past 2 weeks. As always, we are committed to providing the best possible instruction given the challenges we are all facing as a JK family.

The importance of the month of December in every child's life is not lost on us, and we intend to fully celebrate the holidays with our students during this month despite being all virtual. Below, please see the tentative schedule of events that are planned (and evolving) for the month of December:

TBD  - National Junior Honor Society Induction (Virtually) Time TBD
12/3 - Virtual Honor Roll Celebration (grades 6-8)  
12/4 - Virtual Honor Roll Celebration (grades 4-5) 
12/9 - Student Council Elections
12/15 - Announcement of December's KNIGHTS OF THE MONTH on the Homeroom App
12/16 - KNIGHTS OF THE MONTH Virtual Celebration
12/18 - Grade 7 and 8 Annual JEOPARDY Game (Virtually)
12/22 - Santa, Mrs. Claus, and Elves "Drive Around Town" (Tentative Date)

Again, all of the above dates are tentative and subject to change, however we are committed to keeping the students engaged and excited during this necessary time apart. Please expect further communications on these individual events.

As always, we appreciate your help, support, and kind words as we are fully aware of the difficulty and strain this presents to families. Please reach out to us and use us as resources during this time.

I am very thankful to be a part of this community, and I am very thankful that I am able to work with your children every day. It is a true honor.


Be well,
Mr. Veit