Superintendent's Update for Week of April 12, 2021

Increasing on-campus time for Eastmont students continues to be tentatively set for April 26th for grades K-4 and May 3rd for grades 5-12. These dates depend on local conditions, current State requirements, and our ability to develop a student schedule based on distancing requirements. With an increase in student on-campus time, we will be ending the hybrid option for those grade levels as students will need to be 100% on campus, or 100% remote through Eastmont Virtual Academy. This is necessary for us to have sufficient staffing to return more students to campus. Districts continue to be told the 3 - 6' distancing, masking, and additional health requirements will very likely be in place for the start of the 2021-22 school year. Current Activities:   We continue to provide a hybrid on-campus schedule for all pre-school - 12th grade students with over 90% of enrolled students choosing this option.  We continue to hold athletic competitions as allowed with limited seasons and spectators.  Masks are required of all players and spectators at events. Please help us keep these open for spectators by masking and distancing. There are districts having to shut down athletics and on-campus activities because of outbreaks and continued violations.   We continue to serve over 4,000 meals per per day and have over 6,500 different students and employees on campus each week.   We continue to have employees get vaccinated for COVID-19. Other Activities: We are tentatively planning to increase on campus time for K-4 students starting April 26th.  We are tentatively planning to increase on campus time for grade 5 - 12 students starting May 3rd.  We will be providing a summer K-12 on-campus academic recovery program that will be available for many of our students. This opportunity will start the end of June, continue through July, and transportation will be provided.  We continue to train and hire substitute bus drivers to support expansion of services. Please call 509.884.4621 for more information on becoming a bus driver. We also have openings for paraeducators substitutes.   No COVID Dashboard for prior week due to Spring Break I thank all of you for honoring our safeguard requirements, taking advantage of vaccinations, and doing what you can to help us return to more normal operations. Sincerely, Garn Christensen Superintendent

Monday, Apr 12 2021

Superintendent's Update for Week of April 5, 2021 (S...

This Bulletin is being sent out on April 2nd as Eastmont is closed April 5 - 9 for Spring Break  This past week, the Washington Department of Health reduced the required distancing for students in schools from 6’ to 3’. Because of this, we are now able to plan our next phase to increase students' on campus time. The information that distancing in schools was reduced from 6’ to 3’ only applies in some situations, with many still requiring 6’. Increasing on-campus time for Eastmont students is tentatively set for April 26th for grades K-4 and May 3rd for grades 5-12. These dates may move either way depending on planning and local health conditions. With this increase, we will be ending the hybrid option for those grade levels as students will need to be 100% on campus, or 100% remote through Eastmont Virtual Academy. This is necessary for us to have sufficient staffing to return more students to campus. Districts have been told these new distancing and health requirements will very likely be in place for the start of the 2021-22 school year. These will continue until COVID rates decrease. Current Activities:   We continue to hold athletic competitions as allowed with limited seasons and spectators.  Masks are required of all players and spectators at events. Please help us keep these open for spectators by masking and distancing. There are districts having to shut down athletics because of outbreaks and continued violations.   We continue to serve over 4,000 meals per per day. We continue to have over 6,500 different students and employees on campus each week.   We continue to have employees get vaccinated for COVID 19. We continue to provide a hybrid on-campus schedule for all pre-school - 12th grade students with over 90% of enrolled students choosing this option.  Other Activities: We are tentatively planning to increase on campus time for K-4 students starting April 26th.  We are tentatively planning to increase on campus time for grade 5 - 12 students starting May 3rd.  We will be providing a summer K-12 on-campus academic recovery program that will be available for many of our students. This opportunity will start the end of June, continue through July, and transportation will be provided.  We continue to train and hire substitute bus drivers to support expansion of services. Please call 509.884.4621 for more information on becoming a bus driver. We also have openings for paraeducators substitutes.   COVID Dashboard as of April 2, 2021 The table below displays student and employee counts for the prior weeks. Please know parents will be informed by your school if your child was directly exposed to a positive case or in the immediate vicinity. We will also let you know if your student needs to be monitored or quarantined. This contact will be done with a phone call or message for you to contact your school office for more information. I thank all of you for honoring our safeguard requirements, taking advantage of vaccinations, and doing what you can to help us return to more normal operations. Sincerely, Garn Christensen Superintendent

