Good evening students and parents! Whew! Although this school year has not ended the way we had planned, we did it the Pampa Way and more importantly, we did it together! The connections, commitment, relationships, and trust we developed together during this difficult time will be some of the unforeseen benefits that come from this otherwise global crisis.
We thank you teachers, parents, care-givers, students, leaders, essential workers, and the numerous individuals and organizations in our community that worked tirelessly and compassionately over the past 9 weeks to ensure that we were meeting the needs of our school and community! I have always been proud of our community, but as I reflect on our collective Covid experiences, I have never been more #PampaProud than I am today! We are so blessed!
Summer School Update
THANK YOU for the feedback and information you provided through our summer school survey. We are finalizing the programs that we will offer and will get registration information out to parents and students over the next 2 weeks. Some of our programs will be only for identified students while others will be open for enrollment. Please know that for the open programs, space will be limited due to restrictions and we will fill those spots on a first-come, first- serve basis. Be on the lookout for our registration information after Memorial Day.
Additionally, we are combing through the pages of summer school guidance and restrictions on face-to-face summer programs. We will be publishing and communicating those as we begin summer programs as well. We thank you in advance as we work our way through the myriad of changes and accommodations we will be making with health and safety in mind. Our summer school programs will provide us the opportunity to test our procedures and protocols as we prepare for opening up in August. Again, we do not yet know what August will look like, but we are planning for the continuum of possibilities.
Campus School Facilities to Open and Extra-Curricular Update
Our campuses will open to summer staff beginning May 26th with health screening and protocols in place to ensure the safety of our staff. Additionally, visitors will not be permitted into the building without screening and/or an appointment. If you need to visit one of our campuses, please call the main campus phone number to receive further instructions.
However, we may be able to open up our outside facilities (track and fields) but no sports or related activities of any UIL program can be held on our facilities until further notice. We are hoping to receive information from UIL by June 2, 2020. We are working on clarification from the Governor’s office and TEA on the possibility of opening our outdoor facilities to the public (tennis, track for walking, etc.). Since the number of people in a group is still limited to no more than 4-5 and from the same household, we are seeking guidance on the do’s and don’ts. Please know that it is our desire to open our facilities to our public as soon as allowable and as soon as that can be done safely. Stay tuned for more information on this soon.
What will school be like in the 20-21 school year?
I am receiving questions and inquiry from parents, community members, and students about how school will look in August. The short answer is… “We really don’t know yet.” However, we are working with numerous entities including the Texas Education Agency, the CDC, local health authorities, the Department of Health and Safety, the Texas Safety Center, as well as with other school district leaders from all over the state, nation, and in some cases, the world. We have several people working on possible re-entry plans for August and we will be sharing that information and the progress our teams are making throughout the summer. We will also be sending out surveys asking for your input, feedback, and thoughts as we develop our plans!
Our Board of Trustees will be discussing possible modifications to our 2020-2021 school calendar next week. Right now, we are not changing the start or end dates, but we are considering ways to ensure that we have mechanisms in place to recoup lost instructional time if needed due to outbreaks and spontaneous short-term school closures. Whatever our future looks like for 20-21, we will continue to work together as a community to not just survive—but to thrive!
For the most up to date information, please continue to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and visit our Updates page on our Website. As always, we want you to know that we are here for you! If you have questions or need assistance, please email us at pampaisdinfo@pampaisd.net or give us a call at 669-4700.
We will be posting updates throughout the summer so please continue to follow us and be on the lookout for important information and opportunities to provide input and feedback!
Dr. Tanya Larkin, Superintendent
Published on 05/21/2020
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