April 6, 2020

Dear Parents and Staff:

Thank you for your constant support as we continue on our unprecedented trajectory with COVID-19 and the unknowns. We appreciate each and every one of you, parents and staff, for your kind, sincere, and thoughtful expressions of encouragement and support.

With that said, late this afternoon, the Idaho State Board of Education approved the “soft closure” of Idaho’s public schools through the end of the school year. That means, the Middleton School District will continue our distance learning program through the last day of school, May 22. 

As we settle into our new routine of teaching and learning, we now have better direction from our state leaders on the vision for the remainder of the school year, as Idaho copes with this worldwide pandemic. We understand this move to remote / distance learning is not easy, and each one of us is learning to practice patience with grace.

Our teachers and staff have assumed their new tasks and our new way of learning honorably, as we develop and work alongside our students and connect with families. We know this is equally challenging for parents, who are struggling to balance home life, work (in new and different ways) and children. 

Certainly, the COVID-19 cloud continues to hover but we see many brilliant rays of sunshine as parents and teachers share many successes. It’s heartwarming for us to hear teachers say they are missing their students and equally gratifying when we are told that students can’t wait to talk to their teachers. 

Now that we know we need to hunker down for the long-term, please know this: 

• In addition to the action that the State Board of Education took on March 23, The State Board of Education also took formal action Monday, April 6, to waive requirements, including the Idaho Reading Indicator (IRI) for elementary students and the civics exam at the high school level. 
• We welcome your feedback. We need to know what’s working and not working. Please let your teachers and principals know. Feel free to reach out to me as well.
• We have created a central location for general information on our webpage.
• Our free lunch distribution will continue through the end of the school year.

Thank you again for your support! We are very fortunate to have the staff, students, parents and community we do! 

Sincerely,
Dr. Reberry
Middleton Superintendent