September 2020

Muskego-Norway News October 2020 - Please Scroll Down to See Contents

COVID-19 Response, Reentry and Recovery Efforts

The District is grateful that we have been able to serve students in-person and virtually since the start of the school year. To date, we believe the mitigation measures we have in place (ex. maintaining 6 feet distance when feasible, being outside as much as possible, ensuring face covering use, adhering to quarantine protocols when close contacts occur) have helped to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 within schools. When positive cases come to our schools, the Waukesha County Health Department has us help them contact trace the close contacts and communicate the need for those individuals to either isolate or quarantine. We recognize the disruption that occurs to both staff and families when there is a need to isolate a COVID positive individual or quarantine someone who was in close contact with a COVID positive individual. With temporary distance learning plans articulated at all levels, continuity of learning continues for our students.

Tier 1 Parents with in-person students, please know that if or when we are unable to remain open and we need to move to either a hybrid or virtual platform, the decision will be quick and you will need to have a back-up plan ready!

Friendly reminder to:

Use the Daily Checklist for Families every day and keep sick children home so as not to create a potential outbreak at school that may cause a school or district to move to full virtual learning (Tier 3).
Develop a back-up plan for daycare if your child is ill or is in quarantine due to being a “Close Contact” (defined in Parent Reentry FAQ and by the CDC).
Review Safety Reminders from the Waukesha County Health Department.

As a community, we need to all work together to slow the spread of COVID-19. Please consider travel plans, mass gatherings, and the way that you interact outside of school as your actions may impact the ability for schools to stay open. We are grateful for our community’s partnership! Thank you for doing your part as we work to Stay Safe to Stay Open!

Metric Team

As shared last month, the District has deployed a Metric Team tasked with monitoring COVID-19 transmissions within our schools and the community. This team includes district administration, the school board president, our district nurse, data personnel and building personnel as needed. The team meets weekly to review trends and monitor COVID-19 related absences and will collaborate with Waukesha County Health Department when there is potential need to move into temporary distance learning at a school or district level per this document. Data sources reviewed are available on our COVID-19 Reentry Planning webpage.

Consider Becoming a Guest Teacher or Paraprofessional

We partner with Teachers on Call to fill our open positions for Guest Teachers or an aide position. Apply online at www.teachersoncall.com or call 1-800-713-4439. If interested in becoming a guest teacher and being assigned to the same building each day for the remainder of the school year, please reach out to jeff.petersen@muskegonorway.org to learn more about this opportunity.

Flexible schedule - work when you want
Great pay and other perks
Share your skills and make an impact
Prior teaching experience not required

Looking For Your Feedback

Parent Survey Regarding Satisfaction and Home Internet and Device Access - Open October 14-21. In the coming days, your family will be receiving an email with information about taking a quick “pulse” survey around your perception of the start to the year for each of your children. This important data will be reviewed and considered as we continuously improve how we serve students, parents and our community. Additionally, in partnership with the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and Muskego-Norway Schools, we are asking you to complete survey questions about access to technology and Internet at home. We will use this information to learn more about the type and levels of access our families have and also reach out to households who need supplemental resource support. Surveys will need to be completed by October 21st.

Opportunity to Switch Tier 1 Learning Environment - Elementary

As the end of trimester one approaches (November 30), parents of elementary students will have an opportunity to switch their child’s current Tier 1 in-person or virtual option. This opportunity will be available to parents between October 26th and noon on November 5th. Only families interested in changing their child’s learning environment (i.e. in-person to virtual or virtual to in-person) for Trimester 2 need to fill out the survey. A link to a Google Form will be available via each elementary school’s e-newsletter starting next week. A corresponding survey link (allowing parents to retake the August 2020 survey with their new choice) will follow shortly thereafter. The retake survey needs to be completed by noon on November 5th. Again, no action is necessary for parents interested in having their elementary child remain in his/her current learning environment.

Parents with students in middle and high school will have an opportunity to switch their child’s current Tier 1 in-person or virtual option for semester 2 (January 25) during the month of December (8th-22nd). More information will be available via secondary school’s e-newsletters.

