Dear Darrell Lynn Hines Academy Families,
Greetings everyone! The DLH Academy team of educators would like to thank you for diligently teaming up with us to support our youngest learners. We appreciate the efforts that have gone into staying connected, adjusting when necessary, and working to meet the current demands of supporting the children during this challenging time. While students and families may experience varying levels of success, all efforts toward “making it happen” for our children continue to be shouted out by our community! The commitment to never quit, refuse failure, and to “make it work” for our children, whether we must take the long way or the short way, is amazing! Our parents and community partners are front-line workers for our children!
At this time, we would like to announce the next phase of school planning. DLH Academy plans to gradually return to face-to-face instruction as safely as possible for our students and staff. DLH Academy has drafted a safety plan that has been approved by the Milwaukee Health Department. In addition to the safety practices included in that plan, we have taken extensive measures to fortify our building against foreign agents.
- The entire building has been treated professionally with anti-virus sealant
- A state-of-the-art air infiltration system has been installed to ensure clear air
- Touchless faucets will be updated (see COVID-19 Addendum, posted on our website for a complete description of daily safety measures).
- Social distancing, wearing of masks, and wellness checks will be conducted daily
- A portion of the student body will be allowed to remain virtual, ensuring small class sizes
Students who participate in face-to-face instruction will engage in learning activities in the building four days a week. On Wednesday’s, all students will remain virtual so that deep cleaning of the building can take place once a week.
The gradual return to face-to-face instruction will begin with families who communicated a preference to return to school during the hybrid phase before February 1st. These families will receive a letter confirming their choice with a start date for their child to return to school as well as instructions for extended care instructions as applicable. Families who elected to remain virtual, and families who were undecided at the time of the survey, will continue to receive virtual instruction until further notice. Once the hybrid model has been initialized, and new face-to-face routines have been successfully implemented, participation in face-to-face learning will be expanded. Note: in accordance with federal mandates, all students in grades 3rd through 8th will be required to take the State Forward Exam at school. A rotation of on-site learning for students who chose to remain virtual in those grades that will be tested, will be established and families will be notified of their assigned testing days during the months of April and May.
We are excited to invite our early elementary students K4, K5, and middle school age group, grades 6th through 8th, to hybrid learning on April 12th. Grades 1st through 5th will join the hybrid participation model on April 19th. We look forward to supporting students as they work to navigate new in-school norms while appropriately social distancing. Teaching teams will work to maintain the schedules to which students have become accustomed while in virtual learning. We are confident that the cooperation and guided learning that will take place during the hybrid experience will help all students to build confidence and stronger work habits that will support them with short term goals as well as high school preparation goals. Rest assured, whether your student remains virtual or participates in learning activities in the building, our team will make sure student goals are met.
As DLH Academy opens its doors during the second semester, we acknowledge that returning to fact-to-face instruction includes a level of risk, in contracting Covid-19 or other strands of the flu virus. Though the risk has been significantly lowered since the initial closure, we further acknowledge that pre-existing health conditions may cause some families to endure greater risk than others when in populated areas. As such, families have the option to decide to continue to participate in virtual learning until they are confident that conditions are safe for their family. Further, as bus transportation cannot be managed safely at this time, it will not be offered during the 2020-2021 school year. Early drop off and after school activities are available for families who indicated a need for the service. We are excited about what we plan to offer and know that this is an opportunity to provide services after school that some families have previously requested. We are truly excited about what will be offered to the students after school!
Please continue to keep contact information updated and check the DLH Academy web page frequently for updates during this transition. Thank you again for your partnership and trust regarding the education of our most precious citizens!
Stay Safe,
Lois Fletcher
Principal DLH Academy