Floodwood School District

Here is an update from Dr. Rae Villebrun, Superintendent/Principal: https://5il.co/ky1y Have a great weekend!

Week One of the 2020-21 School Year is in the books. The students and staff are adjusting to the new rules and routines. It has been great seeing kids in the building with their smiles and hearing their voices in classrooms and hallways. Here are a few pictures from this week in the building and with Floodwood Connect.

Click on the link for a message from Superintendent Rae Villebrun regarding updated Greater St. Louis County COVID cases and how it pertains to Floodwood School: https://5il.co/kuuk Please continue to do your part in slowing the spread of COVID-19.

After I finally figured out my outfit for the day, I had a great First Day of School! I hope you did too! We are glad to have you back!

Juicy and Lucy are getting an addition to their tortoise home at school! Thank you to my dad Mike Murphy and Mr. Rocco for all the help ❤️

Join us in giving a R.O.A.R.ing welcome to Ms. Deb Dillard! "I'm originally from Bayport, MN and graduated high school from Stillwater High School. After that, I attended and graduated from Minnesota State University - Mankato. I've been teaching for 40 years, primarily in Early Childhood Education, but also lower elementary and Family Literacy. When I'm not busy teaching, you can find me visiting with my granddaughter, reading, and cooking. I also love meeting and getting to know new people! This year at Floodwood I will be the long-term Preschool substitute with Ms. Rachel is home with her sweet new baby. I will also be doing the ECFE program this school year. I am most excited for this school year with getting to know the children and their families, along with having children in my classroom in person!" We're excited to have you apart of our team, Ms. Dillard! If you see her around, make sure to stop and say "hi!"

Join us in giving a R.O.A.R.ing welcome to Mr. Josh Bestul! "I grew up in Hibbing, MN and graduated from Hibbing High School in 2013. After graduation, I attended Bemidji State University where I earned my degree in Elementary Education. This will be my third year as a teacher. However, I have worked as a paraprofessional and coached a lot of sports also. This year I will be teaching sixth grade. When I'm not at Floodwood School, you can find me golfing, hunting, fishing, and spending time at the lake with family and friends. I'm excited to be joining the staff here at Floodwood School and getting to know the wonderful students, parents and the community! I look forward to getting the opportunity to build relationships with the community as a whole!" We're excited to have you apart of our team, Mr. Bestul! If you see him around, make sure to say "hi"! #PolarPride #FloodwoodSchool #JoshBestul

You'll be seeing a new smiling face at the front desk this year. Join us in giving a R.O.A.R.ing welcome to Melanie Skripsky! "I grew up in Appleton, WI and graduated from Appleton North High School. After graduating high school, I packed up and headed down to Fort Myers, Florida to attend Fort Myers Masters Commission. In 2013, my husband, Joe and I moved back to Floodwood now where we are raising our three kids. When I'm not at Floodwood School, you can find me baking (especially sugar cookies), in my garden, and spending time with my three lovely kids. I'm excited to be Floodwood Schools new secretary and accomplishing the daily office goals, along with assisting in accounts payable and lunch accounts. I'm excited for fresh starts; a new school year just offers hope and possibilities and I'm looking forward to being a part of that!" If you see Melanie, make sure to stop by and say "hi"! #PolarPride #FloodwoodSchool #MelanieSkripsky

First graders - I am ready to meet you! Hope to see you today at Open House!

Ready for the Kinder Crew 20-21!

Click here for a message from the School Nurse: https://5il.co/ki3g

Welcome back 4th graders!!! I'm looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow. I'm in the same room as last year.

Welcome to Kindergarten, friends and families. We are a Work in Progress!

**Attention Fitness Center Members** Floodwood School is currently having technical difficulties with the door system. If you access card is not working, please contact the main office. Thank you for your patience as we get this issue solved as quickly as possible. Sincerely, Jaimen Davis Community Ed/Communications Coordinator

Some faces will be missing this school year. Ms. Deb Torvick, Ms. Sue Vance and Ms. Sherilee Prusi have retired. Thank you for your hard work with our Floodwood students and families - you will be missed!! More news, Ms. Rachel had a baby boy, Levi, at the end of July - congratulations!

WE HAVE OPENINGS... PT Cafeteria Assistant (updated to 6 hrs/day, $12.70/hr); FT Educational Assistant including recess supervision ($13.20/hr starting per union contract); Math & Literacy Tutor (training provided); Youth Development Specialist (training provided); and Asst. Boys Basketball Coach. Go to https://www.isd698.org/employment-opportunities--54 for more information and to apply!

