Dear Franklin families,

The long, dark days of winter continue and perhaps, like me, you are finding it harder and harder to hold on to motivation, optimism, and joy. January and February always feel like a long haul, and this year perhaps more than ever. The world was introduced to Amanda Gorman this week, but she’s been spreading her words of hope for a surprisingly long time for such a young person! Watch her poem above and just soak in a little of her love this morning. You’ll feel better!

Timeframe for Transition to Plan B: Hybrid Learning
I’ve heard a few questions about when the school will move to Plan B Hybrid Learning. In December, the Board approved our Plan B model, and voted to transition to hybrid learning for students/families who choose to participate, with a tentative start date of February 1. However, we will make the transition when the positive test rate for Buncombe County reaches a rolling average of 5% or less over a 2 week period.

The good news is that the post-holiday spike in cases appears to be leveling off and beginning to drop. The NC DHHS COVID Dashboard shows Buncombe County positive test rate at 8%. The State also publishes a County Alert System, which is updated every 2 weeks. In the January 21st report, Buncombe moved from “Critical Community Spread” to “Substantial Community Spread”. While this means we are moving in the right direction,  we need to see a further drop in cases. The science has become more and more clear. We all play a part in reducing the spread. Wear your mask every time you are outside your home. Wait 6 feet or more apart from others. And keep washing your hands. These steps will get us through.

So what does this mean? We will not transition to Plan B on February 1st, but we will make this change when we reach the 5% measure. Take action and do your part to help us get there.

We will remain fully virtual, with no students on campus, for this last week of January.

Get Involved! 
Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Stakeholders Meeting last Thursday.  It was so inspiring to hear our community come together and share positive ideas on how we can continue to get better as a school, and especially as a school where ALL students are welcome and can succeed at their highest level. If you couldn’t attend, here’s a link to the presentation: Stakeholder & Title I Meeting

If you are interested in helping us continue this work, we are looking for volunteers for two important teams:

• School Improvement Team: This team will meet several times a year and help guide our overall growth as a school
• Parent Advisory Committee: This team will meet monthly or every other month, and will focus specifically on how we can get better at recruiting, supporting, and retaining students who meet the definition of “educationally disadvantaged.” This includes students who are low wealth, as well as student with learning differences or whose household language is not English.

Be well all,

Michelle Vruwink
Executive Director