News You Choose- Principal's Message - Monday, June 29, 2020

Good Afternoon West Potomac,

I hope this finds you doing well and enjoying your summer. This past Tuesday, the School Board provided consensus regarding our plans to return to school in the fall.  There are still many questions that have yet to be answered.  When more clarity is provided, we will provide more information to you.  For now, please see Dr. Brabrand’ s letter to the staff and community can be found here in case you missed it.  The entire presentation to the school board can be found here

Families will have the option of sending their students to school two days a week with two days a week of asynchronous instruction or opting to remain 100% virtual (4 days a week).  In both cases, Monday’s are reserved for students who may need additional help/resources and teacher planning.  Students who wish to come in for face-to-face instruction would be grouped so that each class meeting is within the guidelines and allows us to socially distance to the greatest extent possible in the classrooms.  Facilities will be working with us to look at our current school footprint, to include changes for construction and our overcapacity status, to identify classroom spaces.  

Families will be asked to select the type of learning option that best meets the needs of their family. These preferences must be collected by all families by July 10.  This deadline is crucial, please be on the lookout for this from FCPS.  Without it, we will be unable to plan accordingly.  The number of students opting for face-to-face instruction vs. virtual will drive our staffing model and our ability to design appropriate schedules for students.    

We understand that for many families this may present as a difficult decision to make. As a school, we will continue to provide as many details as we have available through communications to ensure that you feel you are able to make the most informed decision. We will be taking safety and health precautions very seriously, and I will share those measures as they unfold. 

To create a master schedule for the 2020-2021 school year based on these preferences will be a huge undertaking, and one that we have not done before. The information from the community and staff will drive all of these decisions and we will work as fast as humanly possible to get you updates as it relates to your student’s schedule. 

I thank you in advance for your continued patience and support as we continue to navigate through these new developments. 

Ms. Millard