Dear Millville Families and Friends,
It has been an absolute pleasure to join the Millville Area Learning Community. I am humbled to be part of TEAM of educational professionals who are committed to ensure that the needs of ALL students are well met. Moreover, I am very excited to collaborate with a board of education, administration, faculty, staff, and community that possess a shared vision of success for their district and a commitment to continuous school improvement. Moving forward, I will strive to maintain the traditions that our Millville families have come to expect and value. Yet, I plan to collaborate with district stakeholders in order to identify every opportunity to enhance our curriculum, instructional practices, and district operations so that our students are afforded with the safest learning environment within which to learn and the progressive educational programming necessary to foster the skills needed to be successful in post-secondary contexts and in an ever-changing society.
Throughout the summer, when collaborating closely with the board of education, administration, faculty, staff, parents, and community members, the genuine concern for the safety and welfare of our students, faculty, and staff has been most readily apparent. Working TOGETHER, the district team has developed a comprehensive plan for reopening our community schools. The Millville Area Phased School Reopening Health and Safety Plan identifies the strategies, procedures, and practices which when implemented reduces the risk of COVID-19 transmission. This plan developed through collaboration identifies the mitigation strategies which will be employed across all district settings in an effort to maintain the safety and welfare of all students, faculty, and staff upon their return to school. Specifically, the plan describes the manner with which the district and its designees will implement: 1.) Social distancing to the maximum extent possible, 2.) Wearing of face coverings; 3.) Disinfecting and sanitizing protocols, and 4.) Screening of students, faculty, and staff throughout its schools to minimize the spread of COVID-19 and maintain the health and safety of its valued community.
The Millville Area Phased School Reopening Health and Safety Plan also identifies the instructional models that will be available to students upon their return to school. Recognizing the diverse attitudes that our community possesses with regards to COVID-19, the Millville Area School District has put forth a plan that affords our parents, guardians, and students with the option to choose the instructional model that is best suited to their needs. On August 31, 2020, when students return to school, they can access instruction in a variety of ways. Families may elect for their child(ren) to return to school by opting for one of the following instructional options: 1.) Traditional Instruction: Students receive instruction within their community school daily; 2.) Hybrid Instruction: Students receive face-to-face instruction within their community school 50% of the time and receive online instruction on alternating days; 3.) Synchronous Online Instruction whereby students access “real-time” online instruction via Microsoft Teams; or 4.) Asynchronous Online Instruction whereby students access “self-paced” online instruction via Millville Virtual Academy (MVA).
The Millville Area School District has undertaken many actions to prepare for the safe reopening of our community schools. The district leadership team has met exhaustively throughout the summer to review recommendations and guidance from the CDC, PaDOH, and local health agencies in order to develop appropriate operational practices that not only maintain the students’ safety, but also enable the district to provide a continuum of robust educational programming and services. Likewise, our teachers have collaborated with the leadership team to develop instructional plans that incorporate technology and online programming so that students’ needs are well met regardless of the instructional modal within which they are operating. Our custodial and maintenance staff have worked tirelessly throughout the summer to implement infrastructure enhancements throughout all district buildings such as installing desk guards on every student’s desk and dividers between restroom fixtures. Our cafeteria staff have developed new procedures and practices that will be employed when serving breakfast and lunch to students in the safest and most reasonable manner. Our transportation contractors/partners have collaborated upon new arrival and dismissal procedures as well as COVID protocols for students being transported on district-provided transportation. Our support staff has been working hard making preparations to meet the needs of the students they assist. Lastly, our business office staff and secretaries have worked exhaustively provide our families with the support and guidance necessary to navigate the decisions relative to the start of the school year.
Preparing for the forthcoming school year along with the unprecedented challenges that it presents has enabled me to recognize that our professional family possesses an unwavering commitment to OUR students. I am humbled and in awe of the manner with which everyone has offered assistance to ensure a successful reopening of schools. While the forthcoming school year presents a level of uncertainty for us all, I can assure parents, guardians, faculty, staff, and students that we will work through the challenges that we encounter TOGETHER!
For myself personally, the pandemic has taught me that my faith is STRONGER than I had imagined, that my family is STRONGER than I had imagined, that my community is STRONGER than I had imagined…I am confident that throughout this school year, our students, faculty, staff, and families will learn that they are STRONGER than they had imagined!
We are MILLVILLE and we are QUAKER STRONG!
Joseph Rasmus
Superintendent of Schools
Millville Area School District