​This school year CUSD #4 will be renewing E-Learning Days in place of Emergency Days in the event we have school closures due to weather or other issues. Information on the E-Learning Days is available on our website at www.cusd4.com or you may contact your building administrator. Included in our continued implementation of the E-Learning Days we will provide access for all students and that the specific needs for all students are met and contain provisions designed to reasonably and practicably accomplish the following:
 

• Ensure and verify at least 5 clock hours of instruction or school work
• Ensure access from home or other appropriate remote facility for all students participating, including computers, the Internet, and other forms of electronic communication that must be utilized in the proposed program
• Ensure that non-electronic materials are made available for students participating in the program who do not have access to the required technology or to participating teachers or students who are prevented from accessing the required technology
• Ensure appropriate learning opportunities for students with special needs
• Monitor and verify each student's electronic participation
• Address the extent to which student participation is within the student's control as to the time, pace, and means of learning
• Provide effective notice to students and their parents or guardians of the use of particular days for e-learning
• Provide staff and students with adequate training for e-learning days' participation
• Ensure that all teachers and staff who may be involved in the provisions of e-learning have access to any and all

hardware and software that may be required for the program

• Ensure an opportunity for any collective bargaining negotiations with representatives of the school district's

employees that would be legally required, and including all classifications of school district employees who are
represented by collective bargaining agreements and who would be affected in the event of an e-learning day

• Review and revise the program as implemented to address difficulties confronted
• Ensure that the protocol regarding general expectations and responsibilities of the program is communicated to

teachers, staff and students

There have been many articles and newscasts lately about the start of the COVID19 pandemic. These have been mostly political and mainly divisive in nature. It seems the main point has been to point fingers or lay blame. That is not what this is about. What I would like to do is look forward by looking back. 
Nearly a year ago in March of 2020, Friday the 13thto be exact, we received the news from the Governor late that afternoon we would be closing school for two weeks to decrease the potential of community spread. Shortly thereafter we were informed the likelihood of returning to school for the remainder of the school year was very slim. Looking back, what happened next was nothing short of miraculous. In the span of a few short days our school transitioned normal everyday coming to school, playing sports, senior trip, graduation, etc. … to a totally different reality. We began remote learning…which has become almost a four-letter word (yes, I know there are more than four letters…but you understand what I am saying). The spring of 2020 was truly more of “survival mode” than anything else in more ways than one. How many of you were going store to store trying to find toilet paper?  What we also remember is what we lost… so many traditional memories were taken away. We saw sports seasons ended or not even begun. Prom…. maybe if you snuck over the state line. Graduation… Can you say virtual? Can you say week long so every senior and their family could come and take part in putting together our ceremony? The end of the school year came and went. But did it? Was there an ending to the year or did it seem to just fadeaway into a continual lockdown? 
Looking back, we also saw handwashing, social distancing, and masks become part of our reality. We have always known that washing hands was good for personal hygiene and reducing the spread of viruses. Typically, we would get on our students about washing their hands after using the restroom. Now most people wash their hands 8-9 times on average per day.  Social distancing… we only thought of that when you had a “close-talker” who invaded your personal space. Now it is 6ft!!! MASK… definitely a four-letter word. I am NOT going to say any more about masks because everything has been said …the good, the bad and the ugly… about masks. 
Coming back to school this year we had protocols for taking temperatures, riding buses, plexiglass dividers, sharing equipment, sanitizing anything and everything, PPE, hand sanitizers, and the list goes on. But we did this so we could have our students in-person and learning. Contact tracing and quarantining became a daily occurrence for what seemed months. All of this we did and much of it we continue to do. Now we are seeing rapid changes allowing more flexibility and the return of extracurriculars…with limits. 
None of what I just looked back on could have happened without some very hard work and dedication from many, many people; bus drivers, para professionals, custodial and maintenance staff, cooks and kitchen staff, secretaries, school nurse and social worker, teachers, administrators, and board members working together with one aim in mind. We all wanted to keep Unity Schools open for our families. So many helped when others couldn’t. Teachers doing extra duties like subbing during their prep, serving food during breakfast and lunch, supervising students after school, etc. If we needed help, someone was there to help. Para professionals taking temps on the bus during the early morning. Secretaries have been the main source of contact for our parents who call. They have done such a wonderful job handling all that has been thrown at them. Our kitchen staff has worked shorthanded dealing with meals here at school or being sent home. The list goes on and on. I know I cannot mention everyone, but everyone has helped make it work. 
By the way, did I mention we completed a new elementary addition and upgrade to the existing facility enlarging the kitchen, offices and classrooms and adding a new gym.  We did a district energy lighting project as well. All of this was done simultaneously while handling an ongoing pandemic. 
Looking back, it also would not have happened without the support of our students and their families. They have done everything we have asked them and more, beginning with a delay to in-person learning for the start of our school year waiting for the completion of our elementary project. They followed all the protocols put in place. They adapted to a different school schedule. Parents brought their students to school when we did not have enough bus drivers to cover all our routes due to quarantining. They have dealt with quarantines and remote learning of their own kids when needed. Parents and families have had to watch from afar as their children go through school and limited activities using Zoom, Facebook Live, or YouTube. 
Looking forward I could not but look back and realize all the “silver-linings” we were able to find during the past year. Leading during these challenging times has not been easy but necessary. It was necessary to make decisions that often would not be popular. It was necessary to make decisions that caused disappointment. It was necessary to make decisions based upon what is best for our students and our school. As a leader I often pointed out the “silver-linings” we found during the past year. I wanted us to focus on the positives we were seeing. To be honest with you, there were many silver-linings even with all the loss of life, sickness, quarantining, missed events, isolation and depression we have heard about or even experienced. These cannot be discounted or ignored as they are a part of what we have gone through. But we are a strong and resilient people. Throughout all of this we have seen a rejuvenation of the sense of community and togetherness that had gotten lost in a fast-paced world. Even when we were apart, we were together. We saw teachers working and collaborating more than ever before. We saw families working with their kids and the schools trying to make things work. People helping people. Volunteers hosted food banks and drive throughs, delivering meals and supplies, checking on neighbors. People helping people. Everyone has tried to be as creative as they could to keep us together. 
Which brings me to now…looking forward. Looking forward it is my hope that we continue with many of the positives we discovered…the silver linings. We are not through the pandemic, but we are looking forward. We are looking forward to the experiences we took for granted. We are looking forward to being able to provide for all of our students and staff a sense of reality which feels right and feels good. There are many changes that are happening and we will continue to work to communicate them to you as quickly as we can once we have put into place the best plan for Unity Schools. Looking forward it is my hope that we can build upon the sense of community and togetherness we saw this past year. I say this knowing it will take all of us to get to a point where we are looking back because we have moved so far forward. 
Thank you to everyone!

