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Dear Families,

The closing of schools for the COVID-19 pandemic has certainly created a sad end to the 2019-20 school year. We realize this situation has caused many unanswered questions about the remainder of the year.

We continue to focus on health and safety. Our meals will continue to be served at Kenbridge Elementary and Central High School on Mondays and Thursdays 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

We also want our staff and student families to stay healthy. Learning is important, but that can take many forms. Overcoming a crisis like this takes a community commitment and many sacrifices.

Due to recent mandates, our team has developed a framework moving forward. These procedures have been established based on guidance from the Virginia Department of Education along with input from school and division leaders. The intention is not to give an answer to every question that may arise in the process, but to provide a basic framework for how we will operate over the next couple of months. In all of these efforts, it is our intention, to the best of our ability, to provide a meaningful educational experience for all our students for the remainder of the school year.

A priority for us right now is to work with the senior class of 2020 to finalize their requirements for graduation. To alleviate any of your fears, know that if seniors were on track to graduate on Friday, March 13, they will be graduating. The high school administration and counselors are reviewing each senior’s transcript to develop a plan for any deficits. We are very hopeful to have a graduation ceremony once the ban on large groups is lifted.

Governor’s School and Dual Enrollment students will also have specific work that must be completed in order to receive dual enrollment credit. Students should be in contact with their teachers. You can find out more information by entering the following into your web browser for frequently asked questions. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zMiYwMKnvgyTrkmMQwlZ4BHpktb-5kRCutTFRxZkAi8/

Our learning plans are taking a more defined shape, and you will continue to receive updates from us. Our timeline moving forward is:

April 6-9: This will be a teacher work week. Our intent is to identify the remaining essential content required for student success during the next school year. During this week, teachers will also begin developing weekly activities for the weeks of April 20-May 21 to be put onto the LCPS Learning Portal at https://sites.google.com/k12lcps.org/home/home. The LCPS Learning Portal can also be accessed on the school website at www.lunenburgcountyschools.org. Supplementary materials will be provided that support previously taught material, as well as the exposure of new skills. This will be very important as the students return to school next year.

April 6 – May 7: During this time students will be given an opportunity to replace an existing assignment, incomplete grade, or to earn extra credit in quarter three. There will be no quarter four grades.

April 13-17 – Spring Break: No work/activities assigned during spring break. Rest, relax and rejuvenate.

April 20 – May 21: New learning modules will be available for students for five weeks. A paper copy will be available to students that do not have internet access. Paper copies will be made available on given dates and times after April 20 . We will make this announcement after spring break. Check the LCPS Learning Portal for updates.

Please know we feel it is important for students to continue learning throughout the school closure. There tends to be a loss of skills previously learned when they are not practiced or used. If at any time this becomes too much, reach out for assistance from teachers and administrators. The best way to communicate is through email.

We have received a number of questions related to students needing to pick up belongings at the schools. For now, we want to limit this to essential belongings such as medication. We will provide access to our buildings at a later time for non-essential belongings once the current restrictions have been lifted or relaxed.

We are here to help you as we all work through the effects of this pandemic.

Thank you for being understanding and patient during this time. Please remember to self-quarantine as much as you can to stay healthy. We will get through this together.

Charles M. Berkley Jr. is the superintendent of LCPS. His email address is charles.berkley@k12lcps.org.