Friday, Apr 02 2021

Superintendent's Update for Week of March 29, 2021

Educators and families across the state were excited with the Governor’s March 25th update to school guidelines. Included in his guidance is a reduction in the distancing between elementary students from 6’ to 3’. This reduction would also be allowed for middle and high school ages if a district is grouping students in small cohorts. Unfortunately, Eastmont and most other districts do not cohort secondary students because of the multiple subject credits they must earn for graduation. The difficulty with districts immediately implementing the new 3’ rule is that the 6’ requirement remains for distancing between adults, between students when they eat, when students gather in larger groups, during transition times, and generally any time educators interact with students (with some exceptions). With this change, we also understood an entire classroom would need to be sent home if one student reported positive. This was reviewed and it was determined only those within 6' of the person for 15 minutes or more would need to be sent home pending the outcome of a test or specific number of days. We are also required to take into consideration local case infection rates and the capacity of our regional medical facilities as we make these changes. We continue to have what the State is classifying as high incidence of COVID rates, yet still below the capacity of our local health hospital. We will be reviewing conditions after spring break. If they are trending in a positive direction, we will look to expand time on campus for some, if not all of our elementary age students. If they are not trending positively, we will be continuing our current P-12 hybrid schedule through the remainder of this school year. Rather than get hopes up, I must clarify that even if rates continue to increase, an expansion of time on campus is very challenging at this time given our limited space and availability of qualified regular and substitute employees. Similar to most employers, we have been challenged given employees who have been out ill, quarantined, or needing to care for children or family members. Please know Eastmont is planning a K-12 on-campus academic recovery program that will be available for many of our students. It will include transportation and start the end of June and continue through July. Current Activities:   We continue to hold athletic competitions as allowed with limited seasons and spectators.  Masks are required of all players and spectators at events.  We continue to serve over 4,000 meals per per day. We continue to have over 6,500 different students and employees on campus each week.   We continue to have employees get vaccinated for COVID 19. We continue to provide a hybrid on-campus schedule for all pre-school - 12th grade students with over 90% of enrolled students choosing this option.  Other Activities: We continue to train and hire substitute bus drivers to support expansion of services. Please call 509.884.4621 for more information on becoming a bus driver. COVID Dashboard as of March 29, 2021 The table below displays student and employee counts for the prior weeks. Please know parents will be informed by your school if your child was directly exposed to a positive case or in the immediate vicinity. We will also let you know if your student needs to be monitored or quarantined. This contact will be done with a phone call or message for you to contact your school office for more information. I thank all of you for honoring our safeguard requirements, taking advantage of vaccinations, and doing what you can to help us return to more normal operations. Sincerely, Garn Christensen Superintendent

Monday, Mar 29 2021

Superintendent's Update for Week of March 22, 2021

Last week the CDC issued new guidelines that reduce social distancing requirements for students in schools as COVID rates decline. These requirements have different distances for different settings and different ages and activities. Before these can be implemented in Eastmont, the Washington Department of Health (WA DOH) will need to adopt or modify them for Washington State. If this happens, our regional Chelan-Douglas Health District (CDHD) will then need to adopt or modify the State requirements for our community. Per law, the local health department can impose stricter requirements if conditions warrant, but cannot issue requirements for schools that are less rigorous than WA DOH. Once we receive updated requirements, Eastmont will begin scheduling our next steps as we work to return to more normal operations. Current Activities:   We continue to hold athletic competitions as allowed with limited seasons and spectators.  Masks are required of all players and spectators at events.  We continue to serve about 4,000 meals per per day. We continue to have over 6,500 different students and employees on campus each week.   We continue to have employees get vaccinated for COVID 19. We continue to provide a hybrid on-campus schedule for all pre-school - 12th grade students with over 90% of enrolled students choosing this option. All students receive a minimum average of over 15 hours on campus.  Other Activities: We continue to train and hire substitute bus drivers to support expansion of services. Please call 509.884.4621 for more information on becoming a bus driver. COVID Dashboard as of March 22, 2021 The table below displays student and employee counts for the prior weeks. Please know parents will be informed by your school if your child was directly exposed to a positive case or in the immediate vicinity. We will also let you know if your student needs to be monitored or quarantined. This contact will be done with a phone call or message for you to contact your school office for more information. I thank all of you for honoring our safeguard requirements, taking advantage of vaccinations, and doing what you can to help us return to more normal operations. Sincerely, Garn Christensen Superintendent