We have kicked off our second semester and I am happy to share we have had very little spread of Covid-19. The first semester everyone worked together with the goal of maintaining in-person learning. We were very fortunate and only experienced one instance where we had to go remote due to lack of kitchen personnel. We also had a couple of times where we could not run a bus route due to lack of drivers. But, all in all, we were able to be creative and work through it. 
Covid-19 has impacted all of differently. We have seen the loss of loved ones to some individuals barely having any symptoms. Some parents who have lost their jobs or had hours cut due to businesses being shut down. Some parents have been working from home because their business required them to do so. Students have had to adjust to a different school schedule that is more abbreviated. Teachers have had to also adjust and reevaluate what specific skills or content really needs to be taught. We have some students learning from home but the overwhelming majority have chosen in person learning. This has brought another layer of challenge for teachers as they navigate between in-person learning and remote teaching. Extracurricular activities which often drive the atmosphere of the school have been almost non-existent. So many students benefit from these sports teams and organizations and are an integral part of providing an education for the whole child. 
On top of all of this we have seen so much social unrest in our country these past few months. I will not make a political statement other than faith, family and friends are the most important aspects of our lives. We as educators have a duty to provide an education for our students which provides them the ability to look at and understand the world in which they live; to critically think and problem solve as they are faced with so many narratives these days. It is not our job to persuade or indoctrinate children. It is my hope we give our students what they need to be productive and prosperous citizens. 
My initial thoughts when I began writing this was one of being hopeful. I am hopeful we will continue with in-person learning through the continued health protocols of mask wearing, handwashing, and social distancing. I further hope with the help of the vaccine release we will see an even better protection against the virus. This I hope all leads to opening up not only our schools more, but our economy so our families are able to better provide for themselves. The movement to a more open school will also allow for students to reengage in extracurricular activities which has been shown to improve attitude and performance.
Thank you to our students, staff, families and community for your continued support. We are starting this second semester off hopeful...but are goal is to not only remain hopeful, but thankful for what we have been able to achieve with all the challenges we have faced.  #UnityPride #CommUnity 

​To my students,
 
I have been very busy making sure I am taking care of all the business of the school that I have lost touch with taking care of the business that means the most to me…YOU! I know there have been many posts on social media about how this is affecting all of you. Some are very good and very true. I wanted to reach out to all of you though and say I miss you. I miss you in your classes, at recess, at lunch, in the halls… just stopping by to say hi or get a snack from my office. I love it when I walk the elementary hallway and you come up and say “Hello Mr. Widdle!” I know the “R” sound is tough for some…but it makes me smile.
 
To say we understand what you are giving up is an understatement. Seniors who were looking forward to so many things and the uncertainty of if you will get to have your Prom or graduation is heartbreaking for you. Athletes and fine art students who are missing your sports seasons, art shows, music concerts…it is tough. All of our students who love coming to our Unity Schools have lost a major part of their lives and routine. What comes to my mind is the learning you are missing out on as well. We are doing our best at this point to try and deliver educational opportunities for you, but nothing can replace being in the classroom with your teacher!
 
But, as we continue to deal with the COVID-19 virus and its impact on the wellbeing of our local, state, national and global community, the safety and wellbeing of everyone is our top priority. It cannot be business as usual. But as we transition to this new operating environment, you, our students who depend on us for learning, discovery, and engagement can have confidence that we are preparing to conduct business as unusual. We are finding ways for our Unity family to continue to learn, while also keeping themselves and their friends and neighbors safe. In this time when we MUST prioritize social distancing, we are also keeping our Unity family close to our heart. Many of our staff are sending out resources and stories we hope will lift your spirits, inspire your curiosity, and remind you of the resiliency and flexibility we all have.
 
Things may get worse before they get better, but the Unity Schools family is here and will always be here to provide all we can to you! I met yesterday with some of our staff and as we were parting for them to go home to their families, we all paused and prayed together. The prayer went to the heart of the matter asking for strength and guidance through these ever-changing and challenging times. It brought tears to some of our teacher’s eyes for they do truly want only the best for all of you. I echo that sentiment. As I said…I miss you and wish only the best for all of you.
 
Stay safe and stay healthy! Together, our Unity family will get through this!
 
Scott D. Riddle, Superintendent Unity Schools