Update on School Opening - 7-30-2020
Dear HLWW Parent/Guardians,
Hello and thank you for your patience and support of HLWW Public Schools during these summer months. I will warn you ahead of time, that due to the latest guidance we received today, this is a rather long message, so I apologize for the lack of brevity.
As we have been planning for the opening of school this fall, we understand that the uncertainty and anticipation of what is going to happen with the start of the 2020-21 school year has been weighing on everyone. Throughout the summer, HLWW Public Schools has reviewed the information we collected from you in two separate surveys. We truly appreciate your input and feedback on these questions. It has been helpful in our planning.
As you may already know, Governor Walz announced today that through coordinated efforts with the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), county health and human services, and local district officials, school districts will have the ability to implement the learning model/scenario that will work best for them, based on scientific data and exposure rates in their schools, communities, and county, as a starting point. Attached is a link to his Minnesota Safe Learning Plan.
As we continue with our planning for the 2020-21 School Year, we will work to review the updated guidance from MDE and MDH. We are working out the finer details of our plans for our students and staff, under three different scenarios. Those scenarios are as follows:
- Scenario 1 - In-person Learning (all students back at school)
- Scenario 2 - Hybrid Learning (a blended approach between being in-person and learning from home – 50% occupancy in schools and transportation)
- Scenario 3 - Distance Learning (all students completing school from home)
With the new guidance from today, HLWW Public Schools will be working with county health officials over the next several days and weeks to evaluate the CURRENT data in our area, as well as reviewing other important information and guidance, in order to make the best decision for opening our schools.
As of today, per MDH information showing the latest 14 day, county virus rates (we have been advised to use the county with the most restrictive numbers – our district lies in more than one county), if we were to start school today, July 30, 2020 we would be implementing the following:
- Elementary Aged Students – Grades PreK-6 – In person learning every day
- Secondary Aged Students – Grades 7-12 – Hybrid Learning (50% occupancy in building spaces and on transportation).
DUE TO CAPACITY RESTRICTIONS ON TRANSPORTATION WITH THE HYBRID MODEL, WE WOULD BE RUNNING A DOUBLE BUS ROUTE, PICKING UP ALL PRE-K & 7-12 STUDENTS FIRST, CLEANING BUSSES, THEN PICKING UP K-6 STUDENTS SECOND - - STARTING SCHOOL ABOUT ONE HOUR LATER AND ENDING ONE HOUR EARLIER FOR GRADES K-6, BECAUSE WE CANNOT SHORTEN THE SCHOOL DAY FOR GRADES 7-12 DUE TO EDUCATIONAL HOUR REQUIREMENTS BY LAW. ALSO WE WOULD NOT WANT TO SHORTEN THE PRE-K HALF DAY.
But, this guidance is just a starting point for making a decision; it is not the final determiner, but rather a piece of the puzzle. We will be consulting with the county health and human services department, to talk through our plans and scenarios, and using their guidance as part of making a decision.
As you can see, a number of factors which were just released to us today, means we will not have a definite decision on how we will be starting school, at least before the weekend. We will need to continue to monitor information from MDH over the next several weeks, and as we do, we will do our best to make a decision as soon as possible.
We appreciate your understanding in knowing that guidance is continuing to change, sometimes almost daily. We have seen this throughout the entire COVID-19 pandemic. This has made planning for the return to school for students and staff, very difficult.
On August 10, the HLWW School Board will review our final plans for each scenario.
While there will still be some changes and updates made to our plans, we hope to share the final plan with families later that week. The plan will include details on all of the following items:
We understand there will be many questions about the opening of school. AS OF TODAY, there are three items I would like to update you on in regards to our plans, in hopes of answering a few questions we have been hearing:
1) Mask or Face Coverings - Recently the Governor ruled that masks must be worn in indoor spaces. Schools are part of that requirement, including transportation. We ask that you plan to add masks to your school supply lists. We will have extra masks, as well as a clear face shield option, for students and staff when they return to school. It would be a good idea to have more than one so that they can be cleaned. There are specific rules about masks that will come out in our plan guidance.
2) Transportation – In a normal school year, transportation routes and bus stop information does not come out until a week or two before school. While we are working very hard to complete adjustments to our routes, as well as planning route changes in the event we need to move to the hybrid model, we ask for your continued patience. Please look for this information to come out about the same time it normally does.
3) Protocol for Contact Tracing and Quarantining – This is some of the guidance that is being updated very soon. The state-wide school nurses group is working with MDH to finalize protocols based on things that have changed at the CDC level and from a school logistics level. I am sure many people want to know what will constitute sending a student home or quarantining a group of students or staff. There will be more coming soon, and we will be updating our plans.
Again, I want to thank you for all your support throughout these trying times. Please be assured, your schools are doing all they can to make sure we are ready to start the school year.
While it is possible that things could change in our communities, county, and the state over the next 40 days before the start of school, we are committed to doing what we can to prepare for our students and staff to start the school year with the best learning plan possible on September 8, 2020.
If there are any changes between the time that our plans are published and the start of the school year, we will communicate them with you as quickly as possible.
Thank you and take care.
