Washington Primary School opened in September 1954 and during most of that time the attendance rate has been remarkable. Students are rarely absent. So the COVID-19 pandemic related school closure has been hard on the youngsters because they love coming to school.
The students are working with their teachers from home, doing their best to complete assignments and remain positive. They can’t wait until Washington School opens its doors again and resume regular classes.
Unless you have seen it, you probably can’t understand what’s already been written here. But as the youngsters disembark the buses each morning they almost all have a smile on their face. They are happy to be at school, where they get plenty of attention, nurturing, mentoring and positive reinforcement. What’s not to like?
Although school buildings are currently closed, Principal Michelle Richards and the faculty want to keep as many of Washington’s traditions and rituals going. One such tradition is the monthly Washington Ways Award program.
The Washington Ways initiative focuses on recognizing and rewarding positive behavior while encouraging students to be safe, respectful and responsible.
The current “stay at home” order along with distance learning has required teachers to get a little creative and flexible with the award criteria, but they believe it is still important to recognize exceptional performance.
April’s Washington Ways Award recipients include:
Kindergarten: Sophie Adcock, Matei Gaitan, Deborah Pepin Delgado, Emma Harkinish, Jake Molina
First grade: Nathaniel Dickson, Kinzey Bierbauer, Thomas Evernham, Parker Garrett
Second grade: Samuel Simon, Andrew Cahn, Anthony Lopez
Third grade: Daniel Rodriquez, George Pagano, Jaida Blatt, Abigail Uvena, Edwin Hernandez-Amaya
“We are navigating through uncharted territory, but our children are doing a great job,” Dr. Richards said. “They are doing their best and working as hard as they can. We all look forward to returning to our wonderful school building in September, but in the meantime, all of us have a job to do.”