Monday, Mar 22 2021

Superintendent's Update for Week of March 15, 2021

Our regional health indicators continue to trend positive and Eastmont numbers are also excellent. Our biggest obstacle is the current distancing requirements for having students on campus. Classrooms and schools are designed with 3' - 4' (feet) of distancing between students and now we must function at the 6'. This distance is under review by State health authorities with some possible changes for schools being issued in early to mid April. Current Activities:   Athletic competitions are starting their 4rd week with shortened seasons and limited spectators.  At all events we will need your help if we are to continue these activities by masking, distancing, and complying with all other requested safeguards.  Information on upcoming games can be found at Eastmont Athletics or our sponsored site Eastmont Athletics.  All events that are played in the stadium and the main gym will be live streamed so that families and community can watch from home. Search for Eastmont at   www.NFHSnetwork.com and then subscribe. You can also watch some events at the NCWLife sports link.   https://www.ncwlife.com/    We are aware there have been technical issues with these options and are working with the providers to get these fixed. We are providing alternating day on campus instruction to pre-school - 12th grade students except for those choosing remote only participation. We served a total of 15,585 meals over the prior 4 day school week for an average of 3,896 per day. We had up to 6,629 students and employees on campus last week.  We currently have over 268 employees who report receiving their first vaccine dose.   Other Activities: We continue to need bus drivers and substitute bus drivers to support our expansion and future return to full operations. Please see the attached flyer for more information on becoming a bus driver. COVID Dashboard as of March 15, 2021 The table below displays student and employee counts for the prior weeks. It also shows positive COVID cases, potential exposures, and current shutdowns. Please know parents will be informed by your school if your child was directly exposed to a positive case or in the immediate vicinity. We will also let you know if your student needs to be monitored or quarantined. This contact will be done with a phone call or message for you to contact your school office for more information. I thank all of you for honoring our safeguard requirements, taking advantage of vaccinations, and doing what you can to help us return to more normal operations. Sincerely, Garn Christensen Superintendent

Monday, Mar 15 2021

Corrected Superintendent's Update for Week of March ...

No significant new information. We appreciate all of you advocating for your children and grandchildren over this past year. Concerns and suggestions from parents differ, with some asking all safeguards to be dropped, while others are very concerned if they are not all in place. This is not unusual. What one person considers a healthy diet is often different than what another person believes is good for them. This is similar to our tolerance for risk. Some of us ride motorcycles and fly on airplanes, while others refuse to get on either. As schools, we are tasked to ensure our campuses are safe for all students. Even before COVID, school districts were required to have safety plans in place for students with health issues. These may include those with allergies, asthma, diabetes, heart concerns, cancer, etc. For the last decade, we have had 500+ individual safety plans in place every year in Eastmont with nurses and staff daily monitoring these needs. As a public service provider, our employees are required to go through screening, training, and many different levels of licensure depending on our assignments. Not meeting current requirements for our services to our community would be the same as pilots, plumbers, electricians, truck drivers, nurses, doctors, fruit growers, etc. not following the requirements for their positions and businesses. As a public school administrator/superintendent, I also swear when I take the position to uphold the laws of Washington, just as our Board of Directors swear to do the same when they are elected to office. For now, school districts across Washington are obligated to follow Washington State Department of Health Requirements and those issued by WA Dept. of Labor and Industry. Our normal standards are still in place, plus the current State Emergency COVID requirements. Until these change, Eastmont, as well as the majority of schools in our state are struggling to find opportunities to expand services. Our biggest obstacle is the current distancing requirements. Classrooms and schools are designed with 3' - 4' feet of distancing between students, and now we must function at the 6'. This distance is under review by State health authorities, yet until it changes we are very limited. Our regional health indicators continue to trend positive, which is a good sign. Our Eastmont numbers are also excellent and are regularly being shared with other agency leaders as evidence that having schools operate does not contribute to increased local COVID rates. Current Activities:   Athletic competitions are starting their 3rd week with shortened seasons and limited spectators.  At all events we will need your help if we are to continue these activities by masking, distancing, and complying with all other requested safeguards.  Any outbreaks traced back to our events will result in an immediate suspension of games and activities until it is determined safe to restart. This would be disappointing to our students and families who have been anxiously waiting for these activities. We will also be declining games with districts and teams who are not enforcing safeguards.  Information on upcoming games can be found at Eastmont Athletics or our sponsored site Eastmont Athletics.  All events that are played in the stadium and the main gym will be live streamed so that families and community can watch from home. Search for Eastmont at   www.NFHSnetwork.com and then subscribe. You can also watch some events at the NCWLife sports link.   https://www.ncwlife.com/    We are aware there have been technical issues with these options and are working with the providers to get these fixed.  We are providing alternating day on campus instruction to pre-school - 12th grade students except for those choosing remote only participation. We served a total of 19,428 meals over the prior 4 day school week for an average of 3,885 per day. We had up to 6,620 students and employees on campus last week.  We currently have over 230 employees who have been vaccinated.   Other Activities: We continue to need bus drivers and substitute bus drivers to support our expansion and future return to full operations. Please see the attached flyer for more information on becoming a bus driver. COVID Dashboard as of March 8, 2021 The table below displays student and employee counts for the prior weeks. It also shows positive COVID cases, potential exposures, and current shutdowns. Please know parents will be informed by your school if your child was directly exposed to a positive case or in the immediate vicinity. We will also let you know if your student needs to be monitored or quarantined. This contact will be done with a phone call or message for you to contact your school office for more information. I thank all of you for honoring our safeguard requirements, taking advantage of vaccinations, and doing what you can to help us return to more normal operations. Sincerely, Garn Christensen Superintendent

