Spring Break Message

Written by: Dr. Monique Felder, Superintendent

Just a few weeks ago, a colleague brought me a bunch of sunny daffodils. I decided to plant some of my own to celebrate spring. As I did so, I thought of how optimistic I was about the rest of the school year and spring break.

At that point, I had no way of knowing the challenges we would soon be facing. I’ll be the first to admit these past few weeks have been HARD. But we’ve been able to work together to create a distance learning system, to make sure our families have access to nutritious meals and to respond safely to a quickly changing situation.

I also know that you may be overcoming difficult situations in your homes every day.

And yet I’m still optimistic, thanks to you. I’ve seen incredible strength, caring and understanding in our community. You’ve come together to support all our learners and one another. In a challenging time, it is beautiful to see. I know we will make it through the coronavirus crisis, together.

Spring break begins next week, and I would normally encourage families to focus on spending time together and to enjoy one another. Today, I’m still going to encourage you to do so.

From reading together to taking long walks (away from other people), there are many ways to spend time with one another, even while remaining responsible. It’s more important than ever to make sure our students aren’t spending too much time watching TV or playing video games as well. That is too easy to do when we are cooped up at home.

Finally, as we prepare for spring break, I wanted to share a few updates with you:

• Thank you for your patience, understanding and support during these unprecedented times. We know that you have many questions surrounding your child’s learning through the current May 15 school closure date. Despite all the challenges our community is facing, our students deserve the right to continue learning. We’ll provide more detailed information about the next round of remote learning opportunities after Spring Break.
• Online learning resources can be found on our website, and our up-to-date FAQ for Families is on our coronavirus information page at orangecountyfirst.com/coronavirus
• Our schools and offices are closing for spring break; office hours for teachers and staff will begin again on April 6.
• Families can call the OCS COVID-19 Call Center. The phone number for English is (919) 695–6334 and for Spanish (919) 698–8666 or email us at OCS.COVID@orange.k12.nc.us with any questions related to coronavirus during the break.
• Over Spring Break, we will be launching our new website, which focuses on better accessibility, translations and user friendliness for all our community members.

I want to thank you, one more time, for your support, your patience, your grace, and your understanding. I will continue to communicate with you in the coming weeks as the situation evolves. Remain encouraged and remember we’ll get through this together. #OCSStrong

Warmly,

Dr. Monique Felder, Superintendent