HES


Hiawatha Elementary School 600 Miami St.
Hiawatha, KS 66434
785-742-7181
(FAX) 785-742-2545

Lonnie Moser, Superintendent                                                                 Paul Carver, Principal


Dear Hiawatha Elementary School Parents, 

I wanted to update you regarding the challenges we’re facing right now this week.  By now,
you’ve heard me mention that safety is our top priority.  To that end, the staff in the district and at our school are working diligently to develop our Continuous Learning Plan so that we support
learning while maintaining the safe practices to do our part in slowing the spread of COVID-
19.  I know that this has added to the already stressful and uncertain situation that we’re all
trying to work through.  

Our families’ health, including your mental health, is something that must be at the forefront of
our minds during this time.  With that in mind, I wanted to perhaps ease your mind on a few
things that are potential stressors.  

  1. Hiawatha Elementary School has paused our Co-Curricular (Specials) classwork.  We
    are working to devise a system that is much easier to navigate.  Currently, we are working on a website where you can access each of our Co-Curricular Classes. We are working to ensure each link works.  We are also meeting with each teacher to make sure the expectations are shared across the whole building. Later this week, I’ll send a letter out to update you about our plan to begin next week. 
  2. Technology continues to be a challenge.  Again, the safety of our students is
    paramount.  We want to make sure that we are maintaining current protections and have taken safety measures to make sure the content the students have access to is filtered and monitored.  The process to update this has not gone without its challenges.  Variable internet speeds and the number of devices have impacted this process.  The duration of time for the update to finish has been substantial.  I know the classroom teachers are taking this unexpected roadblock into consideration and are working to ensure that the standards will be addressed after we have the devices up and running again.  While this has the potential to be frustrating, I encourage you to continue to be patient and understanding.    

I know this letter does not contain magical solutions to the obstacles we’re facing this
week.  What I do hope it provides is understanding and empathy that some things are still being figured out, and that is taking longer than wanted.  Thank you for your patience, understanding, and also, thank you for continuing to work with your child and our school.  

Sincerely, 




Paul Carver