Temporary Continuous/Remote Learning

Sunday, November 1, 2020

Hello SFC Staff, Families, and Parishioners,

St. Francis Catholic School is responding to an increase of contracted virus numbers by moving our Cohort # 3 - 4th, 5th, and 6th, grades to a “Temporary Continuous/Remote Learning” model and protocol for up to 14 days

Our main purpose in doing so is to stop the “school community” spread within the cohort as well as the accumulation of COVID-19 related issues as well as other health issues with our  SFC staff. It is difficult to fill classrooms with substitutes with our current situation. 

Our current 14 day positivity rate for the county is 13.2 % which is a rapid increase within the past 2 weeks. 

SFC’s current absenteeism rate of students expected for in-person learning is at 24%.

Our absenteeism rate is largely due to the fact that we utilize the guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with regard to quarantining students or staff who were in contact with a positive case within 6’ for more than 15 minutes regardless of whether masks are worn appropriately and consistently. This was recommended by our Return To Learn Leadership team and discussed and approved by our SFC School board. 

SFC has and will continue to wear masks for the health and safety of all students, families, and staff. 

I applied to the Iowa Department of Education (DE)  an application for a waiver to move our school to Temporary Continuous/Remote Learning for up to 14 days on October, 31st. (yesterday) if that need arose. Due to the timing of the application, no response or guidance from the DE has been received.I have also worked with Marshall County Public Health and have explained our situation. In order to move an entire school to online, approval from both the DE and MCPH would be required. 

It is not my intent to move the entire school to this mode of learning, it is my intent to prepare for what I believe is to come. That is higher positivity rates among both staff and students as well as contact tracing and quarantining increases. 

For now, my intense intent is to; Protect the health and safety of all our students, families, and staff and to ensure that we provide opportunities to students to progress within our curriculum. We will plan to do that by moving our  Cohort # 3 (4th, 5th, and 6th grades) to Temporary Continuous/Remote Learning beginning November 2nd and lasting through November 13th. The Cohort will reconvene on site on Monday, November 16th. 

While I know that this exceeds 14 days, it allows us to keep the entire Cohort in alignment with the Temporary Continuous/Remote Learning model/protocol. I mention this because the 6th grade class is already quarantined, thus will have a longer quarantine period. 

Teachers and staff within the Cohort # 3 (4th, 5th, and 6th grades) are working diligently to prepare opportunities and access to curriculum, instruction, and assessments as this information is being shared. We will work tirelessly to ensure that we are providing equitable access to learning and growing in this time of challenge and uncertainty. 

Families of Cohort # 3 (4th, 5th, and 6th Grades) will be able to access the SFC Fishbowl today from Noon to 6:00 PM to get materials needed for learning in the days and weeks ahead. 

For the next few weeks, the SFC Fishbowl will be accessible until 6:00 pm nightly. 

Teachers in this Cohort will also be communicating with you as they will be doing some live instruction via Zoom for those who have access currently.

Teachers will also be communicating with you regarding who does and does not have the ability to pick up learning packets/bags/crates/folders etc from the Fishbowl. 

Any family, needing work delivered to their home will receive it. Please just communicate the hardship to the teacher, school office, or Mr. Eisenbarth. 

SFC currently has orders for Chromebooks for Temporary Continuous/Remote Learning for all students, but have not received them yet due to the overwhelming volume of orders due to the pandemic and need from all schools. Please be patient with us and know that we will “meet you where you are at” with regards to helping provide access to teaching and learning. 

I appreciate you and your collaboration and support in these very challenging times. 

We will get through this together!

We will have lunch available to those who desire it as a pick up. Details are being worked out currently. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me on my cell phone at 641-691-5383. Texts and phone calls are welcomed. 

God bless you and your family and God bless SFC!

Blessings

Mr. Terry Eisenbarth
641-691-5383