School Safety

Please know that Muskego-Norway Schools have safety plans and practices in place to prepare our school community for a crisis. Safety efforts and practices include:

Three (3) Muskego Police Officers, serving as School Resource Officers in our buildings. We lead Waukesha County and all rural school districts in southeast Wisconsin when it comes to staffing police in our schools.
District and school-level Emergency Response Teams who meet regularly with the Muskego Police Department to research and implement the most up-to-date procedures in protecting our students and staff from dangers in a crisis, as well as disseminating to staff at all buildings our safety procedures and protocols to follow.
Safety plans are reviewed and approved annually by the Muskego-Norway School Board.
All external doors are locked during school hours and we have supervised main entrances at all of our buildings.
Visitors need permission to enter school buildings using an official ID.
Annually, MNSD conducts all state mandatory drills, including two "lockdown" drills.
Background checks are required for volunteers and staff members to enter into our schools and work with students.
Students who leave the learning environment during school hours and return are required to check-in through the front office.

We know that schools are safer when students, staff, and families work together to reduce violence and address potential safety issues. We are asking that you continue to monitor your child’s and others’ online and social media activity and report any school safety concerns to law enforcement and school officials immediately. We are grateful for your partnership as we work together to keep our children safe.

Threats are Taken Seriously

Please remember that if you or your child(ren) see or hear something suspicious to immediately say something to an administrator, a School Resource Officer, or call the local police department. We are committed to ensuring a safe learning environment for our students, and we are fortunate to have great partnerships with you, our parents/guardians, in our district. With threats occurring more often in school districts, it is important that we take a moment to lean on this partnership and ask you to have a conversation with your children regarding the serious implications of making a threat on a school. Such behavior may leave a lasting impact on a child’s education and future. The impact on the entire family is profound. Rather than waiting, we are asking you to personally discuss this issue with your children now. Whether a student perceives making a threat as a joke or not a big deal, making a threat on a school could result in suspension, expulsion, and/or being charged as an adult with a felony. According to State of WI statue 947.015: “Whoever intentionally conveys or causes to be conveyed any threat or false information, knowing such to be false, concerning an attempt or alleged attempt being made or to be made to destroy any property by the means of explosives is guilty of a Class 1 felony.” Thank you for taking a moment to have this discussion with your children.

Parents United is Back!

Parents United is a coalition of 26 school districts focused on empowering parents of children with disabilities to become effective advocates and informed decision-makers. This nonprofit community-based organization provides regular informational workshops featuring experts presenting a wide range of topics relative to students with disabilities and their families.

The lectures and presentations offered each school year provide essential links, knowledge and networking to the entire community for the ultimate benefit of our students.

Please review the scheduled events and register. A virtual attendance option is available through Zoom. Please indicate how you will attend when you register. Twenty-five participants will be allowed to attend in person at each event.

Financial and Legal Planning for Individuals with Disabilities

If you have a child with an IEP or 504, please consider participating in these two amazing, virtual learning opportunities. Participants will learn how to build a Life Plan for their child with disabilities, that includes designing financial and legal securities.

The events will occur on October 26th at 12:00pm and November 4th at 6:00pm. Please view additional information and to register for these free virtual learning events. If you have any questions, you may contact Kaari Olson at kaari.olson@muskegonorway.org

Communicating with the Board

Meet your School Board members who represent and serve the Muskego-Norway community. Please feel free to contact them with your questions and comments. Please consult the following policies for greater detail on how public comments and suggests may be shared with the board - Public Requests, Suggests, or Complaints and Public Participation at Board Meetings.

School Closing Protocol

With the cold and snow season just around the corner, this is a friendly reminder to familiarize yourself with the district’s protocol for closing school due to inclement weather.

Conversation with the Superintendent

The remaining 2020-21 Conversations with the Superintendent at the ESC are scheduled as follows:

Monday, November 23 at 12:00 PM (noon)
Tuesday, February 23 at 7:00 AM
Monday, April 12 at 4:00 PM

If these dates/times do not fit your schedule and you are interested in meeting, please contact kelly.thompson@muskegonorway.org to schedule an individual meeting.