ATKINS

March 20, 2020 Atkins Schools Update.

Spring Break has officially started. I pray that you all stay safe. Today, the President and the Governor both gave information that will affect teachers and students. The few educators I shared this information with started dancing, so without further ado, all Standardized Testing for the remainder of this school year is canceled.

Seniors who were on track to graduate at the end of the 3rd 9 weeks find themselves in pretty good shape, as we will continue to roll out AMI packages that we need you to complete, but the rumors of re-doing the entire semester or year were false. Keep it up, you're almost there Class of 2020.

Now the bad news, I am canceling the Prom for April 18. We will make every effort to re-schedule it once this pandemic is declared safe. I repeat, I realize how important Prom is to seniors, and we will do our best to have a Prom. It just won't be April 18.

I will meet with my leadership team on Tuesday March 24, during Spring Break. We will have to adjust some things, and teachers and staff, this may mean different assignments than what you have been following these past few days. We will get the information out to you through email, social media, and our School Websites.

There will be no meal delivery during Spring Break. We will start back up on Monday March 30. There may be some adjustments to our delivery plan. We have been delivering less than 200 meals most day, and I feel like we are not reaching enough of you. Please look for more information on this later.

As you probably know, the number of confirmed cases in Arkansas is around 100 now. We all knew once the testing kits became available, there would be more identification. I still am confident, with the steps we have been taking along with breakthroughs in medicine and treatment, it will help us get back to normal, sooner.

Thank you for working with the school. If you need to reach me you can call and leave a message at 479-310-9147, or email me at jody.jenkins@atkinsschools.org

I urge you to follow the recommendations of our government leaders and healthcare professionals. I've never been very confident in many politicians, but I think we are getting very good advice right now. Arkansans are known for being very caring for family. As my good friend, the late Coach Charlie Sorrels told his players many times, you back a Red Devil into a corner, and you've messed up. We're backed into the corner, but we're battling for our family. Let's keep that spirit up. RDP for life!

Jody Jenkins, PROUD Superintendent
Atkins Public Schools

March 19 Atkins Schools Update.

As most of you are aware, Governor Hutchinson has directed all schools to remain closed until at least April 17. My administrative team and I will get together in the next few days, and we will make our staff and you aware of our plan. We will consult the Arkansas Department of Education as well as other educational partners, and come up with the best plan for the children of the Atkins School District.

One very tough reality is that we are looking at having to modify our plans for Prom. It is certainly something we know is very important to our Class of 2020. It is my advice that you don't spend an extravagant amount on a formal dress or suit. At the very extreme happenstance, we might just have a Prom where you dress in the best you have. No final decisions have been made, so please do not panic. We are facing many decisions with this virus that we never have had to consider before.

Our meal delivery plan will not take place during Spring Break, but will resume on March 30. We hope to reach more people with the deliveries. 

Thank you for your support. We continue to pray for a swift resolution to this situation. We are encouraged that it has been discovered that a current medication that already has FDA approval seems to be effective with this virus. We hope that you will observe the protocols put forth by the Governor and the President, and help in minimizing the spread of the virus.

Go Red Devils, and RDP for life!

March 18 Atkins Schools additional information.

For clarification, if there is bad weather, and Pope County is put under a Tornado Warning, the Storm Shelter Rooms at the Atkins K-8 Building and Atkins High School will be available for the public unless we are directed otherwise by state or federal authorities.

March 18 Atkins Schools COVID-19 Update.
We want to stress that if your child has any problems with their AMI lessons, please contact your child's teacher. Email or call the phone number on their AMI Packet is the best way. If you are having problems contacting your teacher, please leave a message on the District Message phone (number listed below). We want to make sure all children who need to be fed are getting meals. If your child(ren) need breakfast and lunch, please text the District Message Phone (or call if you do not have texting capability, and leave a message). We will need your address (include zip code if it isn't an Atkins address) for our GPS and please indicate how many meals you need. We will deliver between 8:30 and 9:30. It would be very helpful if you could let us know by 7:00 PM. If you received delivery today, we will deliver the rest of this week unless you ask us not to. We will also continue to provide Grab and Go Meals from 9:00 AM until 11:00 behind the K-8 building. Take the road that runs just south of the K-8 building and you will come to a small parking lot with an awning. We will bring the meals out to you. Message Phone 479-310-9147 Thank you and God bless you. RDP for life!

March 17, 2020 School Closure Update. 

The only update for today is a change in our meal delivery plan. We only had one family pickup meals at any of our remote spots today. Tomorrow we will still have Grab and Go Meals behind the Atkins K-8 Building from 9:00-11:00 AM. This includes breakfast and lunch. We will not use the remote sites, but if you would like for us to bring you meals, please call our School Message phone at 479-310-9147, or contact Mr. Jenkins at jody.jenkins@atkinsschools.org by 7:00 PM each evening.

March 15 Atkins Schools Update:
Governor Hutchinson made an announcement today concerning school closures. The following is the plan for Atkins Public Schools.
Monday March 16: Schools will be open, but attendance is optional. We want to help our parents who need time to set up arrangements for their children to have an adequate place to be when school is not in session.
Tuesday March 17 through March 20: Atkins Public Schools will be closed and we will use AMI days for instruction.
We have volunteers who will be loading up more backpack meals to send home to as many that are available on Monday.
Beginning Tuesday March 17 we will offer Grab and Go meals for our students. We will provide a pickup place just west of the K-8 Building (by the playground) for you to drive by and pick up a sack breakfast or lunch. Tomorrow I will give exact times the meals will be available. We also plan to deliver meals to various points in our district, hoping to reach those in need the most. This information will be released Monday as well.
Spring Break is March 23-27. We will monitor the Governor and the Arkansas Department of Education and the Arkansas Department of Health to decide what will happen next.
Thank you for your cooperation and understanding. If you need to contact me, please use my email address, and I will get in touch with you if need be. This is uncharted territory for us all, If we make a mistake, we will do our best to get it corrected. We love your children, and want the best for them. As always, RDP!
Addition to announcement: We have tried our best to provide AMI packets that are not dependent on technology. We have had a communications company offer to help us set up hotspots throughout our district to help with internet connection. More on this Monday.