COVID 19 Update 12:00pm 4/17/20
To our Reedsville Students, Staff, Families, and Community:
COVID 19 has changed so many things in our lives. As an educator and father, I feel for all of our students and staff who have been pulled away from school. As the novelty of a day or two out of school has worn off, I know that we would all rather be together in school. Working in public education is a calling and our staff miss your children. While we are not able to be physically together, we are still with you and will support you as much as we physically can.
Yesterday, Governor Evers announced an extension of #SaferAtHome with new provisions. One of the new provisions was the closure of K12 school facilities through the remainder of the school year. This provision includes in person instruction as well as co-curricular activities. Here’s some details on how this new provision will affect our district:
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Public Recognitions and Events: We will be postponing Graduation, Evening of Excellence, and any other scheduled events on the 19-20 school calendar until further notice. We will be working with our families and students to find alternative dates and solutions to ensure our students are recognized for their accomplishments during the 19-20 school year.
As we have been doing throughout the closure, we will continue to update you as new information becomes available.
During times of crisis, we often learn the most about people. As a community we are looking out for our neighbors and going out of our way to check in on people. We are a strong and caring community. We are a family. We are #ReedsvilleStrong! We are stronger together, and together we will get through this.
From the entire Reedsville School District family, take care of yourselves and each other.
Sincerely,
Kristoffer Brown
Superintendent
Reedsville School District
kbrown@reedsville.k12.wi.us
COVID 19 Update 4:40pm 4/9/20
To our Reedsville Students, Staff, Families, and Community:
As we move further into April there are still so many things that are unknown. At this time I have no more information on whether the school closures will continue past the April 24th date. One thing I do know is we have a very supportive community and we will continue forward together. Our staff is working hard to provide as many resources and support as we can to families.
It has been 24 days since school was closed. During that time we have delivered meals to resident families, returned personal belongings, and transitioned to distance learning. Since March 16th, we know things have drastically changed in all of your lives. With that being said, we wanted to check-in with all of you.
We have two surveys listed below. The first survey is one for all district families. This survey will help the district plan its next steps in supporting everyone. The second survey is one for families that may be experiencing hardships during the COVID 19 pandemic. Thanks for your participation in these surveys. They really help us make informed decisions to assist our students and families.
Surveys
All District Family Survey
Families in Need Survey
Student Devices 5th - 12th Grade
While it would have been nice to have had our student devices ready to be shipped home with students earlier, we were not ready to do so. Preparing devices for off site usage involves more set-up then using them at school. With a lot of hard work from our District Technology Coordinator, Denise DeMeyer, our devices are ready for student disbursement.
All students grades 5th-12th grade will be able to pick up a school issued Chromebook from the Elementary/Middle School on Tuesday, April 14th between 2:00pm and 6:00pm. Pick-up will occur at the same entrance as our personal belonging pick-up a few weeks ago on the west side of the building.
These devices will remain with students until the end of the school year. There will not be any required usage fee for these devices. Students and families will take responsibility for these school issued devices in the same way they take responsibility for textbooks or other school issued equipment. Damages to school issued devices will be assessed by the district. Any costs for repairs due to misuse or accidents by students or their family, will be charged to the student’s account. In the future we hope to provide optional insurance plans for student devices, but with the short notice we are not ready at this time.
Any issues or questions about your student(s) device can be sent to Denise DeMeyer at ddemeyer@reedsville.k12.wi.us.
I hope you are all staying safe. We all need to take care of each other by doing our part to social distance. As the weather turns warmer, please take some time to enjoy it with your family and remember that everyone in the Reedsville Family is looking up at the bright skies and better tomorrows together.
Sincerely,
Kristoffer Brown
Superintendent
Reedsville School District
kbrown@reedsville.k12.wi.us
COVID 19 Update 4:00pm 3/25/20
To our Reedsville Students, Staff, Families, and Community:
This morning Governor Ever’s #SaferAtHome order began. This order is set in place through April 24th. Following the order of the Governor, all events that were scheduled through April 24th will be postponed at this time. As directed, the district will remain closed during this time period as well. If this changes, we will be sure to let everyone know.
