Dear CMC Parents/Guardians:
I hope you all are having a safe and wonderful summer.
I want to take this opportunity to reach out to you regarding the initial plans for the upcoming school year. We are working closely with the Oregon Department of Education (ODE), North Clackamas School District, Clackamas County, and the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) to ensure a safe and successful school year. Their guidance will help us provide the support and guidance to get through this difficult time in the best and safest way possible.
The guidance from the ODE concerning opening schools focuses on public health protocols, school operations, outbreak response, a modified form of education to return students to CMC safely, and a better model for Comprehensive Distance Learning in case students can't return to CMC in person due to safety reasons/concerns.
We have sent out a survey (Feedback on School Models at CMC) to get as much information from our parents/guardians and students regarding opening in the fall, so if you haven't had the opportunity to complete this, please take a few minutes to do so to ensure a successful school year. We will take this information to create plans for our educational model for the 2020-2021 school year. The educational model and plan must be approved by ODE prior to reopening.
I have been meeting with my staff to create a plan for education in the fall that includes: safety and wellness, connection and relationship, equity, and innovation. We are committed to provide the best possible education during this time, and your patience and flexibility will be a key to helping us open our doors in September. However, if guidance from ODE and the state of Oregon shows that it is unsafe for our Clackamas Middle College Community to return physically, we will also have a Comprehensive Distance Learning Plan that will be much more effective than the one rolled out in the spring.
Below is the timeframe for our planning:
CMC's Tentative Overall 2020-21 School Year Planning Timeframe
- July 10 - Draft school schedules available for family and community comment
- Week of Aug. 10 - Near-final school schedules released
- Aug. 13 - CMC's Operational Blueprint for Reentry shared with the Clackamas Charter Alliance School Board
- Aug. 14 - CMC's Operational Blueprint for Reentry submitted to ODE and Clackamas County
- Sept. 8 & 9 - Official start of the 2020-21 school year
During the next two months, I will send you any new updates or communications regarding Clackamas Middle College and education for the 2020-2021 school year. Please know that the safety, wellness, and equity of the CMC Community is the most important factor to opening and running school for the upcoming school year. We will be focusing on this as we create our plans.
Take care and stay safe,
Brian Sien, Ed.D.
Principal
Clackamas Middle College