It is hard to believe that one month ago life was very different than what we are experiencing today. Our teachers were preparing for parent teacher conferences and the end of the third quarter. Students were excited about the start of the spring sports season and prom, and parents were starting to plan for graduation parties. Traditional school field trips like our 6th grade Eagle Bluff and the 5th grade safety patrol trip to Washington DC were in the final planning stages. Our high school DECA students were looking forward to attending the International DECA Competition in Nashville and our Science Olympiad team was preparing for their State Competition in Milwaukee. Today, all these events are postponed or cancelled and we know that there is a great deal of disappointment and sadness, especially for the members of the Class of 2020, our seniors, who are experiencing an end to their high school career that no one expected. However, despite the challenges and loss we have encountered, it is truly remarkable how our students, parents, and staff of the Tomah Area School District have responded. Education is happening. Students are continuing to learn. We are #TimberwolfProud!
The situation with COVID-19 is still evolving and we are expecting that in the weeks to come we will gain more clarity into how the 2019-20 school year will end. Will we be able to bring students back into our buildings before the end of the school year? We don’t know at this time. However, action by members of the Tomah Area School District Board of Education are needed now, in April, at their regular monthly Board meeting, to prepare for the end of the school year. State statutes require schools to meet the following instructional hours: 4K- 437 hours; 5K-6th Grade- 1050 hours; Grade 7-12- 1137 hours. With schools being closed since March 18, it is impossible to meet these hours (despite the instructional materials being sent home and the time students are spending on their school work) without extending the school year. In order to have the instructional hours waived, a public hearing must be held in which parents and community can weigh in. We will begin the April 20 regular Board meeting at the Robert Kupper Learning Center with this public hearing. A live stream to the meeting will be available for parents and community members to view and interested people can participate by providing comments in real time through the use of an active email account. In addition, the Board will need to consider a postponed date for graduation and the possibility of changes in grading practices and graduation requirements- including a waiver of the required civics examination (Act 55/Civics Test Graduation Requirement, 2015).
I cannot speak highly enough of the professionalism of our teachers and support staff who worked tirelessly to change their classes from face-to-face instruction to online/virtual education in a matter of days. I cannot speak highly enough of our technology infrastructure and the systems we have in place which allowed us to send every child in grades 3-12 home with a device that provides them with access to the internet and communication with their teachers. Our Technology Department led by Mr. Paul Potter and comprised of Scott Hurd, Ryan Brookman, Sandy Brown, Theresa Payne, and Renee Stroh have been critical to the success of our students learning from home and for our teachers’ ability to provide online educational opportunities! We have approximately 2475 technology devices (Surface laptops, iPads, and Chromebooks) all out in homes running on our infrastructure. I cannot speak highly enough of Jesse Bender and our food service employees who are assembling our Grab and Go lunches and are out at our meal sites providing free bag lunches to the families and children of our community. The numbers increase each week and we are up to over 550 meals a day. I cannot speak highly enough of our administrative team who worked hard to answer questions for teachers and parents and find solutions to concerns and issues that arose. I cannot speak highly enough of our students who have shared their desire to continue learning and have communicated with their teachers to make the best of this situation. And lastly, I cannot speak highly enough of our parents who are doing their best to monitor and work on the instructional activities with their children while still working themselves and caring for their families. I personally have so much appreciation for the work that everyone is doing and it is with deep gratitude that I thank our school community- teachers and staff, students, and parents- for working together through the challenges of COVID-19 and finding those silver-lining moments where we realize that things could be worse. We have each other. We are in this together. We are #TimberwolfProud!
If you have any questions or comments about the information and opinions expressed in this edition of The School Bell, please contact Cindy Zahrte, District Administrator, at cindyzahrte@tomah.education or 374-7002.