It is Halloween week. I hope everyone can understand that a lot of planning goes into Thursday – it is the single toughest day of the year to map out. We do try to think of everything. (For example, do you know we are celebrating on Thursday because 60+ pre-K students are not in school on Friday?)
It is extremely tough to pivot the plans of 850 students and staff on the day of an event, also taking into consideration the parents and guardians who have taken off work to attend our activities. So, I feel I should start prepping you now. Currently, the chance of rain for Thursday is 100%. At 1:00 PM, it is predicted to be a 55% chance. We cannot, and will not, send 740 kids outside for a parade if it is raining. We will wait as long as possible to make the call, and it will be texted out using our Johnson system.
We remain optimistic. The parade has gone on for at least the last 14 years straight. One year, it literally rained up until 12:55 PM and stopped just long enough for us to circle the track before it started again. But if it does not, we have no choice but to cancel.
Currently, Party Parents are scheduled to be released back to classrooms starting at 12:35 PM. If there is no parade, classroom parties will be extremely long. Party Parents should consider planning additional games, crafts, and activities to fill the time.
After much thought and consultation with the 5th-grade team, we have decided to offer a small parade for only our 5th-grade students, parents, and guardians in the gym, IF the school-wide parade is cancelled. We do not want our students to miss out on this “last” of elementary school. While we wish we could have everyone present, the safety, security, and sheer numbers prevent that. All other students have opportunities in the upcoming years. If that happens, we will use our printed parent/guardian list from our enrollment records to sign people in. Admission will not be given otherwise. We wish we could do more, but time prevents it. We hope this consolation will be enough. 5th-grade-specific texts will be sent with additional directions.
If you have any questions, please call or email Mrs. Holbert at 304-326-7117 or hholber@k12.wv.us.