Reopening Note from our High School Director

July 20, 2020

Dear Families,

Please let me thank you for your support and understanding as we, across the globe and in our community, responded to the unexpected invasion of COVID-19 in March 2020. I am very proud of the way our students, parents, staff, and community responded to the demands we were faced with to protect everyone as we continue to educate. As the incoming director of Pacific Community Charter High School, I am energized and deeply committed to making a positive difference in the lives of your children and our school education.

As you know, there continues to be concerns and questions related to how schools plan to reopen safely in August 2020. We want to reach out to you to let you know what we are doing in our school. While we are in the business of educating, our first priority is the safety of our students and staff. Be assured that we have been working diligently on our PCCS 2020-2021 Reopening Plan. We must be proactive and prepared during these ever-changing times to continue to educate our students. As circumstances change, we will be prepared to make decisions related to the health and safety of our students and staff.
In collaboration with Mendocino County Office of Education, we are working on these 2 scenarios:

1. Full-time distance learning(DL): Families and students will be expected to fully participate and attendance will be tracked. This option may be available to families on an individual basis regardless of other options being implemented in the fall.
2. Hybrid model: A combination of in-class instruction and DL, following up-to-date CDC and County health guidelines. This option would include partial day and/or partial week attendance on campus. 

What we know is that school will reopen in fall and that Distance Learning will be a component to ensure safety while learning. Therefore, we are focusing on Professional Development for teachers, students, and families while exploring how to deliver engaging quality content and enrichment virtually, as well as reinforcing our strengths as a school. Our school-wide Reopening Plan addresses the specifics of our hygiene protocols and we will share the plans at our Governance Council Meeting on August 5th, 5:30PM. We are also planning on having a Family Forum for parents and students on August 12th, 5:30PM. Instructions for the virtual meetings will be emailed to our families.

I encourage our parents to frequently visit our webpage and follow our Facebook page for updated and accurate information. Our priority is to keep everyone safe while not making life more difficult for our parents. Each family situation is uniquely different. We fully understand your varied concerns about health and safety, distance learning, the importance of face-to-face instruction, and all of the other unexpected consequences of not being in the traditional school setting. As we move forward with innovative methods for education, we are also taking into consideration that we have medically compromised families. Parents of students or family members with a higher risk of severe illness can contact me directly. Thank you for your continued support and positivity as we strive to do what is best for ALL of our students, staff and community during these challenging times.

Sincerely,

Michele Taylor-Jones, Director
mtaylorjones@pacificcharterschool.org
707-882-2298