Hello, Rowe families. The forecast for tomorrow morning is for temperatures of 0 degrees at 8:00, with 9 mph winds, for a wind chill of -16 degrees.
We thought about a delay, but two hours won't gain us much. The temperature at 10:00 will be 2 degrees, with 9 mph winds, for a wind chill of -14 degrees.
Our three options are delay, cancel, or have a full day of school. I am opting for a full day of school, since we will not benefit from a delay. The reason why we are not choosing to cancel, while some other schools have taken that route, is that due to our relatively new building and heating system, our classrooms will be warm, even if we leave the windows open slightly to improve ventilation. Again, that may not be the case in some other schools.
That leaves the issue of the bus, and there are two factors here. One is that some students wait outside for the bus. The second is that some of the windows on the bus are required to be open for improved ventilation. I would ask that you not let your student stand outside for any length of time waiting for the bus in the morning, and dress them warmly in layers so they stay as warm as possible on the bus ride. The heaters on the bus will be working, I assure you.
If you are dropping your student off at school in the morning, they will go right to the gym to wait until school starts. We have to prop the gym doors open to maintain proper ventilation, since we will have students from all the grades, separated by classroom, waiting in the gym. If you are bringing your child to school, consider dropping them off as close to the 8:30 start time as possible. That said, they are welcome after 7:45 as always, but make sure they bundle up.
We will not be going outside for recess tomorrow, as the temperature is not expected to get above 5 degrees, and the winds in Rowe are a constant companion.
Please keep everyone as warm and as safe as possible tonight, and we'll do the same tomorrow.