Educational Opportunities
As mentioned last week, our staff has been working on educational opportunities for students as we move into 4th term.
4K-8th Grade Students
Mr. Nate and his staff have been working on many resources and opportunities for our students. They have compiled a list of activities and opportunities listed here:
https://www.smore.com/jb7dg-instructions-at-home
Mr. Nate and his staff will continue to update families on the new learning opportunities as they become available.
9th-12th Grade Students
High School students should have received communication and materials for completion of 3rd quarter courses. If you have any questions about the 3rd quarter please email your student’s teachers for clarification on remaining work.
For 4th quarter, most of our students will begin utilizing an online platform called Buzz provided through BYU. We have used this platform before and have been working to ensure our transition is as successful as possible. In order to set-up our students in this learning platform we need ALL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS to complete a 4th quarter registration form:
Spring 2020 - Term 4 - Distance Learning Course Selections
We need all of our high school students to register through the form for 4th quarter classes because we are not able to provide every class as scheduled for the 4th quarter (i.e. Tech Ed classes). Please complete this registration by 11:59pm on Sunday, March 29th. Students will be loaded into the Buzz platform with courses starting on Wednesday, April 1st.
The instruction that will occur in Buzz will be asynchronous, which means it can be completed at any point and will pace itself to each student’s needs. All courses completed at the high school level will count for credit towards graduation and will be reflected on the student's GPAs.
Students will receive their login information on March 31st for the Buzz platform through their school email accounts. If you have any questions or concerns about this instructional delivery, please email me and our staff will work with you to resolve all issues. If you are unable to login to your school email account, then contact Denise DeMeyer at ddemeyer@reedsville.k12.wi.us.
Thank you to everyone for your patience while we put together the best learning opportunity for students given our timelines and resources. I was encouraged yesterday by the turnout from our district families as student belongings were picked up. Thank you to everyone for your continued support and we hope that we can continue to support you throughout this closure.
From my family to yours, we wish you the best. Take care.
Sincerely,
Kristoffer Brown
Superintendent
Reedsville School District
kbrown@reedsville.k12.wi.us
COVID 19 Update, 3:00pm, 3/23/20
To our Reedsville Students, Staff, Families, and Community:
I hope this message finds you well. Today Governor Evers announced there will be a Safer At Home order released tomorrow. Stated on the Governor’s Twitter account the order will “cease all non-essential business statewide...” While the details will not be released until tomorrow, we are going to proactively move up our personal belonging pick-up.
Personal Belongings
We will now have our scheduled pick-up for personal belongings occur on Tuesday, March 24th from 3:00pm - 7:00pm at the Elementary/Middle School.
Below is a map of the traffic pattern for the pick-up, as well as directions for how the pick-up will occur to practice safe social distancing.
Directions for the pickup
Enter from the North side (Main Entrance).
Proceed around to the South side of the building (Playground side).
Turn right onto the West side. (Towards the old elementary entrance)
Stop at the overhang where you will be met by a staff member. Please tell them the names of your student(s). The staff member will retrieve material from the elementary gym and place it on the curb outside of the entrance.
Once the staff member leaves, ONE PERSON should get out of the vehicle and take the material. Your vehicle can proceed to the main exit.
Please note there will be limited interaction with staff members for the safety of everyone. Please do not bring your children to the material pickup. Staff members will not be able to talk with you during this time.
Student Services Information
Our Student Services team has put together some information and resources for families during our school closure. Please take a look at the presentation linked here.
District Staff
As stated in last week’s update, our staff is working on the next steps for educational opportunities for students. In the meantime, you should be receiving calls from our teachers reaching out to you and our students. We want to ensure we can stay connected during the closure. If you have any questions for any of our staff, please know they are available via email and are happy to help out with anything they can.
