It is hard to believe that February is here. January seemed to go by fast and a large part of that were the many days that we missed due to weather and COVID. We hope that the worst is behind us and that we will be able continue in-person learning. We have updated our exclusion from school policies to reflect the latest guidance from the CDC and the State Department of Education for the State of Missouri. The guidelines now state that students who are identified as a close contact can return to school after 5 days if they wear a mask for 5 days upon their return. If they are not willing to wear a mask for the 5 days upon returning to school, then the exclusion is still the entire 10-day period as it has been for the last year. I want to thank the faculty and staff for their efforts in organizing the work for students during our 3 days of remote learning. I also want to thank all our parents and families. Having to make those decisions is never an easy task for school officials as we know the burden that it can create at home. The support we receive here at school from you is greatly appreciated and is reflected in the success that Green Forest has maintained for many years.
Please be sure to update any contact information if that becomes necessary. It is important that we keep our system up to date so that we can always contact you when necessary. We are in the process of completely updating the way that we communicate with you. We have partnered with a company called Apptegy. They are currently working on an entire website rebuild as well as an app that you will be able to download to any phone or tablet. There will be much more information coming out, but we hope to go live with these new communication tools very soon. Just a couple of other reminders as we continue through this year. First, please be monitoring your child’s health daily. If they are not feeling well, please do not send them to school. Contact the office or your child’s teacher and we can have work for that day put together and available to be picked up. Second, February has become the month with the coldest weather and most snow. Please send your student to school in warm clothes. If you need any warm clothes such as gloves, coats, or hats, just contact the office. We have received some donations of clothes this year from local businesses and have some items in our closet here. Lastly, it is truly great to be a Mustang. We are so fortunate to have a great board, amazing teachers, awesome students, and supportive families. This place is special and unlike any other school I have been a part of. I feel so lucky to be a part of it and I hope you do to. Thank you and let’s have an great rest of the year.