Dear Floodwood School Community,
We hope you all have had an enjoyable summer and a chance to visit folks you might not have had a chance to with the restrictions of the past 18 months or so. As we approach the new school year, we have some updated information to share with our Floodwood School families.
First of all, after listening to the community, staff, and considering what is best for students, we will NOT be combining PreK 4’s and kindergarten. Mrs. Bartsch will teach the kindergarteners and our new staff member, Melanie Pliml, will be teaching the PreK 4’s. The 4 year old program will run Monday through Thursday (4 days a week) with no PreK-4 on Fridays, starting Monday September 13th. The PreK-3 and ECFE programming is still being determined. Updates on PreK 3 and ECFE will be coming in September.
Secondly, with the unknowns surrounding COVID-19 and the variants, we will be keeping some protocols in place that were started last school year.
School doors will open at 8:00am on school days and students will be greeted by a staff member that will distribute hand sanitizer.
Before school drop-off and after school pick-up will remain the same. The south doors (Polar Bear side) will be for walkers and PreK/K students, the north entrance will be for parent drop-off and pick-up, and the playground side entrance will be for bus drop-off and pick-up. If you are going to pick your child up during the school day, that will take place at the Polar Bear entrance.
When students arrive at school, they may head to breakfast or their classrooms. We will continue to keep the students out of the gym in the mornings for now.
Guidance is requiring anyone who rides a school bus to wear a mask. If your child uses school transportation, they will be required to have a face mask on during the ride to and from school.
All of us at Floodwood School are excited and look forward to welcoming students back in September, full time, 5 days a week! We will continue to follow CDC/MDH guidelines and provide an environment that is focused on your child’s safety and academic learning. Mark your calendars for our Back to School Open House on Thursday, September 2nd, 4-6PM.
The district has not made any decisions regarding face coverings and other prevention strategies. The school board will follow CDC/MDH recommendations and make these decisions at their August 23rd meeting. At this time, those that are vaccinated do not need to quarantine. As you and your family prepare for the new school year, please consider getting the vaccine. This may mean less school days missed if your child is exposed. Here is a link to the various locations in Minnesota providing the COVID vaccine: https://mn.gov/covid19/vaccine/find-vaccine/locations/index.jsp .
Thank you for your continued support and understanding as we all navigate through this and keep the safety of our students and staff at the forefront of all decision making. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us at attendance@isd698.org.
Enjoy the rest of summer break!
Sincerely,
Mr. Jonathan Payne
Mrs. Amanda Fjeld
Floodwood School: Preparing all students to succeed.