Stay tuned for more information as it becomes available. Take care.
Sincerely,
Kristoffer Brown
Superintendent
Reedsville School District
kbrown@reedsville.k12.wi.us
COVID 19 Update, 10:00am , 3/20/20
To our Reedsville Students, Staff, Families, and Community:
I hope all of you are doing well. The changes in our daily routines have been significant with new information coming from the local, state, and federal officials on an hourly basis. As we begin to transition into an indefinite school closure, I want to let you know about the next steps the district is taking in regards to our students.
Personal Belongings
Over the next few days, our custodial and instructional staff will compile student’s personal belongings as well as some material for student engagement. We will be coordinating a parent pick-up of these items at the Elementary/Middle School on Wednesday, March 25th between 8:00am - 10:00am and 5:00pm - 7:00pm. Details on the pick-up will be sent as they are finalized. At this point we are planning on a pick-up system similar to a drive-thru where parents do not need to leave their cars.
New Office Phone Numbers
Starting Monday our office personnel will be working offsite. They will continue to support our district during our regularly scheduled business hours, which are between 7:00 am and 3:30 pm. If you have any school questions feel free to call any of them at the following numbers:
Tara Taddy - Special Education Secretary/EMS Admin Assistant (920) 443-9264
Kristi Strenn - EMS Admin Assistant (920) 443-9870
Patty Haelfrisch - HS Admin Assistant (not available at this time)
Amy Hein - District Bookkeeper (920) 443-9676
Becky O’Leary - Business Manager (920) 443-9434
Educational Opportunities
The district has received some inquiries about virtual learning during the COVID 19 shutdown. I want to start by saying the district to this point has prioritized student and staff health and safety. Over the past week our administrative team has been working non-stop to ensure that we are responsive to the needs of our students and staff.
Beginning the first day of school closure, our food service staff was able to establish food deliveries to our families in need. I am proud to say we are currenting delivering 50 lunches daily to students, which were requested through the initial family survey.
We have also prioritized time for our students and staff to get routines and plans in place for social distancing. With the Governor directing anyone who can stay home to do so, we feel it's our duty to provide time for our staff and families to prepare and transition to the social distancing reality without the pressures of remote learning responsibilities.
I can assure you the District is actively working on plans for remote teaching and learning including a virtual component. With that being said, it is not as straightforward as one may think. While the district has digital resources in place, the district is not currently utilizing a one-to-one device model where students take devices home daily. We also recognize that many of our families do not have internet access at home. Additionally, we are not sure how many of our students in middle school and high school are now serving as the family caregiver while their parents and guardians are at work.
Outside of the student and family side of distance learning, our staff will require time to transition instruction to a remote platform in a strategic and quality manner. If families are taking time to support learning at home, the district wants to ensure that we are providing quality instruction to warrant the time and efforts and meet the needs of all of our families and students. 
Looking Forward
I do not have a crystal ball, but I do believe there is room for optimism. While the necessity of social distancing will change our lives for the time being, I believe we need to take this opportunity to remember what we do have. I saw this image the other day and I thought it was worth sharing with everyone.
The only way through this is together, so please take care of each other.
Sincerely,
Kristoffer Brown
Superintendent
Reedsville School District
kbrown@reedsville.k12.wi.us
920-754-4341
UPDATE 3/19/2020, 8:00 am:
To our Reedsville Students, Staff, Families, and Community:
My first responsibility as Superintendent is to ensure the safety and health of all students and staff. Yesterday, while following the Governor’s directive of mass gatherings of 10 people or less, we felt we remained responsible as students and staff quickly entered and left the building.
However, after learning about a confirmed case of COVID 19 in a student that attends Salem School District in Kenosha County, I believe it is necessary to be more proactive in protecting our students and staff.
Effective immediately, the Reedsville School District is closed to all non-employees until further notice.
