I am so happy to announce we have 265 registered students. On March 6, 2020 our enrollment was stable at 278 students. We are thankful that our student body has shrunk by only 13 students during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Currently 91% of our students are enrolled in On-line Distance Learning. The remaining 9% are receiving learning opportunities and support services on campus.
On July 23, 2020, Governor Ducey introduced Executive Order 2020-51 the “Arizona Open for Learning” Plan. In that plan, he outlined learning opportunities for children with special needs, i.e., SPED, ELL, Homeless, Foster Care, or students with “extenuating family or individual circumstances as well as students who need a safe place to come back to.” It was his priority to assure a safe learning environment for students in need. Twenty five children qualified for learning opportunities and support services and have been attending school since we officially opened.
Now we are approaching the October 12, 2020 date in which the Board voted to reopen the school house. Specific criteria/metrics and public health benchmarks have been set by the state and county and must be met before a school district can safely reopen. In addition, the Governor has given Arizona school boards flexibility in determining when and how to safely reopen buildings. The Governor stated in 2020-51, “Local school leaders will make the determination of when to physically open for regular classes, and consider these recommendations, guidance from health officials, community needs and available resources to determine when to open. This provides maximum flexibility to school leaders, with public health guidance” (Office of the Governor, Doug Ducey, July 23, 2020).
The GCUSD Governing Board is truly the most professional, caring and intellectually solid board I’ve ever had an opportunity with which to work. They are grappling with the question: “When can we safely bring back our children to the school house?” They are well aware that every decision they make hinges on their ability to make good and long lasting choices that will positively affect your child’s educational future. Please find a few minutes to respond to the School Board Reopening Survey.
9-23-2020
Parents, Guardians, Students and Staff,
This is the third week of the 2020-2021 school year and we are very excited about the distance learning program we are providing to all of our students. We are immensely proud of all the hard work that students, parents, and teachers have done during these first couple of weeks to make Distance Learning the best it can be. We appreciate your understanding and flexibility as we continue to improve and refine our Distance Learning Program.
Starting this week, many teachers will begin to provide paper packets and manipulatives to support student learning. These items will be provided at the school office on Monday’s for those students and parents who are able to pick them up. Students and families who are not able to come to school will be able to receive these items during the daily breakfast and lunch deliveries drop off locations in Tusayan and Valle. Your patience with the implementation of this system is greatly appreciated.
Last week, the Grand Canyon School Board agreed to meet weekly to assess the current health and safety metrics in order to select the appropriate time for in-person school to begin. The Sunday night meeting details can be found on the school website.
The School Board also requested parent input within a survey located on the school website. Please take a moment to fill out the survey!
While we look forward to having students back on campus in the near future the Distance Learning instructional model will be offered for the duration of the 2020-2021 school year for those parents and students who prefer this offering.
As a reminder many communications will be going home weekly. Please make sure your phone number and email address are up to date with the school office. Additionally, we request that everyone remember that all of us are doing something new. Any time you are growing, there are challenges that require patience and grace to work through together. If you or your student need support, we request that you please contact your teacher first, then the school office. We will do everything we can to help.
Our staff appreciates all of our families for your continued encouragement and understanding during these challenging and changing times. Please reach out to us if you have any questions or if I can be of support in any way.
Respectfully,
Principal Matt Yost
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September 8, 2020
Good Morning Parents Guardians, Students and Staff,
This week is the first week of the 2020-2021 school year and we are very excited for it to begin!
In August the Grand Canyon School Board voted to begin Distance Learning for all enrolled students on September 8, 2019 and delaying In-Person instruction until October 12, 2020. Staff have been preparing for this week and we are immensely proud of all the hard work that we have done to create the Grand Canyon Distance Learning Program.
While we look forward to having students back on campus in the near future the Distance Learning instructional model will be offered for the duration of the 2020-2021 school year for those parents and students who prefer this offering.
Many communications will be going home this week please make sure your phone number and email address are up to date. We request that everyone remembers that all of us are doing something new. Any time you are growing, there are challenges that require patience and grace to work through together. If you or your student need support please contact your teacher first, then the school office, we will do everything we can to help.
Last week our teacher’s presented what distance learning looks like for their grades and classes. These demonstrations were recorded and shared on our website under Headlines if you were unable to attend. We are excited to share!
During the past two weeks High School and Middle School Students have been registered for their classes. Schedules for each student have been shared via email and in the materials provided from the school office. If you have a scheduling issue, please reach out to Ms. Duthie, our school counselor.
The Grand Canyon School Board met last week and under advisement of the Administration voted to cancel fall sports for HS and MS for the 2020-2021 school year out of safety concerns.
We appreciate all of our parents, students and community members for your continued encouragement and understanding during these challenging and changing times. Please reach out to me if you have any questions or if I can be of support in any way.
Respectfully,
Principal Matt Yost
Good Morning,
Saturday, August 22, 2019 the Grand Canyon School Board voted to begin Distance Learning for all enrolled students on September 8, 2019 and delaying In-Person instruction until October 12, 2020. The Grand Canyon School Board has a scheduled meeting September 16, 2020 to look at the current state COVID metrics for when in person instruction will begin.
