Dear Parents and Guardians,
I hope this message finds you well. I would like to focus this week’s update on
the Phase II Construction project. The
construction has created challenges for our staff and students
due to the amount and level of noises caused by the work.
Unlike the Phase I Expansion work, the Phase II project is much bigger
in scale and the construction zone is located right by some of our classrooms
and learning spaces. I understand the
noise level and some of the work that needed to be done like the welding that occurred during
the structural steel erection phase of the project can be very disruptive to
the learning process. Therefore, we are
doing what we can to ensure our teachers and staff have alternative teaching
spaces if the construction becomes too disruptive. I also meet with representatives from the Office of Town Engineers,
the project manager from the construction company, as well as the project’s
chief architect on a weekly basis to discuss how to proceed with the construction
while allowing the day-to-day operation of the school to take place. No building construction project can proceed without
creating noises and smells related to welding and steel cutting, but rest assure
that all parties involved in this construction project place the staff and students’ health, safety, and well-being as high priority. We are making every effort into ensuring the physical environment of all McCall learning spaces are clean, safe, and healthy, and high quality teaching is still going on
despite the distracting elements that are created right outside some
of our classroom windows.
I am attaching some pictures of the work that are being done
during past few weeks. Despite the rain and
high winds that occurred in recent days, the structural steel erection process
is proceeding ahead of schedule. That
means the work will quickly shift toward the interior of the newly erected
structures, which also mean the construction project would soon create
significantly less noises and other elements that can be distracting to teachers,
staff, and students.
I am grateful to all McCall staff, teachers, and students for enduring
the rough patch of the construction process during the last two and a half weeks.
I appreciate all the flexibility and resiliency everyone is
exhibiting. At the same time, I feel fortunate
that we have a community who is willing to fund the construction of an expanded
cafeteria, a new teacher’s workspace, and an additional wing of six new
classrooms. Those of you who visited our
school during Open House night can see that we are currently utilizing every
square inch of our building and is in need of additional teaching and working spaces. Those new work and learning areas are becoming a
reality and everyday we are moving closer to having a more spacious building with state-of-the-art teaching facilities.
Thank you for your continued support and cooperation.
James Lin
Principal
McCall Middle School
