What an awesome return to school.  It has been incredible to see so many students back from Virtual, as well as our students back from Christmas break.  It has been a big week in the world, but this week has also been a big week for our students as they get back into routines and begin the work of 2^nd Semester.

Academic Growth

We have two significant checkpoints coming up over the coming few weeks.  First, our students will be MAP testing the week of January 25^th.   MAP testing is not something that is a part of student’s grades, but instead a checkpoint to see how our students are growing under our care.  Students took MAP in the fall and will take it again to allow us to see how they have growth.  This is a major player in how we measure our student’s success of our mission.  Upon completing their MAP tests, students will meet with their Math and ELA teachers to talk about their progress and work on a plan moving forward.  In addition, as we approach scheduling for the upcoming school year, this MAP test works as a major player to see if our students are ready for advanced classes.  Please urge them to do their best!

In addition to the MAP Assessment, our final conference night of the year is coming up on February 10^th.  We will be sending out the sign up for conferences in the coming weeks, and they will again take place virtually using Microsoft Teams.  Parents should not wait for conferences however if they have a concern.  If you are concerned about your students start to the 2^nd Semester, please reach out to their teacher’s directly.  If there are issues or concerns, it is best for us to find them early and work towards solutions.

Social Growth

Thank you to our athletes and students involved outside of the school day.  It is important to note for our athletes that their participation in after school events are still tied to close contact guidelines.  This means, if they are a wrestler or basketball player, and another player is COVID positive, they will be considered a close contact and will have to follow the guidelines of quarantine.  This means they will be out somewhere between 7 and 14 days based upon the decisions of your family.

I also want to thank our parent volunteers who were a part of the wrestling tournament this past weekend.  This is a difficult event to host during a pandemic, but with the help of so many we were able to run this event as safely as possible.

COVID-19

As referenced above, there have been changes from the Governor’s Office speaking specially to schools and close contact guidelines.  Students who are within 6 feet of a COVID+ student will no longer need to quarantine if masking guidelines remain in place.  However, we will continue to notify families regarding students who they are close contacts with allowing them to make the best decisions for their home.  Students involved in after school programs that are considered close contacts will still need to follow the guidelines for quarantining.  If your family has a specific question, please call our office at 367-4831.

In addition, as Mr. Hamstra has stated in his emails, our staff will soon be eligible to receive the COVID vaccine.  While information is still coming to us, this will likely take place in early February for the first shot, and 21-28 days later for the 2^nd shot.  On these days, our students will go remote.  This will allow our staff to be able to get the shot, as well as manage any side effects that may happen as a result of the shot.  This information is coming to us in bits and pieces from State and Local Health officials, and we will give our families as much time as possible when it takes place.

Great Week

We are looking forward to a great week with your children!  Thank you for what you do as parents to support our kids!

One last thing, this week was National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day.  I want to personally thank Officer Willig for what he has been to so many students over his career.  Additionally, so many of our parents work in law enforcement.  Thank you for your service to our communities.  We share a common goal to improve the lives of all that we work with.  Thank you for partnering with us in those efforts.