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Weekly Update: October 2, 2020

Weekly Update: October 2, 2020

Dear Grinnell Newburg Board of Education, Staff, Families and Friends:

I hope that this weekly update finds you well. Happy Friday! This week COVID has been on the rise in our county. This morning the county 14 day average was at 8.9%. The district has had many families that have had to quarantine due to potential exposure either at school or at home.

Today the total number of students who are quarantined are 29 in the district. I encourage all families to wear a mask, stay home if you are not feeling well, wash your hands and monitor your family’s health.   

The reason for the number of students in quarantine is a combination of exposure at home or at school to COVID. This week, we have been directed by public health to quarantine a class due to an exposure. This class had to quarantine even under the new guidance that has been released by the Governor's office. Our procedures, under this new guidance, have not really changed. We collaborate with IDPH and perform contact tracing. The question asked in addition to the contact tracing is if masks were worn during this exposure. If exposure for more than 15 minutes occurs, or if masks are not being worn for more than 15 minutes, (such as during lunch while eating) then it is possible that a number of students would be identified to quarantine.  Please know that determination for students to quarantine is on a case by case basis. These precautionary measures will help us to limit the spread of the virus. We are fortunate that our schedule and cohorts limit the spread of the virus. Without this structure, many more students would have had to quarantine.  Our methods will assist us from shutting down a school, or the district. I want to thank our families for their cooperation during these challenging times. We are doing everything we can to continue learning during the navigation of this pandemic. Our students and staff are doing an amazing job at wearing face coverings and masks. The safety of our students and staff is our priority. 

Reminder Monday October 5, 2020 is a PD day for staff. No school for students:

Teachers will be participating in a diversity training in the morning with Leslie Bleichner to learn about institutional racism. They will participate in breakout sessions via a zoom link. Teachers should check with their building principals regarding their schedule for Monday. The Training group under the REDI Committee (Reimagine Equity Diversity Inclusion Committee), assisted in planning these activities for our staff. This professional diversity development focus along with our planning for students during these challenging pandemic periods will be the main priorities for our staff during this year. We have placed other initiatives on hold as we learn to navigate these challenging times. 

Join Central Iowans and take the equity challenge:  

This free program is available to anyone who would like to participate.  The 21-Day Equity Challenge is provided in partnership with the United Way of Central Iowa and the Greater Des Moines Partnership. The challenge is a powerful opportunity for shared learning and growth and invites central Iowans to develop a deeper understanding of how inequity and racism affect our lives and community. Each weekday from Oct. 5 to Nov. 2, participants will receive an email with links to articles, videos, podcasts or other information related to that day's topic. They say it takes 21 days to create a habit, so take the #EquityChallenge and sign up today to be a part of this online journey that begins on Oct. 5. 

Special Thanks to Families:

Dear Grinnell-Newburg Families and Community Members,

I would like to take a moment to thank you for all of the art supply donations that have been made to Fairview, Bailey Park, and Davis. In just a few short days we have received, or soon will be receiving, enough donations that all of our elementary supply needs are going to be met! I have been completely overjoyed with the response from everyone in order to help out our students. Thank you for helping us keep a quality art program for these young artists. I am elated and grateful to work in such an amazing community that values the arts in schools. Thank you is not enough, but thank you is what I can put simply into words. I appreciate all you have done.

-Farren Johnson

K-4 Elementary Art Educator  

Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer Visits Ahrens Foundation and Link Program:

Representative Finkenauer came to visit Grinnell this past week to explore the Link program that has served essential workers, children and families of the Grinnell Community. She expressed to us that she was interested in seeing our model to be shared with other communities in our State. She had an opportunity to share with the Link participants a little bit about her role in Congress.  

Home Football Game this evening:

Please know that tickets are not available for this evening’s game. Grinnell tickets are sold out due to our limited capacity because of COVID. We encourage you to watch via video stream if you do not have a ticket at this time. We will not be allowing any fans into the stadium without a ticket. We have limited the number of fans due to our ability to spread families out to social distance. As you are aware there has been an increase in our county, 8.9% and we are asking everyone to wear your mask and keep it on during the game to help us limit the spread. Thank you for your cooperation.   
 

Upcoming Events:

Have an awesome weekend!  Go Tigers!

Janet