Additionally, in the next two days the district will be working to move as many of its operations staff offsite as possible.
During the next few days our staff will be working to put together all student’s personal property from their lockers and classrooms. We will communicate to everyone when we are ready to return these items.
I will keep sharing updates as new information becomes available. Thank you to everyone who has sent well wishes to district staff. It is greatly appreciated. We will continue doing what we can to ensure everyone is safe, and that we have our priorities in order. Please take care of yourself and your family. This is of the utmost importance to us.
Sincerely,
Kristoffer Brown
Superintendent
Reedsville School District
kbrown@reedsville.k12.wi.us
920-754-4341
UPDATE 3/18/2020, 9:00 am:
To our Reedsville Students, Staff, Families, and Community:
Yesterday at 1:30pm Governor Evers released a new gathering ban on groups of more than 10 people, closed bars and made restaurants takeout or delivery only. Additionally he stated schools will be closed until further notice.
The statement of schools being closed until further notice elicits so many questions. While I currently do not have every answer or know what the future holds, I want to share a few things at this time:
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Yesterday, our amazing Food Service staff began providing meals to resident students that are in need. This will continue Monday - Friday until further notice.
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Our custodial and maintenance staff have begun a deep cleaning of our buildings. They will be working to ensure our facility remains in immaculate condition.
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Our Elementary and Middle School staff has begun posting online enrichment opportunities for students.
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All instructional staff will be working to provide opportunities for student growth while school is closed. The delivery and medium for which those opportunities are provided is in the development stages at this time.
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Our school offices will remain open during the closure in case you have questions on anything school related.
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The administrative team will be working on a process to get student’s lockers and personal items packed up for parent pick-up. There will be more information on this as details are finalized.
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We will be addressing event cancellations on a week by week basis unless given further direction from the Governor or DPI. For example there will not be a decision made about graduation at this time. As of today graduation is still scheduled without changes. If this changes we will make sure everyone knows about the potential changes.
We will continue to update families on all things school related as decisions are made. Please be patient with us as we are navigating through this new environment. Ultimately, my message to all families for this week is to take a breath, stay home if you can, and get ready for a very different world for the next few weeks.
Sincerely,
Kristoffer Brown
Superintendent
Reedsville School District
kbrown@reedsville.k12.wi.us
920-754-4341
UPDATE 3/16/2020, 5:00 pm:
To our Reedsville Students, Staff, Families, and Community: I am writing this update as of 3:30pm Monday afternoon (3/16/20). In a press conference today at 1:30pm, Governor Evers issued a ban on all mass gatherings of 50 people or more beginning at midnight tonight. Following the direction of the Governor the Reedsville School District will be closed Tuesday, March 17th - Sunday, April 5th. Our offices will be open during school closure as we work to provide support and services for our students and community. Please be watching for new status updates via email, our website, and social media platforms. Take care of your family and yourself during the days ahead.
Kristoffer Brown
Superintendent Reedsville School District
kbrown@reedsville.k12.wi.us 920-754-4341
UPDATE 3/15/2020, 7:55 pm:
To our Reedsville Students, Staff, Families, and Community:
I am writing this update as of 7:00pm Sunday night. It may be necessary to timestamp these updates as things are always evolving in regards to the information we have on COVID 19.
The governor’s executive order of school closures is from Wednesday, March 18th at 5:00pm through Sunday, April 5th. This closure means students will not physically be present for classes or co-curricular events. All events at the school will be cancelled or postponed during this time period including all athletic competitions and practices, co-curricular events or practices, the winter sports program, and prom. At this time, we do not have information as to when or if events like prom will be rescheduled. Staff will be on hand in our offices during the closure to help and assist with any questions.
