Camas Schools Update: Meals, Childcare, Graduation Requirements, Learning

Camas School District Superintendent, Dr. Jeff Snell, sent out an update today regarding the following issues as the district deals with life during the COVID-19 outbreak:

• Meals
• Childcare
• Graduation Requirements
• Learning
• Stories from Camas

Meals for children

We are providing free breakfast and lunch grab-and-go meals for all children, even if they are not yet school age, in our community. Here are the locations:

• From 9-11 AM (it was 9-10 AM, but we’ve expanded it) at Liberty and Skyridge middle schools;
• At our AM elementary school bus stops; and
• Starting tomorrow morning, buses will be parked at Dorothy Fox, Prune Hill, Grass Valley, and Woodburn from 7:45 – 8:30 AM in order to provide service to students who live in walk zones and don’t have a bus stop. 

For more information about routes, please contact our Transportation Department at 360-833-5585 between 6 AM and noon.

Providing childcare, especially for families of healthcare workers or first responders

We are working to accommodate requests for emergency childcare in the questionnaire that went out Friday.  We are also trying to plan for additional requests as healthcare workers and first responders continue their vital services in our community.  

Graduation requirements

High school students, especially seniors, have the additional pressure of meeting graduation requirements and other related activities. OSPI and the State Board of Education are working to provide statewide guidance.  We’ll share information as soon as we receive it. We want to make sure we support high school students with their concerns throughout the closure and will be sending a message to them directly later this evening. High School Student Message, 3/17: (http://bit.ly/2UcEQRm) 

Learning

During these weeks prior to spring break, teachers will be communicating with students/families with the goal of assessing student access and needs.  That information will be helpful in our planning for learning after spring break. Teachers may also be continuing any learning that was going on prior to the closure when appropriate.  

Our Story

We are launching a site that I hope can become a place to connect called Stories from Camas (http://bit.ly/39XdAx2). Stories can create opportunities for us to come together.  They allow us to share experiences, discover common ground, be curious and interested in learning more about each other.  We are in the midst of a very unusual time where we don’t get to interact with each other in the typical ways. Perhaps coming together around stories can help us all.  During our school closure, this will be a hub for our collective stories. Check it out and send me any ideas at StoriesfromCamas@gmail.com.  

Jeff Snell, Superintendent
Camas School District