Although it appears the numbers we use to monitor to keep our models in place are not going to increase significantly any time soon, we are getting some indication they may have leveled off. The number this week is 247.16. However, this did not go down as predicted; it only increased slightly. The projection for next week is for this number to decrease moderately. One word of caution is regarding the Thanksgiving bump in numbers, which will begin to appear after this week.
The numbers within our buildings improved from last week. You can see these numbers in the chart below. A few staff that had tested positive are now back along with staff and students that were quarantined. However, it is these numbers that can change quickly that would cause us to go immediately to distance learning in the elementary. For now we will stay with the hybrid model in the elementary school and distance learning model in the middle and high school.
We did have our first C-Day in the elementary school on Friday last week. In checking with Ms. Pearson, our elementary principal, it went very well. The percentage of students that attended the sessions on Friday was nearly 99%. Just a quick reminder to make sure if you have a student in grades 2-5 to make sure their Chromebooks are fully charged when they come back to school after a C-day.
I’d like to remind you to use our free app. This is our best way to communicate with you if there is any type of school closing due to the weather or other emergency situations. Go to your app store, whether it is an Apple or Android phone, and search for Melrose Area Public Schools, Minnesota. Make sure to use Minnesota since we know there is another Melrose school district in another state. Once you download the app, make sure to adjust your notifications on your settings to receive push notifications.
If you have any questions or concerns do not hesitate to contact me or any of the building principals.
Greg Winter, Superintendent: gwinter@isd740.org
Chad Doetkott, High School Principal cdoetkott@isd740.org
Robert Anderson, Middle School Principal randerson@isd740.org
Terryl Pearson, Elementary School Principal tpearson@isd740.org