Monday, Mar 08 2021

Superintendent's Update for Week of March 8, 2021

No significant new information. We appreciate all of you advocating for your children and grandchildren over this past year. Concerns and suggestions from parents differ, with some asking all safeguards to be dropped, while others are very concerned if they are not all in place. This is not unusual. What one person considers a healthy diet is often different than what another person believes is good for them. This is similar to our tolerance for risk. Some of us ride motorcycles and fly on airplanes, while others refuse to get on either. As schools, we are tasked to ensure our campuses are safe for all students. Even before COVID, school districts were required to have safety plans in place for students with health issues. These may include those with allergies, asthma, diabetes, heart concerns, cancer, etc. For the last decade, we have had 500+ individual safety plans in place every year in Eastmont with nurses and staff daily monitoring these needs. As a public service provider, our employees are required to go through screening, training, and many different levels of licensure depending on our assignments. Not meeting current requirements for our services to our community would be the same as pilots, plumbers, electricians, truck drivers, nurses, doctors, fruit growers, etc. not following the requirements for their positions and businesses. As a public school administrator/superintendent, I also swear when I take the position to uphold the laws of Washington, just as our Board of Directors swear to do the same when they are elected to office. For now, school districts across Washington are obligated to follow Washington State Department of Health Requirements and those issued by WA Dept. of Labor and Industry. Our normal standards are still in place, plus the current State Emergency COVID requirements. Until these change, Eastmont, as well as the majority of schools in our state are struggling to find opportunities to expand services. Our biggest obstacle is the current distancing requirements. Classrooms and schools are designed with 3' - 4' feet of distancing between students, and now we must function at the 6'. This distance is under review by State health authorities, yet until it changes we are very limited. Our regional health indicators continue to trend positive, which is a good sign. Our Eastmont numbers are also excellent and are regularly being shared with other agency leaders as evidence that having schools operate does contribute to increased local COVID rates. Current Activities:   Athletic competitions are starting their 3rd week with shortened seasons and limited spectators.  At all events we will need your help if we are to continue these activities by masking, distancing, and complying with all other requested safeguards.  Any outbreaks traced back to our events will result in an immediate suspension of games and activities until it is determined safe to restart. This would be disappointing to our students and families who have been anxiously waiting for these activities. We will also be declining games with districts and teams who are not enforcing safeguards.  Information on upcoming games can be found at Eastmont Athletics or our sponsored site Eastmont Athletics.  All events that are played in the stadium and the main gym will be live streamed so that families and community can watch from home. Search for Eastmont at   www.NFHSnetwork.com and then subscribe. You can also watch some events at the NCWLife sports link.   https://www.ncwlife.com/    We are aware there have been technical issues with these options and are working with the providers to get these fixed.  We are providing alternating day on campus instruction to pre-school - 12th grade students except for those choosing remote only participation. We served a total of 19,428 meals over the prior 4 day school week for an average of 3,885 per day. We had up to 6,620 students and employees on campus last week.  We currently have over 230 employees who have been vaccinated.   Other Activities: We continue to need bus drivers and substitute bus drivers to support our expansion and future return to full operations. Please see the attached flyer for more information on becoming a bus driver. COVID Dashboard as of March 8, 2021 The table below displays student and employee counts for the prior weeks. It also shows positive COVID cases, potential exposures, and current shutdowns. Please know parents will be informed by your school if your child was directly exposed to a positive case or in the immediate vicinity. We will also let you know if your student needs to be monitored or quarantined. This contact will be done with a phone call or message for you to contact your school office for more information. I thank all of you for honoring our safeguard requirements, taking advantage of vaccinations, and doing what you can to help us return to more normal operations. Sincerely, Garn Christensen Superintendent

Monday, Mar 08 2021

¿Tiene usted hijos listos para el colegio?

