March 27, 2020

Dear Parents, Students, and Staff;

Now that cases of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) have been found in our town, the school and community must take additional actions to limit the spread of the virus. We understand that this news is worrisome and that extra attention will be placed on the school in the coming days and months. At this time, the school building will be locked down until April 13th. No individuals will be allowed into the buildings and all staff members are required to work from home and will not reporting to the building. Our plan is to have the students remain at home and complete the packets and/or online learning until May 1st. At that time we’ll determine, with recommendations from state and federal health authorities and the Nebraska Department of Education, if it’s safe to resume classes again in the building. 

With the closure of the building, the Pre-K through 2nd grade learning packets will no longer be available to the students. The school will be contacting you to give you ideas on learning activities that you can do at home with you child to continue their education. We are hoping to have new packets available on Monday, April 13th, but we’ll contact parents as soon as we know the exact date.

For the third through twelfth grade students, they’ll continue to work online in Schoology with their teacher. I’m extremely proud of the initiative, hard work and effort put forth by our students and staff. Well over 95% of our 3rd through 12th grade students are working online, interacting with their teachers, and completing their homework assignments. There have been a few hiccups and problems that have come up, but we’ve addressed them and we’re getting into as “normal” of a routine as possible. Keep up the good work; you’re doing a wonderful job so far. 

The school will continue to provide school lunches for those individuals who request them. You can go to the district website to fill out the Google document in the yellow highlighted area at the top of the page to request school lunches. Please remember that school lunches are curbside pick up at school between 11:30 to noon on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. 

Our students depend on us to make sure they are safe. Part of that responsibility is passing along the proper information about the disease and how best to prevent it from spreading. There are some simple everyday steps you can take to reduce your chances of exposure and to protect others. Fortunately, these steps are the same to prevent the flu, the common cold, and other respiratory illnesses.

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds. 
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue (or sleeve) and throw the tissue away.
• Clean and disinfect surfaces that are often touched.
• Stay home if you are sick.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick. 
• Take care of your health overall. Getting plenty of rest, eating well, and exercising all help your body stay resistant to disease.

Needless to say these are trying times for all of us. This is not the situation that any of us thought or wanted to be in. We all need to work together, not only at school but at home to get through these rough times. Please rest assured that the school is trying to do our part to provide a sense of normalcy educationally under these conditions. I really believe that if we all work together, we’ll come out of this as a stronger and closer community.

Sincerely,

Brian F. Gegg, Superintendent