April 2, 2020
Hello Dunham Families,
I hope that this message finds you and your family safe and healthy. As you may have recently heard, Dunham School District will continue with distance learning for the reminder of the school year with the continued safety and health of our students, staff, families and community as our top priority. This decision was made after receiving direction from Governor Newsom, State Superintendent Thurmond, and in consultation with the Sonoma County Office of Education and the Sonoma County Health Officer.
This means Dunham School District’s on-site classes will continue to be suspended for the remainder of the school year and all instruction will be done via distance learning. I know this is difficult for everyone. Schools are the center of our communities and it is disheartening to think of our classrooms and playground empty for the next two months. Please know that our amazing teachers are working endlessly to provide students with meaningful instruction. I was so impressed with how quickly they rose to the task of distance learning. Their efforts, flexibility and can-do attitude while they mobilized, planned, and now regularly support distance learning has been nothing short of spectacular. I can honestly share that they have each one of your children on their minds and are constantly thinking of ways to best meet their needs.
Parents, I know this is all new to you as well. The situation is not easy for you. I thank you for your flexibility, understanding, and support in launching this process and refining it. There will be a learning curve for all. It is important that your child completes as much of the assignments provided by the teacher as possible. With that being said, we acknowledge that each child and each home is a little different. All we ask is that you do the best you can do, that is enough. There may be times when you might need to take a break from the schoolwork for the day, and that is all right. We understand that not everyone is going to be able to perfectly replicate a classroom of 25 fourth graders at their kitchen table. Your best is good enough; do not add stress where it is not necessary. We are in this together and are here to support our families. Please email your teacher with your questions.
We will do our best to provide you with continued educational opportunities. We wish to
stay connected to our students and the teachers are very dedicated to making this
happen.
I want to remind everyone that there are several community options for meals for any child ages 0-18. You can get these curbside meals Mondays through Fridays, 11:00AM-1:00PM at:
Rancho Cotati High School – 5450 Snyder Lane
Technology Middle School – 7165 Burton Avenue
Lawrence Jones Middle School – 5154 Snyder Lane
Other cities like Sebastopol, Santa Rosa, and Petaluma are offering similar programs. Please call the Dunham School Office if you would like more information.
As we receive any additional news or updates from the County or State we will update you.
Stay safe Dunham Dragons – we miss you so much.
Daniel Hoffman
Superintendent/Principal
Dunham School District
