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Dear »ÆÉ«ÊÓƵ Families:

Thank you for your understanding and patience as we progress with the Design Team process for your school. I would like to take this opportunity to provide more information and clarity on Design Teams in hopes of clearing up any misconceptions.

The Design Team process is an opportunity for representatives of teachers, parents, students, staff and community to meet, review data, conduct research, engage in discussions and think creatively about ideas that would make your campus an even better school in the future. The data gathered by the Design Team will assist the Board of Education with making an informed decision.

Although each Design Team tends to follow its own path at the direction of its members, in general, Design Teams:

• Establish a vision for a school
• Brainstorm possibilities
• Create a detailed prototype
• Share results with the school community at large
• Revise or update plan based on feedback

Ideally, the Design Team will work as efficiently as possible, keeping in mind the school community’s urgent desire to know the results of this focused attention. However, I would like to emphasize that there is no specific timetable for the Design Team to complete the work. We must allow these thoughtful and thorough conversations to unfold without the pressure of a schedule.

Also, I would like to stress that there is no pre-planned outcome for this work. The final recommendation could be significant changes for your school or no changes or, potentially, something in between. It is the Team’s recommendation to make.

To keep you updated and informed, we are asking the Design Team to post its meeting minutes on the district website (www.scusd.edu). You can also request a paper copy in the school office. An important part of the process is reporting results to the community and receiving feedback.

If you would like more information about your school’s Design Team, please contact your principal.  I hope this letter has provided some insight and perhaps answered some questions.

Sincerely,

Jonathan P. Raymond, Superintendent