Hello Maple River students and families,

We're going back to school!  Things will look a bit different and they might feel a little weird, but we're making it work because you're worth it.  We have spent a ridiculous amount of time and energy this summer trying to put together our plan for the 2020-21 school year, and we aren't going to let a worldwide pandemic stop us.  Inevitably, there will be adjustments to make as we go, but our flexibility is stretchier than ever!

This school year will begin in our Hybrid model.  Grades K-5 will be in school every day. In order to make this possible, we relocated most elementary classrooms, took down walls, and relocated 5th grade to Mapleton.  Students in grades 6-12 will be on an A/B rotation with half of our students assigned to each day.  We do not have enough space in the secondary to spread everyone out and accommodate a daily schedule, so the two groups will alternate in-person and online learning throughout the week.

The State of Minnesota has issued many requirements in order for schools to open this fall. Below is a list of the most significant requirements for you to be aware:

Daily Procedures

• Masking will be required. 
• Social distancing will be required.
• Students may not be dropped off at school until 7:40 am.  
• When students arrive on campus, they must go directly to their first-hour classrooms after stopping at their lockers.
• When secondary students are at home for their A/B rotation, they will be expected to log into Google Meets and attend class virtually.  Attendance will be taken each hour.
• Parents will need to assess their child’s health daily prior to the school day starting.  Please use this checklist as a guide.

Illness Management

Maple River must document its own student data to present to MDH and MDE as the year progresses to avoid being forced into distance learning. In order to keep students in school, please carefully follow these guidelines:

• If your child has been exposed to Covid-19 and/or someone who has been exposed within the last 14 days, please keep him/her home and call your school's secretary.  
• If your child is showing any symptoms of Covid-19, please keep him/her home and call your school secretary.
• If your child becomes sick at school, (s)he will be quarantined and you will be called to pick up your student.

Online Learning

• If you intend to educate your child through distance learning only, please contact the district office via mr-info@isd2135.org. Please do so by August 14th.

Orientation and Back-to-School Conferences

• We will have orientations for 5th and 6th grade students only.  Our team remains committed to making this transition as smooth and stress-free as possible!  Please watch for details in the next two weeks. 
• We will have back-to-school conferences for all elementary students this year virtually.  Your child's teacher will contact you with a meeting time and link for those conferences.  Please watch for details in the next two weeks.
• We will not have stop-and-drop this year.  Your student should bring all materials on the first day of school.
• Grades 6-12 will begin on August 31st.  
• Grades K-5 will begin on September 1st.

Transportation 

• All students who use school district transportation will be assigned a bus and a bus stop.  Your child must use the assigned bus and bus stop to ride district transportation.  Assignments will come out later in August.

Food Service  

• Breakfast and lunch will be provided daily.  On days that your child is not physically in school, we will offer a pickup lunch, in the same manner, we did last spring.  Please sign up online daily and your meal will be available at your assigned pick up location.

Survey

The more information we have, the better prepared we'll be to meet the needs of our students.  Next week, we'll be calling your homes and asking the following questions:

1. Is it your family's plan to send your child to school? If not, will they participate in our distance learning program?  If not, what is your plan to educate your student this year?
2. Will your child ride the school bus to/from school?
3. Will your elementary student need before/after school care?  If so, what site would be the most beneficial to you? (There is a fee for this service.  Students are not allowed to be at school until 7:40 am due to state guidelines.)
4. Will your child eat school lunch when they are at school? On weekdays when your student is not at school, will you pick up a school lunch at one of our school sites? 
5. Do you have sufficient Internet access to support online educating at home when needed? 

As much as we have planned and prepared, we will still need to practice patience and flexibility.  As the months pass, it is possible that our model of education will need to change depending on the exposure rates in Blue Earth County.  This year, it is imperative that your family is prepared in case we are required to move to distance learning.  This includes any potential exposure to Covid-19 or the need for quarantine.  As parents, please know that we understand the stress this could put on your family.  Having a plan in place will help to alleviate that stress for our students as we navigate this unconventional school year together.

Be watching for additional information in the next few weeks.  The new school year is quickly approaching and we are looking forward to seeing everyone soon!

Sincerely, 

Dan Anderson

Hello Maple River,

I want you to know that we greatly miss seeing your kids everyday! We are looking forward to the day that school resumes and life looks more like what we knew to be normal. For now, please know that we are dedicated to doing the best we can to support your child academically, emotionally, mentally and physically during this time.

Wednesday, Governor Walz announced that schools will provide distance learning throughout the month of April, with a tentative plan to be back in school on May 5, 2020. We will operate according to this plan, being flexible as the future of COVID-19 unfolds. On our website, you can find the details of our distance learning plan as required by the Governor of Minnesota and the Minnesota Department of Education.

Maple River families,

 

We have received a few questions regarding Meals for Distance Learners. Please see the additional information below and let us know if you have any questions.

 

Meals for Distance Learners are available to all children 18 and under for FREE. No matter what district they attend.

 

You have the ability to order online daily or weekly or for the entire duration (through March 27th) at one time. You simply fill out a new online order and enter each date you are requesting a lunch. By completing a new order for each date, you have the ability to change the pick-up location for any circumstance where that may need to vary from day to day.

 

Menus may change due to the availability of products.

Good afternoon Maple River,

Thank you for the incredible response to this week’s survey. We are already using the data to make decisions about the best ways to serve the students of Maple River.

Later this evening, we will open the online system for daily student lunch orders. Lunches must be ordered daily and can be picked up daily between 11 am and 12:30 pm. If you would like to order lunch for your student(s), please visit this web page and follow the directions. Pick-up locations are listed within the web page. For families without transportation, there will be limited deliveries available. Please use this option only if absolutely necessary. Families who participate in the Backpack or PowerPack programs will still receive that weekend resource in addition to this daily lunch option.

Hello Maple River families,

In light of the mandate set by Governor Walz this morning, schools across the state are closing until Friday, March 27. This includes all gyms, activities, conferences, events, and general childcare at Maple River.

As a district, we will be communicating with you regularly as more details become available. For today, there are a few key points we’d like to highlight as this first at-home week begins:

1. Please fill out this brief online survey. 

- We are gathering information about the needs of our families, including internet access, nutritional support, and childcare for healthcare staff and others employed by emergency services. Your input will directly affect the ways in which we provide these resources. Please respond by tomorrow at 6pm.

2. Pick up your student’s school supplies.

- Staff will be on site with a checklist for your student and will ask you to sign in/out.

- Secondary students:
- Tuesday, 8am-3:30pm -- Secondary building will be open for students to clean out lockers, pick up Chromebooks and school supplies.
- High school students enter through Eagle doors
- Middle school students enter through Middle School doors

- Elementary students:
- Wednesday, 8am-3:30pm -- Elementary buildings will be open for students to clean out lockers and pick up school supplies.

3. Expect to hear from your student’s teacher(s) in the coming days.

- During this time, the staff at Maple River will plan and implement a variety of distance learning activities to engage your student academically. A long-term plan is also being developed in the event that school closures are extended beyond March 27.
- Our goal is to begin preliminary trials of online learning and home education next week.

If you have further questions about the information above, please email us at mr-info@isd2135.org. Thank you for your patience as we develop the most efficient and effective methods to provide quality education during this time.

Dan Anderson, Superintendent