Dear Parents and Guardians: Welcome back to school! The first day of school for K-12 students is Tuesday, September 8th. Preschool will start the following week. Considering all that we have encountered over the last six months, we are preparing for a whirlwind start of the school year. Some changes to expect… *Open House will be a scheduled day and time for each grade level. A virtual option is available rather than coming into the building, if you choose. *All paperwork will now be digital. Expect an email with the links to complete the forms. *All students and staff will be wearing face coverings. *Parents will complete a screening on their children prior to coming to school each day. *Social distancing will be practiced throughout the day. *Parents who bring their children, or pick up their children, will not come into the building. Children will be greeted by school staff. There will be designated locations for parents to pick up and drop off students. Details will be provided. *Buses will load and drop off at the bus garage parking lot and students will walk the paved path to/from school with staff supervision. *There will be designated doors for students to use in the morning and afternoon, depending if they ride the bus, walk, or get picked up/dropped off. *Student drivers must park in the designated space at the bus garage parking lot. *Upon arrival, unless the student is eating breakfast, all students will go directly to their classroom. *Students will not enter the school until 8:10AM. Hand sanitizer will be provided to all students upon arrival. *Distance Learning is now called "Floodwood Connect." With the new name comes the updated expectations for the school and state guidelines. Students are expected to log in to class and attend during class hours or they will be marked absent. High School will need to attend virtually and log in each hour, each day they have class. Elementary students will take direction from their teachers about Floodwood Connect expectations. There are many components to the elementary schedule. Each teacher will determine the level of virtual activity. *Preschool - The 4 year old group will attend M,T,Th, and F, full days. The 3 year old group will attend Wednesday mornings (8:25-11:00) and will need to be picked up at 11:00 (before lunch) by the parent/guardian. *The $25 technology fee will apply to students in grades K-12. The amount may be reduced if your family qualifies for free or reduced lunches. *The free and reduced lunch application is now available only on Campus Portal. If you need a portal set up, or have questions, contact attendance@isd698.org. *Floodwood Connect learners may receive breakfast and lunches, and have them delivered each school morning. The meals will cost the same as if In-Person Learning. There will be a deadline to request the meals. The first deadline is 8/28/20 for the first week of school’s deliveries. The meals will be a state approved bag lunch vs. what is on the regular school menu. *Picture Day for the 4 year old Preschool group and K-12 will take place on September 28th. Retakes and 3 year old Preschool group pictures will be November 11th. Parents may order pictures all online. Details to follow. *The sports schedule has changed. There will be no fall volleyball or football games. Welcome to our new staff, Mr. Joshua Bestul, Ms. Deb Dillard, and Ms. Melanie Skripsky! Mr. Bestul will be teaching 6th grade. Ms. Dillard will be a long term substitute in the preschool classroom as well as our new Early Childhood Family Education teacher. Melanie will be replacing Deb Torvick in the front office as Deb is retiring on September 4th. We wish Deb a relaxing and enjoyable retirement! If you have not read the Blueprint Restart (our plan to return to school), please do. It explains the learning plans as well as plans for classroom space, lunch, recess, instruction with specialists, the cleaning schedule, what to do if your child is not feeling well, community use of the building, as well as many other items. If you have questions after reading through it, please feel free to contact me. As you may have heard, we are starting the year based on the number of COVID19 cases in the Greater St. Louis County. This link: https://gis.stlouiscountymn.gov/portal/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=a845cd8507e54ed1a2c1e66413d6e7cb shows us the number used to determine whether we are In-Person, Hybrid, or Floodwood Connect (virtual learning). If the number for Greater St. Louis County rises to 10, we will need to change our learning plan. We will give one week’s notice if a change is required. At this point in time, the number for our area is 3.25 so we are safe to have In-Person Learning. Our In-Person Learning plan is to have all students in the building five (5) days a week unless families have chosen Floodwood Connect. We recognize that students and parents are anxious about coming back to school. We have spent many hours planning the processes and procedures for keeping the students and staff healthy while allowing children to be children. This means learning new expectations and procedures. Our plan is to ensure that it is a great year of fun and engaging learning activities. School year 2020-2021 is going to be a great year because we are choosing it to be! Thank you for being part of the Floodwood School District where the pride in our school, students, and staff is ever growing! As always, please let us know if you have any questions. We are here to help. Sincerely, Dr. Rae Villebrun Floodwood School: Preparing all students to succeed.

OPEN HOUSE SCHEDULE--If the day or time doesn't work for you, please contact the office at (218) 476-2285 or email attendance@isd698.org.

After planning for 3 options for operating school during the COVID-19 concerns and reviewing the latest MDE and MDH requirements for each, the school board adopted a descriptive learning plan on August 17th. Based on the low number of COVID-19 cases in the district, Floodwood School will be in session 5 full days a week as in the past while taking precautionary measures going above and beyond the requirements. This is one of the many benefits of small class sizes. Families do have the choice to have their students learn from home while streaming the live classroom. Those students must be logged on just as they would be required to be there for class.

Beginning August 31st, we will be changing the Floodwood School Fitness Center hours to the following: Mon - Fri: 5:00am to 7:45am and 4:00pm to 9:00pm Sat & Sun: 5:00am to 9:00pm Holidays: 5:00am to 9:00pm To become a member, you may print a form off of our website or by contacting the school office at (218) 476-2285. Individual Membership: $20/month or $50 for 3-months Couple's Membership: $30/month or $80 for 3-months Upon application and payment, you will receive an access keycard to the north entry of the building. *Availability is subject to change for facility maintenance.