Sunday, March 22, 2020

Dear Bethany Families,

Bethany Administration has been closely monitoring the ever-changing situation with respect to the COVID-19 virus and its effect on our community. In light of the recent events surrounding COVID-19, we are taking steps to protect the health and well-being of our students, families, current and future Eagles. After careful deliberation and the small attendance today at school, we have made the difficult decision to close Bethany Lutheran School from Tuesday, March 17th through April 3rd. School will resume on Monday, April 6th. Although the Solano County Health Department and the CDC have affirmed that school can be open and run as normal, many parents have expressed concern and uneasiness about sending their son or daughter to school. While I still trust God and believe He has us covered, we want to make sure we are part of the growing steps to curtail this pandemic and that means minimizing the risk to our staff and students.

What this means for the students:
Teachers are creating weekly work packets for students each week. These packets can be picked up at school or accessed online via email or TAD’s. All students are expected to complete work sent home, as we will be using these methods to ensure our students are staying current with their educational academic pathway. I encourage parents to stop by the school as soon as possible to pick up any books the students may need or want to use during the course of the next two weeks. Middle school students who do not have access to a computer may check out a Chromebook for the home during this time, however, due to the limited quantity, these will be loaned on a first come first serve basis.

What this means for teachers:
Teachers will be required to come to work, part of the day at school and work from home remotely. While many Bethany employees will be on campus during the workday, they will not be accessible to the general public. All inquiries and questions for staff need to be sent via email. Some departments, such as bookkeeping, and janitorial will continue to operate during the school closures in order to make sure the school grounds are maintained, employees are paid and buildings remain in good repair. Other staff members will be working from their offices or at home to plan how to decrease interruptions to learning if these closures are to continue. While this situation continues to evolve, our goal has been and will continue to be to coordinate closely with the Solano County Department of Public Health. I want to thank again our BLS teachers and staff for their tremendous work and continued professionalism as we work through a challenging time. I also thank our greater community for your patience and sensitivity to the evolving nature of this outbreak and the greater goal of doing our part to protect our most vulnerable communities.
In the meantime, BLS will continue to stay in close conversation with the city, state, and local officials and partners as our entire region respond to new guidance and a call to take an active role in combating COVID-19. Thank you for your partnership and understanding.

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
Jeremiah 17:7-8 | NIV
In His Service,
Dr. Chris Smith, Principal

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