Dear HGSD Parents, Staff and Community, July 17th, 2020
Again this week I am wishing all of you well. I hope you are all finding a way to stay healthy, active, and enjoying summer. We continue to work each week on preparing and providing up to date information on reopening our schools.
Our reopening committee has met several times and is working on protocols for a variety of areas. Our goal is still to have a final plan to you by July 31st, provided the state doesn’t change anything that might delay that. We are working off the assumption that we will be open 5 days a week and run normal start times. Some key assumptions for our plan include:
- As part of our plan we will have recommendations for all students and staff. We will have different recommendations based on the age appropriateness of our students. We realize that our students will need to be in an environment that is conducive to learning.
- The requirement of masks is unrealistic for all students at all times. We do recommend wearing masks but they are not mandatory. Keeping our schools as normal as possible, while maintaining a safe environment for all is our guiding principle.
- Practicing good hand washing hygiene, cleaning our facilities, education on identifying symptoms, and appropriate social distancing will be factors as we develop our recommendations.
- A virtual option for instruction will also be available for all students.
- We also realize that we will not have the perfect plan for everyone as we are trying to accommodate as many concerns as we can.
Also, the results of our parent survey regarding reopening of schools is available for review on our website. The information you provided is helping us create a plan that is right for Howards Grove.
At our regular monthly School Board Meeting on Monday July 20th, we will be finalizing our graduation plan. Graduation is set for Sunday August 2nd. Our in-person option would be held on the Howards Grove High School football field. Following the board meeting we will be announcing the final graduation plan.
Registration information was mailed this week. The registration window will be open for parents July 27th through August 3rd. All registration will be done online through Skyward. Please take some time to complete the information so we can plan accordingly for the reopening of schools.
Also, new this year, families will need to schedule an appointment for student pictures. A link to sign up is available on the 2020-2021 Registration page on our website. Appointments are available on Wednesday, July 29th and Monday, August 3rd.
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