August 26, 2020
Good Evening Students, Staff, Families and Community,
Welcome back to learning Borderites! Although this year did not start off with the sounds of children squealing with excitement as they passed my window this morning, or kids pouring off the buses, greeting their friends and classmates, it was still a great day. It was great, because we as a community are coming together to embrace the process of learning remotely, to support one another and to show grace and patience.
As is the case every new school year, on every first day, there were a few bumps in the road, and we’ve worked with those of you we have heard from to do our best to iron those issues out. Please continue to keep the lines of communication open, with your teachers, administrators, and with our district office staff, so that we can continue our collaborative problem solving efforts.
If you haven’t seen it yet, I encourage you to visit the new section of our website for the 2020-2021 school year. We are continuing to load content, literally almost around the clock, as we receive suggestions and comments from both staff and families. Please know we are listening to your feedback and working as rapidly as possible to produce the content you are seeking.
I encourage you to review a section that was added today for Remote Learning Resources and Responsibilities. With this new fully digital platform of learning comes the even more critical component of preparing our students to be responsible digital citizens. Any actions constituting harassment, intimidation or bullying, including cyberbullying, hate mail, defamation, discriminatory jokes, remarks are deemed unacceptable use by School District Policy and Procedure 2022. We have high expectations for all students and staff of the Blaine School District in our learning environments whether they are in the building or in a virtual setting. We expect the image displayed on the screen and/or within the visual frame to meet the same expectations of an in-person classroom environment. I suggest families read through this section of the website and take the time to have conversations around the topic, so all students can contribute to a respectful, compassionate and inclusive online community within their classrooms.
I would like to thank everyone who has reached out with feedback, both the good and the bad, because it all helps us to ensure we do better tomorrow than we did today. That remains my commitment to you. May we continue to elevate one another and rise to the greatness within.
It’s a great night to be a Borderite, and, as always, a great night to be your Superintendent.
With Gratitude,
Dr. Christopher Granger, Superintendent
Every Student, Every Day. In a New Way!