Ready, Set, Take a few breaths....

Spring Break. What a great opportunity for a pause and a time to quickly reflect on how to end the year strong and make the most out of the last weeks we have with our students. And then #coronavirus changes all of those plans.

I don't know about you, but I have THOROUGHLY enjoyed some of the memes I've seen out there... This one *might* be my favorite!!

Humor is definitely the way I handle tough situations. We are in a tough situation right now. We have worked so hard with our students all year, and now we have to be away from them for a few weeks with all of the uncertainty that surrounds us. By nature, we are a profession of planners. Spring Break is one of those times that we relax and unwind, all the while still making plans in the back of our heads for the weeks ahead at school.

So many of our teachers have already gone into planning mode because it's what we know and it's what we do. Planning helps us have control over a situation that is anything but normal. Planning helps us feel connected to our students, because in the end, that's who we do all of our work for (yes, I ended that sentence with a preposition)!

To all my fellow planners, I see you. I hear you. And I'm asking you to take a pause in your thoughts. There are so many aspects to the work we are about to do; so much is changing and so much is unknown. Like Mrs. Dowdy said, we have been planning at the district level for learning opportunities for our students in these uncertain times. We will not start with learning on Monday, March 23. Teachers will be given time to take care of what they need to AFTER Spring Break. No decisions have been made about what that time/space looks like yet because of the ever-changing restrictions. We will continue to make the best decisions for our students, families and staff.

Here's what comforts me and guides me through the days: We are #TeamHays - we work hard and support each other EVERY day for ALL of our students. This new challenge will be no different. We will walk together through these new times, supporting our students, families and fellow staff members to the best of our abilities. You will be supported throughout this journey. We will all learn and grow, as uncomfortable as it may be, and we will come out stronger than before. We will take care of each other and lend a helping hand whenever possible, from a safe distance of course ;)