To our Waitsburg parents and guardians:

This week you should have received a letter informing you of a change in the schedule of Waitsburg’s fifth (5th) grade students only.  Due to the uniquely small class size of this year’s 5th grade class, we will be transitioning all 5th graders to on-site learning four days per week beginning Monday, March 8th.  Fifth grade students will attend school in-person on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Wednesdays will continue as remote learning days for all students, with targeted assistance available.

Our school board of directors approved this transition for the fifth grade students during the February 18th board meeting, and our ability to make this happen is due to having just twelve students total between both Group A and Group B in the 5th grade. With such a low number of students, we will be able to maintain the required six-foot social distancing between each student in the 5th grade classroom.

We, like school districts across our state, are anxious to return students in all grades to in-person learning as soon as possible, and this remains our goal.  Unfortunately, the mandatory six-foot distancing rule required by both the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) and the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) prohibits Waitsburg from bringing back additional students in any other grade level at this time. All other grade levels are at capacity in our school buildings, and we have exhausted every inch of usable space for learning while adhering to the state and health requirements.

We thank you for your patience and continue to look forward to serving all students in classrooms on their scheduled in-person days. If you have any questions or concerns about this transition, please do not hesitate to contact Superintendent Mark Pickel at 509-337-6301. Thank you for all that you are doing to support your child’s education and wellbeing.