To address our hours of instruction requirement from the state of Wisconsin, we will be making changes to our school year calendar. At this time, we will be holding full days of instruction on the following days: 4/9, 4/13, 4/14, 6/3, 6/4 and 6/5. If we have no other cancellations this should satisfy our requirements from the state of Wisconsin. If there is future direction or waiver options from the state on instructional hours, the school district will look into our options at that time.
In addition to adding days of instruction to the year we will be ending 3rd quarter instruction on Wednesday, March 18th. Students will have opportunities for course completion and improvement through the originally scheduled quarter end date of Wednesday, March 25th. When face-to-face instruction resumes, we will begin the 4th term.
As we prepare to help support our students and families during the state mandated closure, we need some information from all families. Linked below is a survey for all of our families to complete. This survey includes questions about internet access, interest in school lunch opportunities, and general well-being questions for you and your students. Please take a few minutes to complete this survey as soon as possible. If we do not have a response from you our staff will be calling to ensure we have the most accurate information possible. In order to best support all of our families, we need input from everyone.
Family Survey
Please be assured, the Reedsville School District is doing all we can to support our students and community. We understand things are changing rapidly, so please know we are doing the best we can with the information we have. The only way through this will be together. I am confident our staff is ready to meet the challenges ahead of us. If you have any questions please include them in the linked survey or send them to me directly.
Please be watching for new status updates via email, our website, and social media platforms. Take care of your family and yourself during the days ahead.
Sincerely,
Kristoffer Brown
Superintendent
Reedsville School District
kbrown@reedsville.k12.wi.us
920-754-4341
UPDATE 3/13/2020, 7:50 pm:
Late Friday afternoon, Governor Evers gave an executive order to close schools after the end of the school day Wednesday, March 18th, with a potential reopening date of Monday, April 6th. The Reedsville School District will follow this directive and will be closed from Thursday, March 19th through Sunday, April 5th. We will follow guidance from state and local health officials as it pertains to reopening school. We will continue to share new information as it becomes available. Thank you and take care.
3/13/2020, 10:00 am:
To our Reedsville Students, Staff, Families, and Community:
The safety and well-being of our students and staff in the Reedsville Public School District is our top priority. With the recently elevated situation regarding the Coronavirus (COVID-19), we want to take a moment to reinforce preventive safety measures and communicate some measures the district is taking to be proactive in curbing the spread of this virus.
As a school district, we are closely monitoring the situation and taking guidance from the Wisconsin Department of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Our school administrators will continue to plan and respond to emerging communicable disease concerns following the guidance of the public health department and CDC recommendations.
Many events in the area and the state are being canceled. Student clubs and practices will meet as scheduled. We will be canceling or postponing any large group events, athletic competitions, and field trips until March 22, 2020. We will continue to evaluate this situation and make determinations about future events on a weekly basis. We will promptly communicate any future cancelations.
In regards to community health we all play a role in keeping our community healthy. We will be increasing our cleaning regiments in our buildings and teachers will reinforce and prompt the students to wash their hands regularly.
We encourage everyone to practice prevention steps, including:
- Wash your hands regularly, especially after using the restroom and before preparing or consuming food. Using soap and hot water, wash for about 20 seconds. If soap and water are unavailable, clean your hands with hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol, covering all surfaces of your hands and rubbing them together until they feel dry.
- Avoid coughing or sneezing into your hands or in the air. Always try to cough or sneeze into a tissue, and then throw the tissue away and wash your hands. If you don’t have a tissue, cough/sneeze into your arm.
- Avoid touching your eyes, mouth and nose.
- If children are feeling sick, please keep them home from school. Allow them some time to feel better so that they do not risk infecting others. Please communicate with the building principal if you have any specific concerns about your child.
Additional resources are available on the CDC website, cdc.gov.
We will continue to update everyone as this situation evolves. Updates will be sent out via electronic communication as well as postings to our school website and social media accounts.
Sincerely,
Kristoffer Brown
Superintendent
Reedsville Public School District
Information
Talking to your students about COVID-19
COVID 19 Info Sheet
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