Post Messenger Recorder -

Dear Editor,

In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, the New Glarus School Board would like to publicly thank our hard working educators for their commitment and dedication to our students.

This pandemic has changed all of our lives drastically. We are saddened by the fact that our students are missing out on activities, milestones and their normal day-to-day interactions. In effort to maintain some normalcy for our learners, our educators have worked tirelessly to bring the classrooms into our students’ homes. Teachers, educational assistants and counselors have spent many hours making connections with students though video, email, phone calls, and Zoom meetings. Our students are fortunate to have more than just the basics during this time too, including music, art, phys ed, guidance, survey, and elective courses. Additionally, the special education department is continuing to provide 1-1 therapies and services to special education students virtually during this time. The switch to virtual instruction happened quickly and we are proud of our educators for handling the change with grace and professionalism.

We are grateful that our district already had 1-1 technology available for our students prior to COVID-19, meaning that every K-12 student has a Chromebook. We are thankful for our amazing technology department that has been hard at work behind the scenes to make sure all students and educators are able to maintain their device connectivity outside of our schools.

We would also like to thank Dr. Jennifer Thayer, our Superintendent, for her strong leadership during this crisis. The entire Administrative team has been diligent at making solid, yet flexible plans to meet the needs of our students, parents, and staff in these strange times.

In addition to meeting diverse educational needs, our schools have also been providing meals for over 25% of our students. A big thank you to Rebecca Derke, our Food Service Director. She has implemented a plan to provide breakfast, and lunches, seven days a week to assist families. While most districts offer lunches to be picked up, our food service staff has gone a few extra steps. They prepare balanced meals that our bus drivers and support staff can deliver directly to the doorsteps of our students. Thank you to Diane Elmer and to Laura Eicher for arranging the delivery logistics, and to all of our staff who have been delivering meals throughout the community. We are proud that our schools can provide this service to help the children of our community during this time of need.

We have an incredible team working at the New Glarus Schools. Even though the school buildings may be closed, our schools are very much in session and our staff is hard at work. We are proud of how the New Glarus School District has kept its focus on serving students and we appreciate ALL of the members on our educational team.

Take care, stay safe, & Go Knights!

Kari Morrison,

New Glarus School Board President