Para más información puede conectarse el 17 de marzo a las 6:30 usando esté enlace https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_5b_RnRTMQhGSyIx9wZSlNw   [Wednesday, Mar 17 at 3:30 PM] ~Espero puedan aprovechar esta oportunidad a las 6:30 pm~

Monday, Mar 08 2021

Superintendent's Update for Week of March 1, 2021

Regional health indicators continue to trend positive. However, our regional, state, and national health officials are holding firm with current restrictions until it is determined if our pandemic is ending, or if other COVID-19 variants may effect our community. Until this changes, all COVID-19 safeguards that have been in place at Eastmont will be continuing until they are determined to no longer be necessary. Current Activities:   Athletic competitions started this past weekend  with shortened seasons and no spectators. This will slowly change with players being issued tickets for family and spectators to attend games. The number will be determined by facility capacity, and our experience with prior events. At all events we will need your help if we are to continue these activities by masking, distancing, and complying with all other requested safeguards.  Any outbreaks traced back to our events will result in an immediate suspension of games and activities until it is determined safe to restart. This would be disappointing to our students and families who have been anxiously waiting for these activities. We will also be declining games with districts and teams who are not enforcing safeguards.  Information on upcoming games can be found at Eastmont Athletics or our sponsored site Eastmont Athletics.  All events that are played in the stadium and the main gym will be live streamed so that families and community can watch from home. Search for Eastmont at   www.NFHSnetwork.com and then subscribe. You can also watch some events at the NCWLife sports link.   https://www.ncwlife.com/   We are providing alternating day on campus instruction to pre-school - 12th grade students except for those choosing remote only participation. We served a total of 19,851 meals over the prior 4 day school week for an average of 3,970 per day. We had up to 6,582 students and employees on campus last week.  We currently have over 200 employees who have been vaccinated.   Other Activities: We continue to need bus drivers and substitute bus drivers to support our expansion and future return to full operations. Please see the attached flyer for more information on becoming a bus driver. COVID Dashboard as of March 1, 2021 The table below displays student and employee counts for the prior weeks. It also shows positive COVID cases, potential exposures, and current shutdowns. Please know parents will be informed by your school if your child was directly exposed to a positive case or in the immediate vicinity. We will also let you know if your student needs to be monitored or quarantined. This contact will be done with a phone call or message for you to contact your school office for more information. We look forward to returning all students to a full day of on-campus instruction and a full offering of athletic and extracurricular activities. Sincerely, Garn Christensen Superintendent

Monday, Mar 01 2021

Superintendent's Update for Week of February 22, 2021

Regional health indicators are still trending positive. At the same time, our health officials are holding firm with current restrictions on increasing capacity until it is determined how various COVID-19 variants may effect our community. For now, all COVID-19 safeguards that have been in place at Eastmont will be continuing until they are determined by our local health officer as no longer necessary. Current Activities:   As we begin athletic events this week and eventually start to invite family and spectators to games, we ask for your help to ensure compliance with masking, distancing, and all other safeguards. This will be critical for these activities to expand. As in college and professional sports, any outbreaks traced back to our events will result in an immediate suspension of games and likely practices until it is determined safe to restart. Given our short seasons, this would be terrible for our students who have been waiting all year for these activities. We are also seeing teams cancel and choose not to play when it is reported a school district is not strictly enforcing all safeguards.  Information on upcoming games can be found at Eastmont Athletics or our sponsored site Eastmont Athletics.  All events that are played in the stadium and the main gym will be live streamed so that families and community can watch from home. Search for Eastmont at   www.NFHSnetwork.com and then subscribe. You can also watch events at the NCWLife sports link.   https://www.ncwlife.com/   We are providing alternating day on campus instruction to pre-school - 12th grade students except for those choosing remote only participation. We served a total of 15,616 meals over the prior 4 day school week for an average of 3,904 per day. We had up to 6,407 students and employees on campus last week.  We currently have over 200 employees who have been vaccinated and continue to work with our health department to take advantage of any opportunities to send eligible and interested employees.  Other Activities: We continue to recruit and train bus drivers. This is because the future expansion of Eastmont activities will require increased transportation capacity.  Please see the attached flyer for more information on becoming a bus driver. The position is a great part-time job for someone who enjoys people of all ages, challenges, variety, and has some flexibility in their daily schedule. COVID Dashboard as of February 22, 2021 The table below displays student and employee counts for the week. It also shows positive COVID cases, potential exposures, and current shutdowns. Please know parents will be informed by your school if your child was directly exposed to a positive case or in the immediate vicinity. We will also let you know if your student needs to be monitored or quarantined. This contact will be done with a phone call or message for you to contact your school office for more information. We look forward to returning all students to a full day of on-campus instruction and a full offering of athletic and extracurricular activities. Sincerely, Garn Christensen Superintendent

Monday, Feb 22 2021