Message from Mr. Liem - IB Update

April 21, 2020

Good Afternoon, Largo IB Families,

This is Alec Liem, Assistant Principal and IB Coordinator of Largo High School, calling with some important information. As you are aware, the decision was made by Governor Desantis to close our school buildings for the remainer of the academic school year. Please continue to monitor www.pcsb.org/coronavirus as well as the district’s social media channels for the latest information. This morning, it was shared with us that all final exams have been waived for middle and high school scholars. The semester final grade will be based on the scholar’s 3rd and 4th quarter grades. The final for each quarter will be averaged together (each worth 50%) to calculate a final second semester grade for every course.

While COVID-19 has closed schools all across the country, no group of scholars has been impacted more than our high school seniors. Prom, Grad Bash, Senior Celebration and all athletic seasons have all been canceled. However, the district is working with the Tampa Bay Rays regarding dates in June or July to host graduation at Tropicana Field if the CDC guidelines and the Major League Baseball schedule allows. We are working to ensure that as soon as it is safe to do so, the Class of 2020 will receive the recognition and celebration that it greatly deserves. To help celebrate our Senior’s accomplishments, we are encouraging senior families to decorate their doors and share them on social media using the hashtag “#CongratsLHS2020”. You can email them to me as well so we can share on our school website and social media outlets. We are also working to develop processes in accordance with the CDC guidelines to ensure the safest and healthiest way to distribute yearbooks, facilitate locker clean outs, and provide opportunities for textbook and athletic uniform returns. There are many details to work out and we will update our families as quickly as information becomes available.

For all IB Scholars, I want to offer you some encouragement. Throughout my years as an educator, I have seen the resiliency and innovation that young learners encompass. Your generation can navigate the digital world and flourish. You have learned to compensate learning gaps with supplemental material like Khan Academy, MyAP and many other credible resources.

As always, I encourage you to set aside time for yourself, not just academically but for your mental and physical well being. Continue to help one another. Exercise, find a book or podcast and learn something new. Discover or embrace a hobby that will allow you to release stress and decompress. If you are able to, help your families and extended families by checking in on them and offering support during this time. Our community needs your positivity and drive to survive this pandemic. You are our community's future.

This year may not have culminated as you had planned, but I am confident that you will make the best of it and succeed. As always, your Largo IB family is here to support you. Please reach out to me if you have any questions.

Sincerely,
Alec Liem
Assistant Principal
International Baccalaureate Coordinator
Largo High School