The Distance Learning instructional model will be offered for the duration of the 2020-2021 school year for those parents and students who prefer this offering.
We are very excited for the upcoming first day of school for the 2020-2021 school year! Many communications will be going home this week. Please keep in mind school district employees are doing something new. Any time you are growing, there are challenges that require patience and grace to work through together
Teachers will be reaching out to parents and students this week to show what distance learning looks like for their grades and classes. These demonstrations will be via Zoom, the platform the school is using for distance learning instruction. Demonstrations will be recorded and shared on the website if you are unable to attend. We are excited to share! Additionally, a PowerPoint with more details about the school opening will also be shared via the website.
Grand Canyon staff have compiled backpacks with school supplies for all students including a loaner device. A Welcome Letter/ Distance Learning Syllabus will also be provided with your device. A text blast with more details about how this process will occur will go out this weekend. We expect Pick-Ups to go throughout the week starting Tuesday morning at 10:00am. During the past week High School Students have been registered for their classes. Schedules for each student will be shared via email to the students google account. Ms. Duthie is preparing a 9th grade orientation presentation that parents and students can watch at their convenience. This presentation will be located on our website. Middle School students will be contacted this week to begin setting up their classes. Please be on the lookout for a phone call from Ms. Duthie this week. Ms. Duthie will communicate with all High School and Middle School students, the current school offerings and the state requirements needed for graduation.
The Grand Canyon School Board will be meeting to discuss Fall sports and athletics this Thursday. Ms. Cyndi Moreno has been reaching out to student athletes to gauge interest in High School sports for the Fall season. As I mentioned last week, AIA has moved the Fall sport start date back.
Thank you to all of our parents, students and community members for your continued encouragement and understanding during these challenging and changing times. Please reach out to me if you have any questions or if I can be of support in any way.
Respectfully,
Principal Matt Yost
Matthew Yost
Grand Canyon Unified School District #4
Principal
Principal's Update August 29, 2020
Principal's Update August 18, 2020
Update on the status of the Grand Canyon schools
Good morning, parents, guardians, students, employees, and friends of Grand Canyon School.
We are currently just a few weeks away from the start of the Grand Canyon 2020-2021 school year on September 8, 2020. Our push to collect enrollment numbers has been successful, but if you are reading this and haven’t yet enrolled, I sincerely ask you to do so right away. The online registration links are on the school website grandcanyonschool.org. We also have the option to register via appointment at the school office. Please call 928.638.2461 if you are interested in this option.
Currently, we have the majority of our enrolled students requesting a Distance Learning option to start the 2020-2021 school year.
Last week I shared that the school had presented the Grand Canyon Arizona Online Instructional Plan to Arizona Department of Education. I am excited to announce that our AOI plan was approved last week. This approval allows GCS to provide a completely online option of instruction.
Both the Administration team and teacher team didn’t rest after the AOI review process. We immediately began work on articulating the Distance Learning Plan for the 2020-2021 school year. This additional plan which is a combination of online, video conferencing and remote learning will be submitted to the state this Friday. I know teachers are excited to share details of this plan with parents and students. More details about this plan will be shared with the parents, students and community members within the next week.
Last Thursday August 6, 2020, the Arizona Department of Health Services as designated by Governor Ducey released guidance for school reopening metrics. A link to the releases is list here: https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/1a/12/3198fd6f4154a45e85e2031c045f/safely-returning-to-in-person-instruction-1.pdf
A recent text blast also went out the parents of GCS students with a link of an opportunity to order free face coverings. The link is also included here: ADD LINK
Please take advantage of this opportunity if you haven’t already done so.
On the sports front Arizona Interscholastic Association voted last week to postpone the start of Fall sports till at least August 31,2020. We will share more information as it is released from AIA.
Lastly, we want to share that we will be passing out school provided loaner devices the last week of August for enrolled students. We are planning to pass out these devices in Valle, Tusayan and at the school office as a convenience to our families. The school office will be sharing a schedule for this process soon.
My email address is myost@grandcanyonschool.com. We need your input, we thank you for your support and your understanding in reopening GCS for the 2020-2021 school year, and we value you as part of the Grand Canyon School family.
Thank you for taking the time to read this message. Please know I want to hear from you, and I want to provide you with the opportunity to reach out and ask questions.
Respectfully,
Principal Matt Yost
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August 3, 2020
Good Morning,
I am happy to report that the Grand Canyon Unified School District has completed the ADE process for becoming a certified Arizona Online Instruction school. I am very appreciative to the team of administrators, teachers and support staff that worked on this project. The review team was very impressed with the presentation and attention to detail that we showed throughout the process. ADE will provide the district with a determination within the next couple of weeks.
Additionally, we are doing a final push for all online registrations to be completed for students as of August 10, 2020. Please call the school office number if you need support with the registration process. We have computers available at the Town Hall in Tusayan and at the Grand Canyon School Office via appointment. To setup an appointment please call:
Town Hall Number 928.638.9909 or School Number 928.638.2461.
We thank all of our parents, students and community members for your continued support and understanding during these challenging and changing times. Please reach out to me if you have any questions or if I can be of support in any way.
Respectfully,
Principal Matt Yost
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July 27, 2020
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July 20, 2020
