Good afternoon! 

We hope that you have gotten through another week of social distancing as safely and as stress free as possible! It seems like we got here so quickly and have had to learn and adapt to so many new things in what seemed like seconds. Now, we are in sort of a holding pattern, waiting to see how long this will last – which, I’m sure, will pose some new challenges we will have to tackle!

Whatever the next few weeks or months bring, we are glad to be facing it with the dedicated staff and amazing families at Elm Grove. We miss seeing the kids and hearing their voices every day! I think when all of this is said and done, we will have a new appreciation for the jobs that we do! And maybe parents will have a new appreciation for what teachers do each and every day with not one, two or even three children, but with a class full of children!

Our biggest goal since we have started this journey is to make sure our families are feeling supported and confident, not overwhelmed. I think that our teachers have done a great job in reducing the workload for our students. However, we know that with multiple kids in multiple grade levels – even a reduced workload is difficult. Please know that we want you to do what you are capable of doing and no more. For younger grades, where a parent is needed to guide students through meetings and activities, we understand that this may mean less is accomplished each week and that is okay. For older students, we hope your role is more one of checking in to see if they are keeping up and helping when needed. This is a great time for them to work on independence and practicing those habits – have a plan, work first- then play, and begin with the end in mind! If you are feeling overloaded --- please reach out to your teacher! They are glad to help create a plan that is doable for your family. 

During this time away, Mrs. Manco and I want to be sure you know that our “door is still open”. Feel free to contact us through email if you have questions or would like to visit about an idea or concern you have. We will be working on a “sign up” document for phone conferences and virtual conferences. We will also be extending this sign up to our students who would like to connect. We are definitely missing our student connections!! More information will be sent through your classroom teacher.

One more announcement …….. our Teacher of the Year is Shelly Allen, Technology Specials Teacher. Shelly not only teaches ALL of our students in Technology, she also is one of our Lighthouse Facilitators and Positivity Ambassadors. She keeps our Leader In Me program progressing and our hearts filled with positives. She actually sends a positive, usually funny, message to staff EVERY morning. It has done wonders to keep us appreciating all that we have and remembering that we all need to laugh …… a lot! I know she would love any congratulatory love sent her way!

Last --- ENJOY YOUR EASTER BREAK!  No school work Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday!! Take some time to breathe and enjoy the good things!

Thanks so much for your continued support!

Kathy Faulks, Principal           and        Patty Manco, Assistant Principal

kathy.faulks@hayscisd.net                 patty.manco@hayscisd.net