Hello Mitchell Families,
I'm reaching out to simply say hello and share a few updates. Amidst this time of uncertainty, I'm thinking of you all and want you to know that I'll do my very best to keep you as up to date as possible, while also doing everything I can to mobilize resources and support for our community. Additionally, I hope you've all had the opportunity to read the message from Dr. Swift. If not, I would encourage you to do so, and I've linked her message at the bottom of this communication.
I'll start by saying…THANK YOU!
Over the past week I've received many, many messages from parents and teachers who have expressed a desire to help. This is part of what makes our community so special – thank you! As we move forward, I will be calling upon many of you to do just that…help. As the Mitchell staff and I become aware of needs, I'll reach out with specifics while, of course, maintaining the appropriate level of confidentiality. If you're a family in need, please share with us and we will do our very best to help. To be sure, there will be many challenges ahead and things will certainly evolve as time goes on. Yet, I'm committed to learning each day and doing my very best to support the members of our community!
I want to specifically applaud the Mitchell teachers for pulling together on Friday to make sure that every child who attended school felt cared for, loved and reassured. Our teachers organized the day in such a way that kids had the opportunity to choose books to bring home while also gathering their things, having some fun, and saying "see you soon" to their friends and teachers. I'm very, very proud of the Mitchell teachers and honored to work alongside each of them.
Communication
I will be in frequent communication via email and twitter. I will also post all communications to the Mitchell School website. I will use this website as a "one stop shop" for information. In doing so, I'm hoping to create one, centralized location for accurate information – the hope being that you won't need to look back through emails to find anything. You can simply visit the website, click on "MITCHELL SCHOOL NEWS", and access the information via a blog format.
Classroom teachers will be in frequent communication with families as well. Over the next week, teachers will be planning and collaborating digitally to best support student learning during the closure. At first, this may simply be in the form of daily check-ins and reminders. Ultimately, communications will include more academic content as we move forward. Please be on the lookout for communication from your child's classroom teacher(s) soon!
Information on Food Sites
Finally, I know food may be a concern for many of our families. I am pleased to announced that Chartwell's is providing a breakfast and lunch package to be distributed at a variety of locations with the assistance of Durham Transportation and officers from Ann Arbor Police Department. They will distribute food through spring break on a two or three day a week schedule providing multiple meals for families. You can find more information below.
MARCH 13 MESSAGE FROM DR. SWIFT
For Now…
Please be safe, stay healthy and take care of yourself and one another. AND… enjoy this message from Mr. Culbertson!
More from me in the coming days.
Be well,
Matt
