SCSD#1 Staff and Families,
I wanted to give you a brief update following the town meeting that just concluded at TRMS. This meeting was very well attended...I would estimate 500 people, if not more. We heard an update on the current state of the fire on the mountain and received some good reminders on how we can all stay safe.
One of the comments that was made by one of the fire management team leaders was, "this is going to take awhile because the weather looks to remain hot and dry, the humidity is very low, and the winds are forecasted to kick back up this weekend." He went on to say this fire is one of the worst he has seen at this time of the year in his 30 year career.
As a school district, we have simply tried to play it safe in these early stages, stay in constant communication with the emergency personnel, and be very proactive about communicating with all of our stakeholders. As we announced earlier today, we are shutting down everything on the TR side of the district tomorrow. All staff and students are excused from school so that they can respond to the very immediate issues that need to be addressed...particularly with the town of Dayton in the "Ready" stage.
One of the biggest takeaways for me tonight, as I walked away from the meeting to come to my office and type this message was this "This week called for us to be reactive and keep people safe. However, this thing is not going to be all done in just a few days. We need to immediately put plans together that will allow our staff and students, particularly at TRHS and Slack, to pivot from "reactive" mode to "responsive" mode. Responsive mode is more long term (I hope weeks and not months). Regardless, we will be ready either way. I will be pulling my leadership teams together tomorrow and we will begin looking at an alternative, "responsive" path forward to make sure we are meeting the needs for our students at TRHS and Slack beginning next week. This must include things beyond the regular classroom, like activities and athletics. While we are in very abnormal times, the more we can bring back "normal" to the experiences of our students and staff, the better they will adjust to the chaos occurring around them. That game planning will begin tomorrow and I will be in touch soon.
Thank you for pulling together as a community. The people in Tongue River and Big Horn are truly amazing and I feel blessed to be in this place at this time of my career. I pray for all of our fire fighters, first responders, and families impacted by the fire. I will be in touch soon!
Jeff Jones,
Superintendent