My name is Clay Willis, and I am a 10th grade ESE Inclusion Teacher here at West Port High School. This is my 5th year being a part of the Wolf Pack and I couldn't have found a better place to call home. My major in college was Family Youth and Community Sciences. I knew I was passionate about working with young people but I never dreamed it would be through teaching. I am excited to be molding the minds of some of the best teenagers in Marion County.

Here are some of the classes that I support:

• De Jesus Physical Science (Pd 1, 3, 4)
• Brewington Geometry (Pd 5, 6)
• Bender Geometry (Pd 2)

Hello students,

While our current situation is certainly unprecedented, Ms. Roberts and I wanted to contact you personally and let you know that we are here for you. We hope that each of you and your families are doing well, and that the impact of the COVID-19 crisis has been as minimal as possible.

Many of you may feel stressed out or confused with the transition to online virtual schooling through at least May 1st; however, we want to assure you that we are here to help you during this time.

What do you need to do? Over the next two days, your teachers here at West Port will be finalizing their plans to have all of you participate in your classes virtually, whether that’s through Google classroom, Zoom, Basecamp, or other means. PLEASE make sure that you have visited each of your teacher’s websites by April 1st and that you have been in contact with them so you do not miss out on important instructions. Please keep in mind: your teachers have been instructed to keep a record of attendance during this time period, and they expect you to be working on your class work, just like you would if you were physically in school. It is vital that you log in to whatever platform they have chosen, and that you are keeping up with your assignments by completing them and submitting them in a timely fashion.

If you have already been participating in online classes through PLATO, Marion Virtual School, or Florida Virtual School, please continue to work on those classes, every day, until you are finished.

What can we do to help you? Ms. Roberts and I have created various ways for you to reach us and keep in contact with us: 1. We are always accessible through our school emails Buford.Willis@marion.k12.fl.us and Lauren.Roberts@marion.k12.fl.us.

2. Ms. Roberts has also created a Google Voice phone number. Please contact her by voice or text through this number instead of our WPHS numbers. You can reach Lauren Roberts at 978-566-9705.  If you text her, just let her know who you are so we can add you as contacts. 3. We each have ZOOM accounts that use our school emails.  We will have more information in the next few days, but we will most likely use Zoom to provide one-on-one or small group assistance with your online assignments. You are also welcome to contact us through Zoom to check in with us and see our beautiful faces :) If you have not done so already, please download Zoom on your computer or mobile device now. It’s free and easy to use!

We are looking into other websites and online platforms to use in conjunction with your classroom teachers, and we will email you with any updates. Please note, we will be the most active during our normal school hours 9:15 to 3:45 and cannot guarantee an immediate response before or after those times. Leave a message or email us! We will get back to you when we can.

What can you do to help us? WE WANT EVERY ONE OF YOU TO RESPOND TO THIS EMAIL ASAP. Reply to this now, let us know you’re okay or if you need help, give us your preferred method of contact, provide us with an updated email and phone number so we can reach you. We love each of you and want you all to be successful. We are all learning as we go, but we can support each other as the school year comes to a close. None of us knows what the next day may bring, so complete your work as you can. And, remember, we are here to help you.

We can’t wait to see you all again, we miss you! Please contact us with your questions and concerns – if we don’t have the answer, we will forward you to someone who does.

Be kind. Be healthy. Be smart. You’ve got this!

All our love,

Willis and Roberts

Go Wolfpack!!

*** NOTE ***

Marion County Public Schools may record online classroom sessions utilizing third-party platforms (Zoom, Google Classroom, etc.). These recordings will only be used for educational urposes and may be shared on other learning platforms. If you do not want your child's image or identifying information recorded, utilize your device/platform controls to stop the camera feed from your device.