CDA Community,

We will use this platform to house communications since March 10, 2020, when the Covid-19 / coronavirus health crisis started to affect our day-to-day operations. Make sure to check the district’s website for more up-to-date information. If you are not receiving their communications by phone or email, please email me so that we can check your contact information in our student data system.

Stay well and together we will get through this crisis. Thanks.

Andrew Jenkins, Principal
[email protected]

Email Sent on June 7, 2020

Dear CDA Community,

I wanted to acknowledge the pain, sorrow, and anger that all of us are feeling around the continued injustices and needless police killings of unarmed Black people. That our children and black families continue to have to live in a country where the color of their skin makes them a target pains me. It is something I cannot imagine, so I want our families who live with this fear and uncertainty to know how much I am thinking of them.

I share the superintendent’s message that was recently emailed. Please know that an important goal at Coeur d’Alene Elementary School has been to create the kind of learning culture that affirms, recognizes, and celebrates all cultures and ethnicities. Systemic racism is something that we can and must address. No one should have to walk out of their home and fear for his/her life. The peaceful protests around the world are a call to action and a reminder that as an electorate we can use our democratic rights to support and elect folks who are aligned with our values and beliefs.

I am grateful for the spaces that our teachers have been providing our students to share their thoughts on these events and the need to address these injustices. There are resources all of us can access to support conversations with our students, your children. Please know that my thoughts are with every family as we continue to navigate and manage these difficult times.

Below are some updates for our last week of school.  At our morning assembly this Tuesday, 08:00 AM, we will hold a virtual community circle and share something for which or someone for whom we are grateful during these 12 weeks of remote learning. I hope to see as many of our community who are able to be in attendance. Thanks.

Fifth Grade Culmination

Thanks to our committee of parents and teachers who made our first ever virtual culmination a joyous event. That it was so focused on our students made it that much more special. We are so proud of our fifth graders for their resilience and “can do” attitude. They, like all of our students, have exceeded our expectations.

We will be setting up a schedule for yearbook / culmination certificate distribution on Friday, June 12th. Please look for a separate email with your scheduled time. The exchange will happen on Garfield Avenue, valet style, with the teachers and I ensuring social distancing is maintained for the safety of our community. If June 12th does not work for you, please email me directly, and we can arrange a different date and time.

Device and School Materials Return

For families whose students are in grades TK-4, please stay tuned for a schedule that we will be setting up the week of June 15th to return devices and Chromebooks. If the scheduled date and time does not work for your family, please make sure to email me so that we can set up an alternate time. Thanks.

What to Expect for the 2020-2021 School Year and Enrollment

We are still waiting on guidance on what the new school year will look like. Please make sure to stay connected through Superintendent Beutner’s updates. I will communicate through email as soon as we know what to expect. Our letters with class assignments for grades 1-5 that will be mailed in late July may also have updates. All of my updates are archived here. I recently came across an article with possible models. It was really helpful.

Thanks to everyone for sharing enrollment procedures with our prospective families. Details are current on the enrollment section of our website. Families can also email me. Thanks.

Thank You

Well, we’re here. Last week. My only regret is that we cannot be together to celebrate three of the more dedicated teachers with whom I have ever worked: Cynthia Block, Susan Aver, and Cynthia Flaxman. Each of them embodies the best of what we want from teachers and humans: kindness, compassion, passion, dedication, and patience. I am grateful for what they were able to teach me about what it means to be the advocate our children need. Each of them has been a gift to our school, and their mark is indelible on our educational landscape. One day, when we can, we hope to celebrate them properly. We also bid a fond farewell to one our beloved kindergarten teachers, Ms. Alberi. All the best to her as well as she embarks on new adventures in Asheville, North Carolina.

Our families continue to be the partners we need to ensure the very best for our students. Thanks to everyone for your resilience, ingenuity, collaboration, and faith. If I were to go back and read the many emails with words of encouragement and feedback, I know they would bring tears to my eyes. I am so grateful each and every day to be a part of this incredible community of people. We will come out of these 12 weeks stronger and better able to face any and all challenges. Your children have learned so much by your example. Please know that we value you and look forward to once again being together physically as we strive to grow and refine the work we do.

Have a great summer.

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