Kevin Bogatin

FEB 09, 2021

January 26, 2021

Dear North Bend Families,

Thank you for your continued patience as we put together plans to have students return to in-person instruction. In December the Oregon Health Authority and the Oregon Department of Education changed the metrics from “required” to “advisory”, allowing decisions to be made at the local level. County metrics have been up and down this winter and we remain in the “extreme risk” category with a county case count of 202.3 per 100,000 population and a test positivity rate of 5.1% over the past 14 days. The last three weeks our county metrics have steadily improved and with your continued diligence and vaccination opportunities, we will be back to school soon!

We have successfully had students in Grades K-3 in in-person hybrid instruction since September and we are ready to bring back our remaining students in Grades 4-8 in February. In addition, a full online instructional model is still being offered and is available at each level, please contact your child’s school for more information.

Students in Grades 4, 5 & 6 will begin in-person hybrid instruction on Monday, February 8, 2021.

Students in Grades 7 & 8 are scheduled to return to in-person hybrid instruction on Monday, February 22, 2021.

High School students are scheduled to return to in-person hybrid instruction on Monday, March 1, 2021.

In preparation for implementing Hybrid learning, there will be no school for students in Grades 4-8 on February 4th & 5th.

We are committed to providing a safe school environment for all students and staff. We have developed rigorous health expectations including wearing a mask at all times (inside and out), daily screening for COVID symptoms, numerous hand sanitizing stations, isolation and quarantine protocols for students and staff who get sick, and regular cleaning, disinfecting and sanitizing of frequently touched surfaces. The definition of face-covering has changed over time, it means:

Face Covering: A cloth, paper, or disposable face covering that covers the nose and the mouth; may or may not be medical grade. *Schools will provide face masks as needed - visit the school health assistant or front office.

Schools are in the process of contacting parents and verifying student placements this week. If you would like to request information about your child’s assigned AM/PM cohort or just have questions about the Hybrid plan, please call your child’s school or send an email to info@nbend.k12.or.us and I’ll make sure your child’s administrator or teacher are contacted.

We look forward to having your child back on campus!

Kevin Bogatin

Superintendent