Dear Stevens Forest Families,

I hope that each of you is doing well despite the changes in routines that we are all learning to navigate. As our superintendent, Dr. Martirano, has shared over the last several days, these are most certainly uncharted waters for all of us.  As your principal, it has been very difficult to be away from the children and dedicated staff at Stevens Forest who are my reason for going in to work each and every day. I want to commend our Custodial staff who have been hard at work to clean our school in light of the coronavirus closure.  In addition, the Food and Nutrition Services staff have been involved in the provision of thousands of meals so far this week at various sites.  Please continue to follow the school system's daily updates and know that Mrs. Carter and I are available during this closure to answer any questions or address needs.  Both of us are working remotely during the closure.

Although 'at home' learning is not a requirement, please remember that HCPSS has provided some resources for families to use as a guide to assist children at home. Please visit the HCPSS Coronavirus Webpage for information and updates. In addition, please consider any of the following:

• Reading a book and having a face time book talk with a friend/relative
• Writing a letter to someone who might be isolated during this time: an elderly relative, someone in the hospital, a member of the military, a friend who might not have siblings at home.
• Accessing DreamBox or Typing Agent through HCPSS.me (your children have passwords). Accessing additional content practice through your child's teacher's Canvas Page
• Taking a walk or hike outside and playing 'I Spy" type games, playing with sidewalk chalk, or any other outdoor activity where 'social distance' can be honored.
• Playing board games inside with family
• Cooking, cleaning, doing crafts, preparing for summer planting

You can also gather additional ideas from the web, including this article from Scholastic. There are so many ideas, the key is finding the right ones for your family. It is not easy trying to navigate this new normal with the responsibilities that exist as parents. Hopefully some ideas will spark a thought for how you will plan for each of the next days.

I encourage you all to read Dr. Martirano's daily digest emails, where he provides us with updates related to the closure of schools.  The HCPSS website remains the best source of information for what is taking place and to keep abreast of any new information that may be announced.  

As always, but now more than ever, please do not hesitate to reach out to me if you want to connect, have a question, or have something to share.  I look forward to seeing everyone again in person soon, but in the meantime, take care of yourselves, the children, and our community.

Sincerely,

Joy B. Smith, Principal