Some Gentry schools temporarily pivot to virtual instruction

GENTRY -- Due to the rising number of students and staff members who have either tested positive for covid-19 or who are in quarantine because of close contact with someone who has been infected, some Gentry schools have temporarily gone to virtual-only instruction.

The change to virtual instruction did not, at this time, affect students in the intermediate or middle schools, but students in the primary school had a two-day suspension of in-school instruction, and students in the high school resorted to virtual instruction from Thursday, Jan. 21, through Friday, Jan. 29.

The following letter was sent out to parents of Gentry students on Jan. 20.

Good morning, Parents,

As we continue to see the effects of the covid-19 virus in our community, we will be pivoting some of our campuses to virtual-only instruction for a period of time. This decision was not an easy one to make and it comes after careful consideration of the numbers of staff and students who are absent, and then consulting with the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Please review the information about each specific campus below.

Primary School (Grades K-2): Primary School will pivot to virtual-only instruction for Thursday, January 21, and Friday, January 22. Onsite instruction will resume on Monday, January 25. All Primary students will be bringing their Chromebooks home with them today. Please watch for more information from the Primary School and information through Google Classroom for specific details about how the virtual learning will be conducted.

Intermediate School (Grades 3-5): Intermediate School will continue with normal onsite instruction at this time.

Middle School (Grades 6-8): Middle School will continue with normal onsite instruction at this time.

High School (Grades 9-12): High School will pivot to virtual-only instruction beginning Thursday, January 21, through Friday, January 29. Onsite instruction will resume on Monday, February 1.

Meals will be available upon request for pivoted students. So we can have meal preparation time, this form must be completed by 8 a.m. each morning that the lunch meal is being requested for a student. Pickup location details are included on the form.

https://forms.gle/PGMFBwiCtA2uE2LL7

The GHSCC Library will be open each day for any GHSCC students who need a place to go to access technology to complete their school work.

If you have any questions, please contact your child's campus office. Thank you for your understanding during this unprecedented time. The health and safety of our students will always be our #1 priority.

Terrie Metz, superintendent, and Gentry Schools administration team