Vernon Superintendent Comments On 'Normalcy' Amid A Pandemic

VERNON, CT — To commemorate the one-year anniversary of the coronavirus pandemic, Vernon Superintendent of Schools Josep Macary penned an open letter to the community.

The topic was "normalcy."

Here is the transcript:

"Many people say to me, we want to get back to "normal.” The last "normal" day was March 12, 2020. However after one year of this health pandemic and its effects on our students, parents, teachers, staff and community, I don’t think we can ever go back. There will be a "new-normal" where we take many of the positive lessons we learned from the last year and make them a part of our new way of education. Before we make any decision, we need to be grounded in basic educational principles that we value in Vernon.

"Moving Forward we should ground our decisions with the Vernon Vision of the Graduate, Social Equity, Student Voice, Social & Emotional Learning and School Engagement. These five principles need to become the fabric of our "new-normal." Many of these principles were already being developed before March 2020 and now we need to embrace them to move forward. We must believe that Education is an investment in our next generation and in the future. Education is the last social institution in America that can make meaningful change in our society.

"They key to successful leadership is turning a disadvantage into an advantage. Together, we need a balanced approach to move forward. We have an excellent school system and a great community in Vernon. We need to build on those two assets and learn from our successes over the past year. There are many positive aspects of this past year that we need to embrace: increased teacher collaboration, higher parent participation with conferences and PPTs, improved technology programs and devices, healthier school environments, and a focus on students well-being.

"Thank you for allowing me to share my thoughts with you….Thank you for your understanding and patience. Your continued support and cooperation is greatly appreciated by the Vernon Public Schools. All the Best & Stay Safe."