ROCHESTER, Minnesota (KTTC) – Rochester Public Schools Acting Principal Kent Pekel sent a Thanksgiving email to parents and staff on Tuesday outlining a plan to help teachers.

“We hope this week’s Thanksgiving / Fall Holiday will allow your family to spend time together celebrating the holidays or enjoying any traditions. I know this school year has been particularly difficult as we continue to navigate the pandemic, ”Pekel said.

The post also included a Youtube link with Pekel thanking the RPS community, and the plan to allow staff to work on their well-being.

“We’re going to be taking four Wednesdays on the other side of the Thanksgiving break. These will be days when we will ask our families not to bring students to school. So that we can focus on staff planning to meet the needs of students during the pandemic and on wellness activities, ”he said.

The dates are:

• December 8
• February 9
• April 20
• May 11

“These will be days that will not be decided at the district level. These will be days that schools decide how to program, ”Pekel said.

He also said that childcare can be a problem for some guardians during these days.

“We will also be reaching out to our community partners to try to encourage them to offer programs that can meet some of the needs of children in day care,” Pekel said.

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