Dear William Ford Families and Communities,
Happy New Year! I hope the time during this break was spent together with your family and friends, relaxing, refreshing and preparing for what will be a great 2023!
Perhaps many of you heard about the unfortunate event that took place at William Ford Elementary over this holiday break. On December 24th in the mid-afternoon a sprinkler water line failed in an upstair’s classroom in the new addition of the school near Ford Road due to the extreme cold. Thousands of gallons of water flooded the new addition on that floor and the first floor. Eight classrooms in total were affected, with significant damage in three of those classrooms. The classrooms affected are listed below;
- Ms. Vann, Room 114
- Ms. Sadek, Room 115
- Ms. Hamm, Room 112
- Ms. Shami & Ms. Bondy, Room 113
- Ms. Hamid, Room 217
- Ms. Shajrah, Room 216
- Ms. Saeed, Room 214
- Ms. Haidar, Room 215
A remediation company was on site and in action within a couple of hours of the water failure. Since then the entire area has been cleaned, sanitized, affected materials and supplies removed, drywall was replaced if it was damaged, ceiling tiles were replaced, and new insulation was installed. Although the affected classrooms will not all likely be ready on Monday, we have made spaces in other rooms to welcome all of our students back to school on Monday, January 9th. Therefore, ALL students will report to school on Monday.
Our teachers in the affected classrooms have come together, spent time during break planning and preparing, and will be ready on Monday. Many other teachers have offered and given their support to their colleagues. Once the eight rooms are cleared and ready for our students, they will move from their temporary classroom and return to their homerooms. This may be on Monday or maybe after a few days. Rest assured, although the location for learning may be different for the students in rooms listed above only, instruction and learning will still continue!
On Monday, January 9th, ALL students are to report as normal. Teachers who may need to use an alternate room will greet their students at arrival and escort them to their temporary classroom. There will be signs in the cafeteria and lobby for students who may have a temporary classroom. Additionally, we will have support staff available to ensure this transition is smooth and seamless. Arrival and dismissal will continue to follow the normal schedule, location, and routine.
As always, we thank you for your continued support. As we say at William Ford, “We are better together.”
