Dear HGSD Parents, Staff and Community, June 5th, 2020
CONGRATULATIONS SENIORS! We certainly realize that this year has not been the senior year we all hoped for. I hope you are able to celebrate this great accomplishment in some way with your friends and family. Please know that the Howards Grove School District is extremely proud of you and the work you have done to graduate. We are all looking forward to seeing our graduates on Sunday, June 7th at noon as the Class of 2020 will be on parade. The parade starts at the intersection of Kennedy Avenue and N. Wisconsin Drive and ends at Millersville Avenue Intersection. Special “thank you” to our senior parents for organizing this event.
As things progress, it seems more likely that we will be able to honor one of our two alternative graduation dates of July 12th or August 2nd. We are meeting with the Sheboygan County Health Department officials to finalize our plans for safe procedures and social distancing plans. A final determination of which alternative date will be made very soon. I sincerely appreciate your patience as we work to make an alternative graduation the best it can be, safely.
Next week we have the final two days of schools. Please make every attempt to finalize, complete, and turn in any work that is still outstanding. Hopefully that isn’t an issue and you are able to engage in some fun activities with your virtual class. 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. Families will drive through Memorial Park, wave at staff and celebrate the end of the school year. Teachers and staff will be lined up throughout the park. Please avoid stopping to ensure flow of traffic and practice social distancing.
As a reminder, all in person summer school has been canceled. Virtual summer school course descriptions are posted today and registration will open on Wednesday, June 10. 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.
Moving into the summer, our work will focus on how we can reopen our schools safely for the 2020-2021 school year. There are many things to consider when planning this such as bussing, class sizes, schedules, staffing, co-curricular activities, serving lunch, social distancing, and cleaning to name a few. We are waiting for guidance on personal protective equipment, will daily temperatures need to be taken, will masks be needed or provided, and can we offer a blended option of virtual classes for some students. The safe re-opening of school will be our highest priority as we move forward. As we know more, I will continue to provide updates throughout the summer.
We will continue to serve free grab and go lunches for children under age 18 through the month of June.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. In the meantime, stay safe, healthy and enjoy your weekend.
Sincerely,
Chris Peterson, Scott Fritz, Heather Zizis, Jason Cole, and Tracy Bandt