Masks Required in All HLWW Facilities
On Wednesday, July 22, Governor Tim Walz announced Executive Order 20-81 which requires Minnesotans to wear a face covering in all public indoor spaces and indoor businesses starting on July 25, 2020. This Executive Order applies to all Minnesotans, making exemptions for children who are five-years-old and under, and those with a medical condition, mental health condition, or disability that makes it unreasonable for the individual to maintain a face covering.
Included in those settings where masks will be required, are school buildings, both public and nonpublic. Face coverings are generally required for all students, staff, and other persons present in any kindergarten through grade 12 school buildings or district offices or riding on school transportation vehicles. To provide a consistent, safe environment for students and staff, this requirement applies equally to kindergartners, even those aged 5 or under.
Students and staff have flexibility to wear face shields instead of face coverings, which allows visibility of facial expressions and lip movements for speech perception, in certain situations. These situations include:
- Among students in kindergarten through grade 8 when wearing a face covering is problematic.
- For educators of all grades, when wearing a face covering may impede the educational process.
Additional specifics about the face covering requirement in the order can be found in the updated MDH Fall Planning Guidance document (see pages 6-8 in the link and document provided), and the full executive order is available on Governor Walz’s executive orders webpage.
Beginning on Monday, July 27, anyone entering an HLWW School Building or Facility, will be required to wear a face mask or shield.
We will be asking students to bring and wear their own masks starting now for those who come in for workouts, programs, etc. For those returning in the fall, this will be part of our school supply list.
We have disposable and cloth masks to provide them to students who forget them at home.
We have displayed signs at each school entrance and office about this new requirement.
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HLWW Parent/Guardian Survey - 2020 School Year Opening
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HLWW_2020_Fall_Opening_Parent_Questionnaire
Thank you for your cooperation and assistance in our planning for the fall.
School Board Member Vacancy
The HLWW Public School Board of Education has a vacancy to fill.
Summer School Plan - 2020
Parents and students will be contacted individually if they need to plan to attend summer school based on grades or IEP criteria.
HLWW Public School's Plan for Summer School Services is listed below, with dates and delivery plans.
HLWW Summer School Plan - 2020
You will be contacted with more specifics about times and locations.
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact the following individuals with you questions:
Elayne Teorey - High School ALP Summer School - eteorey@hlww.k12.mn.us
Linda Wharram - District Special Education Summer School - lwharram@mawseco.k12.mn.us
Jennifer Olson - Elementary Summer School - jolson@hlww.k12.mn.us
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Summer Program Waiver
CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2020
The graduation ceremony for the Class of 2020 was held for graduates and their immediate family in the parking lot of HLWW High School on Sunday, May 31 at 2:00 p.m.
If you would like to watch the ceremony, you can view it on our KLKR YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/qFIxRly-BAI
Some other videos for you to view for our end of the year events can be found here as well as on our Facebook page.
FFA Chapter Banquet & Awards Presentation
Congratulations to the HLWW Class of 2020! Way to go!
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2020-21 School Day Dismissal Times Will Change
On January 13, 2020, the HLWW School Board approved a change to the end of the school day release times beginning with the 2020-21 school year.
Beginning in September of 2020, the end of the day release times for HLWW Schools will be as follows:
Elementary Schools (Winsted and Humphrey) – 2:40 p.m.
Middle/High School – 3:00 p.m.
The rationale for this change is as follows:
- The shortening of the elementary school day and the lengthening the middle/high school day is more in line with Minnesota statute requiring grades K-6 to be in school for 935 hours and grades 7-12 to be in school for 1020 hours in a school year. Based on our current release times, our elementary students put in many more hours than are required, while middle and high school students, even though they put in more than are required, do not exceed by as much.
- This change allows coaches who work at the elementary school, time to travel to the Middle/High School for practices, while not having to shorten their teaching day or finding someone to cover their last hour of the day.
- This change means busses will be parked and ready before the elementary schools release. Currently some busses are still pulling in as school is released because they need to travel from the Middle/High School which dismissed first. This will help with efficient loading and supervision.
- Will create longer classes for Middle/High School students allowing for more teaching and learning.
- In the 2020-21 school year, HLWW Schools is changing to a new athletic/activity conference. The schools we will compete against are geographically much closer to HLWW. This will mean that participants will not need to leave as early for events which allows for us to then extend the school day.
The changes that will need to take place with the bus routes, have begun. 4.0 Transportation will be working closely with school officials to figure out how to reconfigure the routes at the end of the school day to make them as efficient and timely as possible. They will also be communicating as soon as possible, with St. James and Holy Trinity as to how routes will be coordinated for their students. Information about your child’s bus route will not be available until August of 2020
PLEASE NOTE THAT HLWW SCHOOLS IS NOT CHANGING THE BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL DAY START TIMES.
Thank you.
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News
Congratulations to the 2020 HLWW Senior Class!
We are so very proud of you!
Go Lakers!
Calendar of Events
Have a great summer!
Go Lakers!
Welcome to the website for Howard Lake - Waverly - Winsted Public Schools!
Click the Laker logo to register for a sport/activity or a community education class!
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Click the apple to make a lunch payment!
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Click the logo to register for a community education class or event!
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Check us out on Facebook!
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Order your Laker clothing at the HLWW Laker Locker!
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Check out this week's episode of Laker Nation!
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