Dear colleagues,

We are facing a great many challenges lately, both individually and collectively.   

We have hazy skies to our west as fires have spread from California to Washington. We have strong storms like Hurricane Sally impacting people in the Southeast. Meanwhile, we are all continuing to be impacted by COVID-19 as the virus continues to proliferate around the United States and here in St. Paul.

Through all of this hardship, I remain optimistic and grateful. While we cannot solve all of the world’s problems ourselves, I take comfort in knowing that your work is having a positive impact on the lives of our students and our community each and every day.

I am grateful for all our staff. Our technology and student/family engagement teams for getting iPads to all of our students and supporting students as they logged into their virtual classes. Approximately 95 percent of our students have logged into their iPads during the last two weeks. That technology is essential in ensuring we are all connected while we are apart, and so our students' social, emotional and academic development continues to be nurtured in these challenging times.

I am grateful for our educators for working with us to ensure that Distance Learning offers exceptional opportunities without creating barriers or burdens for any of our students and families. That balance is reflected in the Memorandum of Understanding for Distance Learning 2.0 expectations that we reached last week.

I believe in having structured and regular times for live learning available for students and families during Distance Learning 2.0. I have received feedback regarding the great efforts by our teachers, and I've even been able to eavesdrop on a lesson or two at my house. To hear the calm and warm voice of a teacher, the laughter of students, and words of encouragement continues to fill a void felt in our school community. I truly appreciate your commitment and efforts.

Constitution Day was Wednesday, and throughout last week our students learned about that historic document and how it shapes the United States. In it is the requirement for the U.S. Census to occur every 10 years, committing to a count of every person living in the U.S. Today, that information is used to ensure our communities have all the resources they need for education, healthcare, housing, transportation and food. SPPS, in partnership with Ramsey County, plays a vital role in engaging our students and families in the Census from our classrooms to our communications to ensure all of our kids are counted.

Lastly, I feel a sense of hope as we prioritize community well-being and equity in advancing our reopening plans. I know you join me in the belief that the best place for our students and our teachers is the classroom. There are many people working on plans that will allow our early elementary learners, MLL students and students receiving Special Education services, and their educators who are ready to be back in our buildings, to return for some in-person learning. The latest county health data is going in the right direction. We are on track to provide an update on these efforts later this week.

Thank you for your student-centered efforts. The work we all do together is something we can all be proud of.

In partnership,

Joe Gothard, Superintendent