Governor Reynolds shared today, during her 11:00 press conference, that we will NOT return to school as we know it this year. Spring sports have also been canceled. With this announcement, comes many questions. This is one of the reasons Governor Reynolds stated she wanted to give schools two weeks’ advance notice (prior to the April 30th date provided earlier). She wanted school districts to be able to ask questions and be provided guidance from the Department of Education in order to make informed decisions. We appreciate your patience as we develop answers to the many questions we all have with regard to this new information.
Next week, we will be letting families know when and how to pick up your child’s items from school. We plan to gather all of their things, put them in labeled bags, and allow curbside pick-up. We will also be working on providing activities, like graduation, in alternative ways. The Department of Education provides webinars to educators on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 1:00 to provide guidance for schools as we tackle these new challenges. We are hoping next week’s webinars provide us with the information we need to be able to communicate our next steps to all of our students, staff and parents sooner, rather than later.
We will continue to provide learning opportunities for our students throughout the remainder of the school year. Knowing now, that we will not be returning in May, we encourage families to do what they can to ensure their children are dedicating time on a daily basis to engage in the content our teachers have provided. If you have questions about work that's been sent by the teacher or aren't sure how to tackle an assignment, please reach out and email your child’s teacher(s) and/or principals for any assistance you may need. We will also continue to provide free meals in Blencoe and Onawa for the duration of the school year.
Lastly, I would like to reiterate how appreciative we are for the staff, students and parents of West Monona Community School District. The school community has rallied together and has helped one another get through this very difficult time. We will get through this together! We Are West Monona! Go Spartans!
Julie Trepa, Superintendent