Dear Dunham Families,
I sit at Dunham as I write this and ponder what might have been during the month of May at our school. It is sad and disheartening, yet I marvel at the resilience of our Dunham community and it makes me smile.
Over the last three months our teachers have been diligently working to meet the needs of our students. The task of distance learning was thrust on them virtually overnight and they have met that challenge admirably.
Parents, you have had to add the additional hats of classroom teacher and technology specialist along with juggling work, childcare and in many cases multiple children on multiple school schedules. You have done a great job.
I think of the happy faces of the students in the Zoom classes I have got to sit in on. I reflect on the kindness shown by students and you, our parents, during the staff appreciation parade. And just the other day, staff drove around delivering balloons, personalized lawn signs and shirts to all of our sixth graders. Are students’ smiles are contagious and heartwarming. I am continually impressed with how great of a place Dunham is. The kids, the staff and you. It all makes for a very special place to be a part of. We can and will make it through this.
As I finish my first year at Dunham, I want to thank all of you. Your courtesy, kindness, service and friendship have been greatly appreciated and I treasure the relationships I have made.
I know the question on everyone’s mind is next school year. I would like to provide you with some information about the 2020/2021 school year, along with a request that you complete two surveys to help us plan and to best meet your child/family’s needs. The first survey is about your home’s experience with distance learning. This information will help us moving forward should we ever need to move in that direction again. The second survey is our annual Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) survey that many of you have filled out in prior years. This survey help’s guide budget and program decision making for the school.
Distance Learning Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/5ZHW8BP
LCAP Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KKBJDJ6
I know there is much interest and concern in how we will open school in the fall, and how we will do so safely. Be assured we are working closely with the Sonoma County Office of Education, the Public Health Department, and County Superintendents to identify common issues and solutions to safely open schools. While we want to do everything possible to reopen our school with safety as our highest concern, school may not look like it did before the pandemic.
Our current plan is to open school on August 13, as originally planned. We may be able to bring back all students as they are with one teacher most of the day. We may need to provide a hybrid model where not all students are at school on the same day. Distance learning may be another possible option. We are working on a variety of contingency plans based on evolving information in order to offer safety and a high quality education.
I thank you for the deep commitment you are making to work in partnership with our amazing teachers, to educate your children in this difficult time. I appreciate the many ways teachers and families were able to collaborate to provide time to learn and to share together.
As plans and guidelines finalize, we will reach out and share these plans and answer questions. In addition to the two survey links there is a link to the recent budget presentation below.
Thank you again for a resilient year at Dunham. Your children are wonderful and I can’t wait to see them in person again.
Thank you in advance for filling out these important surveys.
Have a wonderful summer.
Daniel Hoffman
Superintendent / Principal
5/26/20 Budget Presentation Link: https://dunhamsd.org/2020/05/budget-presentation-may-26-2020/
