Good Morning, Loon Lake Families, 

As they say, "All good things must come to an end." We had a great run of having no known COVID-19 cases in our school. How quickly things change. 

One of our staff members at Loon Lake Elementary School has tested positive. It has been determined that she acquired it from outside of the school.  Her diligence in distancing and voluntarily quarantining before she was asked prevented any risk to our other staff and students. 

A letter from NE Tri County Health with more information is posted on our website and our Loon Lake Facebook page.

Happy Thanksgiving and take good care – 

Brad

Hello Loon Lake Families,

Brad here from the school.  It’s been a while since I bugged you with an update, so I figured it was time.  Just three items for today.

First, remember that we have conferences on Monday and Tuesday of next week.  Please plan on arriving about 10 minutes early so we can do your health screening.  When you get here, you will head straight to the gym to be screened.  

Second, because we have conferences next week, we have our typical early release tomorrow so our teachers can prepare their report cards.  This only affects our students currently coming in for full days, which for tomorrow only includes our 4th grade green group and our full day special education students.  

And finally, as you may have heard, we are increasing the time kids spend at school starting after Thanksgiving break.  Your child’s teacher will reach out to you with specifics, if they haven’t done so already.  

I know there are questions swirling around in many communities right now about schools.  Are schools going to be shut down again?  Right now, the answer is no.  The governor has said he wants shut down decisions to be made locally.  Our health district, NE Tri County Health, also supports local school districts making these kinds of decisions.  So at this point, I don’t see any kind of forced shutdown happening.  

So this begs another question, if COVID is more prevalent now than it was in March, why did we close then, but are staying open now?  I think it’s important to know that last March, nobody knew anything about COVID.  We know a lot more now.  

Schools have been in session for a while now, including us.  The data is showing that if schools follow safety protocols, the virus is not spreading within schools and schools are not contributing to community spread.  This is very encouraging, and that’s why we can stay open now.

We all wear our masks, we stay 6 feet apart, we wash our hands, and we disinfect regularly.  We take these protocols very seriously.  It doesn’t mean we are immune or that positive cases can’t happen here, but this is where our kids should be.  

Speaking of staying safe, I want to thank you all.  At of the time of this message, we have not had any positive cases in our school (knock on wood).  When your family follows safety protocols when you go out in public, it helps keep your family healthy, which helps keep our school healthy.  Clearly, you are working hard at this.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.  

I wish you all a happy Thanksgiving, and I’ll see many of you next week at conferences.

Take care – 

Brad

Loon Lake Elementary students are NOT required to log in to their computers today.  Instead, play outside and make a snowman or two.      

Stay safe out there and have a great day.  

Fall is finally upon us, though with temperatures near 80 degrees this weekend, it is kind of hard to tell.  

As always, I hope this message finds you healthy and well.  

As you know, when we started this school year, the recommendation from NE Tri County Health District was for schools in Stevens County to begin the year with remote learning.  At that time, disease transmission in our county was in the high risk range.  

Over the last month or so, we have seen the disease transmission rate decrease, and we are now in the moderate risk range.  This means that NE Tri County Health has officially updated their recommendation, and have given the green light to schools in Stevens County to consider expanding face-to-face learning for elementary students.  

This is excellent news.  It doesn’t mean we are out of the woods yet, but it’s a step in the right direction, and it means we can start to have more kids here at school each day.  Our goal is to begin this transition on Monday, October 12th, which is a week from this coming Monday, and we will begin with grades K through 5.  How often they will be here is going to depend on the size of the class, since we are still required to have kids 6 feet apart.  And we believe in safety and starting slow, so at this time, we are looking at face-to-face learning in the mornings only.  

In the coming days, your child’s teacher will reach out to you regarding the specific plan for their grade level.  So, you can expect more specific info about this next week.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to let me know.  

Have a great weekend and take good care.  We’ll chat again soon – 

Brad

Hello Loon Lake Families,

As always, I hope this message finds you healthy and well.  

I would like to give you a quick update today on transitioning kids to school for face-to-face instruction, and when that might happen.

It is important to know that, right now, NE Tri County Health’s recommendation has not changed.  They are still recommending distance learning.  However, while this recommendation is in place, there is some allowance for bringing in small groups of our highest need learners right now.  

We believe that learning on a screen is the most difficult for our youngest learners.  So, beginning next week, we will start to bring small groups of Kindergarten through 2nd grade students in for face-to-face learning a couple times per week.  

So, allow me to speak to our 3rd through 6th grade families first.  As of right now, we will continue with distance learning for you.  We will need to await further guidance from NE Tri County Health in order to begin transitioning our older students in.  Thanks for your continued patience and for working so hard to get your kids online and learning each day.  

And to our kindergarten through 2nd grade families, a few quick notes for you:  Rest assured, we will be following all required safety guidelines.  Your child’s safety, and your family’s safety, is our number one priority.  Remember that masks are required for students.  They don’t need to wear one outside at recess, but they will need to wear them in the building.  If your child needs one, we have plenty.  Remember that you will receive an email in the mornings to complete your child’s required health screening.  And finally, the department of health has very clear guidance for students who develop possible symptoms for COVID-19, which include not being at school for a period of time.  Just keep that in the back of your minds for now, and please make sure the phone numbers we have for you and your emergency contacts are up-to-date.  

Have a great weekend and we’ll talk again soon -

Brad