200E students in Florida, as of today a few of you are still filtering in through enrollment while others of you have started coursework and are moving along rapidly (bravo to those who are moving along!).  We have to make a plan, however, and stick to it so that Jane can come to Florida for instructor orientation for skills and to monitor the first skills session (or only session if enough instructors are available to do it at one time).  Normally, we allow THREE months maximum to complete didactic through Final Exam.  We also had originally planned for Jane to come in October. But since enrollment has been slow and some are still not enrolled, there is no way that skills can be done in October – that is only 2 months away and would set some of you up for failure.  November is a very busy month for PERCOM – Texas EMS Conference, annual Advisory Council Meeting, annual Consortium meeting, annual Board meeting and lots of travel and preparation for these big meetings. So November is out.  Winter Break for PERCOM begins close of business on Friday, December 20th.  We will be closed until January 6th so skills cannot be done during that time.  We need to come to a collective agreement between this class and PERCOM as to WHEN that skills orientation and skills session immediately following will occur ASAP so that flights, hotel, etc can be booked. Once it is set, there is no turning back and anyone who has not completed through passing final exam cannot be in the skills session.  We could shoot for dates during the second or third week of December (i.e. Dec 12th for instructor orientation and then the 13th, 14th, and 15th for a skills Exit Session, depending on instructor availability on how we have to break up the sessions but that is an example).    But we need YOU as a group to sit down with each other, Dr. Fink and Dr. Geudfrund to discuss the best plan and email that plan to Jane at programdirector@percomonline.com by no later than the end of September so that we can set target dates to complete for ALL students. Keep in mind that final exams have to be given online by appointment as well unless there is a computer lab there available with internet and someone like Dr. Fink who can proctor for us.  But the plan has to be set NOW so that all students know how much time they have to get everything done and how it will be done.  If we can’t do it during the first two weeks of December, it will have to be January.  Please get together and get a proposal together and ask Dr. Fink to email it back to Jane.