Dear HGSD Parents, Staff and Community, September 11th, 2020
I hope all of you are doing well and are staying healthy. We have two weeks in and are doing well in our new normal. Thank you all for your efforts to keep kids safe. Students have been very compliant with our new safety protocols. Please continue to use the daily self-screener before sending your child to school.
Even though we have a lot of new protocols, safety procedures, and routines to manage, we certainly were able to find time to honor those who died 19 years ago on 9/11/2001. Each building did find an appropriate way to pause for a moment of silence or share in daily announcements the history behind 9/11.
Thank you for your continued patience during end of the day dismissal time. We have more than normal parent pick-ups this school year than in years past. We are doing our very best to have your children released from school in a safe, efficient and timely manner. At Northview there are designated areas for picking up your child(ren): across from the front of school by the flagpole, near the drop-off/pick-up area on the West side of the school, and by the bike rack on the East side of the school. At the Middle School, parent pick-up is in the back of the school. High School students who are being dropped off in the morning should enter the high school at the lower entrance. The upper entrance is used for bus drop off and students who are using the parking lots. High School doors open at 7:15 a.m. Students are to report directly to 1st block classes when entering the building.
There is a lot of traffic at the end of the day. Please take extra caution as you exit school grounds. Please refrain from using your cell phones as you are entering and exiting school grounds as a safety precaution for self and others.
Virtual students: We are still learning and adjusting to our new cameras and technology to provide virtual instruction. Please be patient with us as we continue to work through this process. Our goal is to provide the best education possible for all students, whether they are receiving in person or virtual instruction.
Reminder: We are offering free lunch to all students. In order for it to be a free meal, the student has to take any one of the combinations of the following: one veggie, one fruit and main entree or one veggie, milk and main entrée or one fruit, milk and main entrée.
DHS reports, “Children and adolescents are more likely than any other age group to be asymptomatic when infected with COVID-19, making disease containment challenging. Identifying all students and staff with possible exposure to COVID-19 and requiring immediate quarantine is therefore especially important in educational settings, where outbreaks may develop and spread through numerous waves of infection without detection.”
In an effort to keep our doors open and to be consistent with DHS and DPI recommendations for disease mitigation, the following guidelines will be enforced:
-If a household member works or is a student in the school setting AND is tested for COVID-19, all district household members (students/staff) will have to stay home until test results are received.
-If a household member that isn’t a staff member or student in the school setting AND is considered a close contact to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, all district household members (students/staff) will have to stay home until test results come back for that household member that is deemed a close contact.
-If a household member that isn’t a staff member or student in the school setting isn’t a close contact to someone who tested positive for COVID-19, all district household members are able to attend school.
-If any household member would test positive for COVID-19, all household members will have to quarantine for at least 14 days per the direction of the Public Health Department.
Communication will continue to be crucial to assist in this process. If you’re reporting an absence, please include the specific symptoms experienced, what date they started, and if anyone in the household has been tested or deemed a close contact to someone with COVID-19. The decision tree on the district website will assist in directing what next steps would be in order for your student to return to school. If symptoms are deemed not COVID-19 related by a medical professional, please provide the office with a note that states this and that your student is able to return to school.
If at any time your student is directed to be quarantined by a Public Health officer, you will receive a letter indicating release of quarantine from the health department. Upon returning to school, please provide the letter to the office.
Please continue to be cognizant of their surroundings and what a 6 foot distance from others entails. This will be crucial if we are asked to conduct contact tracing within the district.
A close contact is considered two days prior to symptom onset or positive test result if asymptomatic and when the following occur:
-Being within 6 feet for a cumulative of 15 minutes or more regardless of masking
-Coming into contact with respiratory secretions (cough/sneezed on or shared personal items)
-Physical contact such as a hug or handshake
-Staying overnight at that person’s house
Thank you all for working together to reopen schools. Our goal has always been to keep our students and staff safe as we begin the 2020-21 school year. Your continued support and help is making this possible. Thank you. Please let us know if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Chris Peterson, Scott Fritz, Heather Zizis, Jason Cole, and Tracy Bandt