Dear HGSD Parents, Staff and Community,                                                  May 29th, 2020

As we enter the final week for seniors and the final two weeks for our other students I hope all of you are doing well and staying safe and healthy.   As the state begins to reopen, please remain vigilant on following safety guidelines.  Our main focus has always been to maintain the safety and health of our students, staff, and community. 

These final two weeks for students should be a conclusion.  Teachers should be working on concluding the year.  Students should be completing final assignments and getting things turned in.  No new introductions of lessons or projects should be happening.  Starting next Monday, June 1st, teachers will be offering enrichment activities for the students. However, these activities will not be mandatory to complete.  It is time to bring everything to closure and hopefully a celebration of all that you have accomplished.   I encourage everyone to stay engaged through your virtual meetings, discussions, and conferences. 

I have been asked several times from parents in the community about student grades, failing, and being held back. The COVID-19 Alternative Grading Plan is posted on the district website under NEWS on the main page.  In no situation will a student be held back in grades Pk-8.  It is slightly different for our High School Students since they earn credits per course, however every opportunity will be given for students to complete work.   Please see the complete details on the website.  If you have any questions, please reach out to your principal. 

 The PTO has organized several end of the year parades.  The High School will be Friday, June 5th at 5:30 pm, the Middle School will be Monday, June 8th at 5:30 pm, and Northview Elementary will be Tuesday, June 9th at 5:30 pm. Details can be found on the Howards Grove PTO Facebook page. 

We will continue to serve free grab and go lunches for children under age 18 through the month of June. 

Our two alternate dates for graduation are July 12th and August 2nd.   As we continue to work with State and County Health Department officials, we will finalize our plans as soon as possible.  A virtual graduation is also being planned and will be incorporated in to any option we have.  In addition, there will be a senior graduation parade on June 7th, the original graduation date, which has been coordinated by the senior parents. 

We are finalizing course descriptions for virtual summer school which will run from July 27th through August 7th.  Some classes will offer remedial support and other classes will be enrichment based.  The course descriptions will be available June 5th. Online registration will open on June 10th.  Please note that there will be a limited number of spots open for each class as we want to provide each student with quality virtual instruction. 

Please don’t hesitate to reach out for help or support at any time.  We are all in this together and are here to help.

 

Sincerely,

Chris Peterson, Scott Fritz, Heather Zizis, Jason Cole, and Tracy Bandt