A message from PCSD Administrator Joshua D. Sween
April 6, 2021
Dear PCSD Families,
It is hard to believe that we are in the final quarter of the school year. This has certainly been a year like no other, but together we have navigated through the ups and downs. The Irish poet Margaret Cousins once wrote, “Appreciation can make a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary.” With that in mind, I find it is extremely important to share my appreciation for everything our staff, students, families, and community have done so far this school year. I am extremely grateful for all of you, and I know that we will continue our pursuit of excellence together, no matter what bumps in the road may still await us.
Starting next week on Monday, April 12th students at the middle school and the high school will have the opportunity to return to our buildings for face to face instruction 4 days a week. This is an exciting step forward for our school district, and I would venture a guess that it will feel a lot like the first day of the school year. There may be some confusion, but be patient with the process and stay positive. Students will attend on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday with Wednesday continuing to be a virtual day for all students. The reason for the virtual day on Wednesday is that we still have a number of students and their families choosing to remain in the fully virtual learning model. Our staff will continue to work with both in person students and virtual students, so Wednesday is essential to their ability to work with those students and continue to collaborate with each other. Keep in mind that we will have more students in the building than at any time prior to our shutdown last spring. With that increase it is even more important to follow our safety protocols and mitigation strategies than ever before. Face masks will be required for all students and staff in the buildings at all times. Washing hands frequently and using hand sanitizer when entering and leaving the building and classrooms must continue. Please continue to do the daily screener before coming to school and stay home if symptoms are present. Physical distancing to the greatest extent possible will also be important. The CDC and the WI DHS have adopted new guidelines for physical distancing between students. These guidelines say that 3 foot distancing is acceptable between students. We will do our best to adhere to this guideline, but it will not be possible at all times. There will inevitably be situations where students and staff members will be considered close contacts. The CDC and DHS still use 6 feet when it comes to contact tracing, so please be patient with our school nurses when they determine that someone is considered a close contact. We will still err on the side of caution just as we have all year, that is what has allowed us to avoid outbreaks.
Another exciting step forward for the school district is that summer school will be entirely in person this year. Please check your emails for information about registering for summer school at the elementary, middle, and high schools. A lot of work has been done to create a summer school experience with a good mixture of learning opportunities that have fun and exciting elements to them. All elementary school students will attend summer school at John Muir. The school district will provide shuttle buses from Endeavor, Lewiston, and Rusch to get students over to the PCSD campus. There will be two 3 week sessions of summer school so please feel free to sign up for whatever works best for your family, whether that is Session 1, Session 2, or both. Session 1 will begin on Monday, June 7th and end on Thursday June, 24th. Session 2 will begin on Monday, July 5th and end on Thursday July 22nd. Summer school will run from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm and breakfast and lunch will be provided. Summer school is a great opportunity for our kids to learn and grow as well as work on skills that will help them find success next school year. I am looking forward to it, and I hope you are too!
One thing the pandemic shined a light on last spring and throughout this school year is that internet connectivity is not equal between families across the district. This isn’t unique to the PCSD, but it is something that we need to gather information on, so that we can problem solve and and find solutions. Our tech department created a survey through Infinite Campus that was sent out to all families asking specific questions about internet connectivity. Unfortunately, the return rate on that survey has not been very good. If you have not already taken the survey, I would like to ask you to please take some time to fill it out. The directions for accessing the survey in Infinite Campus will be attached to the email you receive this video on. If you are having trouble please know that you can call your school office and they will be able to help you get into Infinite Campus to take the survey. Thank you in advance for helping us with this important work.
I hope the return of warm weather means that we are on a path to better days, and it has helped lift your spirits. This might be the start of the 4th Quarter, but the end of the school year will be here before we know it. So take some time too for gratitude and share your thanks with those that have helped us get here.
As always, take care of yourself, take care of each other, and Go Warriors!
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The Portage Community School District is grateful to all the individuals who continue to reach out as soon as a health issue is suspected in order to support the efforts to control the spread of COVID-19. The current situation requires this collaborative effort. The Columbia and Marquette County Health Departments are working with the district as contact tracing, close contact notifications and determining return to school dates are processed. Physical distancing is critical in all settings and interactions in mitigating the spread. Face coverings continue to be an important part of the overall plan.
As of today the Portage Community School District has been impacted by 178 total cases of COVID-19 since the start of the school year. Currently, 1 of the 178 individuals are actively in isolation and the other 177 have returned to the district. Other individuals across the district are currently in quarantine due to close contacts that they have had from both inside and outside the district. It is important to remember that even though we do everything possible to physically distance students and staff, there is still the possibility that close contact situations may occur in the classroom, hallways, and playgrounds. Our numbers are starting to trend down, but it is important to continue our protocols. The quarantining is extremely important to our ability to remain open for in person learning as well. The school nurses work through the information and all of these individuals in case they develop symptoms or test positive for COVID-19. At this time Woodridge Primary School is closed for a short quarantine period.
The community spread continues in both Columbia and Marquette Counties. The district needs your help to follow these steps on a daily basis. Contact school before sending your student(s) if they meet any of the criteria:
- Someone in the household has been tested for COVID-19 and results are pending
- Someone in the household is ill with COVID-19 symptoms (see list below)
- Fever (temperature 100.4° F or higher)
- Cough
- Trouble breathing
- Chills
- Muscle/body aches
- Loss of sense of taste or smell
- Runny nose or nasal congestion
- Fatigue
- Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
If students show up, or begin having symptoms during the school day, contact with the family will be made by the school nurse or health services staff for pick up. Each situation is unique, therefore the next steps are provided at that time.
Prevent Further Spread
The following guidelines will help to prevent further spread of illness at our school:
- Notify the school if your child or someone in the household is tested for COVID-19 and keep your child home.
- Notify the school if your child is diagnosed with COVID-19 and keep the child home.
- Notify the school if your child had contact with someone who you know was diagnosed with COVID-19 and keep the child home.
- Keep students home from school if they are sick.
- Encourage key habits: frequent handwashing, cover coughs and sneezes, use of face coverings in public and staying home as much as possible.
If you have any questions, please call PCSD School Nursing and Health Services staff at 608/742-4879, extension 4022. We are all in this together. Let’s each do our part.
Sincerely,
Joshua D. Sween Valerie Hon
District Administrator District Nurse
Portage Community School District Portage Community School District
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