PARENT LETTER (08/12/20)
Morning Sun PowerSchool is NOT recording information. PowerSchool is temporarily closed. If you registered Monday – today, your information was not recorded. This outage is due to the wind storm in Cedar Rapids on Monday. They are still without power. We are sorry for the inconvenience. We will keep you updated.
Registration TODAY NOON- 7:00pm
Please use lower elementary doors. NOT the lobby doors.
REGISTRATION MATERIAL
POWERSCHOOL
Board Meeting, Tuesday, August 11, 2020 6:00 pm
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81938893338?pwd=M1N0U3NqaDJhVnBxcENNYVRPclEzdz09
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On July 17, Governor Reynolds issued a proclamation increasing flexibility in the use of substitute teachers during the disaster emergency period. They are as follows:
The day limitation (5 days in a row, 10 days in a month, in any one assignment) for holders of a substitute authorization is removed, and the long-term substitute day limit (90 days) is removed.
The degree requirement to obtain a substitute authorization is changed from a bachelor’s degree to an associate’s degree or 60 semester hours through a regionally-accredited institution. The substitute authorization course is still required. On this link you will find information for remote learning courses to receive your authorization.
The age requirement of 21 years of age for a substitute authorization is changed to age 20.
Paraeducators who hold the limited substitute authorization to serve as a substitute only in their own special education classroom may serve as a substitute in any classroom (except driver’s ed).
Paraeducators need to hold a substitute authorization to serve as a substitute teacher.
If the paraeducator holds a regular substitute authorization, they may serve as a substitute teacher in any classroom except driver’s ed (this is not a change).
If the paraeducator holds the limited substitute authorization to serve as a substitute teacher only in their own special education classroom, they may substitute in any classroom during this proclamation.
Holders of a career and technical authorization with at least one year of experience may serve as a substitute in any classroom (except driver’s ed).
Return to Learn Matrix
State Technology Access Survey
School Clinic Flyer
Zoom Meeting Link
Summer Lunch Program
Book Fair
Announcements
Monday (07/27)
• No Events
Tuesday (07/28)
• No Events
Wednesday (07/29)
• No Events
Thursday (07/30)
• No Events
Friday (07/31)
• No Events
Saturday (08/01)
• No Events
July 24, 2020 update:
It’s been a while since I’ve sent out an update, so here are some of the latest developments as we prepare for school in the fall.
***The first student day will be August 24th.
***We are not planning a back to school night this year. Kids can bring their supplies on the first day of school. If you would prefer to bring supplies ahead of time, please contact the elementary or high school and make arrangements.
***The governor has relaxed the requirements for people who want to be substitute teachers. Anyone with a two-year degree and who has completed the substitute authorization course through the AEA can serve as a substitute teacher. I will send out the link to the course in a separate message.
***Our reopening plan is now posted on the school website. Remember, this is a living document and will more than likely change as we receive new guidance.
***The IHSAA, just this afternoon, released some preliminary information on football. The first two weeks of competition appear to be optional. Schools can schedule games if they wish. The rest of the season will be as normal. All teams will participate in postseason play. More information is coming next week. We haven’t heard anything about other fall sports.
***Face coverings continue to be a controversial topic for many people. We continue to follow the recommendation of local public health, which is to allow face coverings, but not to require them. We will continue to follow the recommendations and guidelines put forth by public health.
***As always, email me if you have any questions. mike.peterson@mscsdcsd.org
Mike
Preschool registration and Kindergarten registration will not be available online. We will be hosting registration for these classes only at Morning Sun Elementary in the lunchroom on Monday, July 27th, from 3:00 PM-6:30 PM. At this time, there will be paperwork to fill out. Mr. Hollan, Mrs. Hagge and Mrs. McCulloch will be there to try answer any questions you may have. Children must be 4 years old by September 15th to attend Preschool. Morning Sun is part of the Statewide Four Year Old Preschool Program. There is no monthly fee to attend.
Return to Learn Update:
Happy Tuesday afternoon! It’s been a while since I’ve sent out an update, and I’m sure people have questions. July 1 is the magic date by which all school districts have to submit their Return to Learn plans to the state. This plan is very, very different from plans for reopening school in the fall. The Return to Learn plan is basically a series of check boxes that indicate what sources of data districts will collect as they continue to plan. Reopening school buildings is a very different process. Plans and discussions are ongoing about schedules, cleaning strategies, traffic flow, etc…The recent reopening guidance from the state clearly says that schools are to plan on meeting in-person in the fall. Questions about requiring face masks and other logistical issues are going to need to be discussed further with more guidance from the state. There is very little about the COVID-19 landscape that is solid and unchanging. One thing that you can take to the bank is that everyone connected to the school district is working, thinking, and planning for the most effective ways to keep everyone as safe as possible as we resume school this fall. There will be more information coming out throughout the summer. As always, let me know if you have any questions.
Mike
mike.peterson@mscsd.org
August 13, 2020
Dear Parents/Guardians,
We are within two weeks of the start of school. Obviously, even though all of us would prefer “things back to normal,” the current health situation will cause things to look different.
I have worked in collaboration with the Morning Sun CSD staff members in the building to institute processes and procedures to ensure a safe start for students and employees. In doing so, we have had weekly meetings for the past few weeks and worked hard to create a safer environment for everyone involved.
The potential exists for your child to be exposed to COVID-19 at school. We want to be up front about how Iowa Department of Public Health guidance requires us to respond in that situation. When a positive case is identified in our school, Louisa County Public Health will work with us to determine who was in close contact of the positive case. A close contact is defined by being within six feet or less of the confirmed case for greater than 15 minutes in the 48 hours prior to symptom onset OR positive testing if asymptomatic. Consideration will be given to exposure in the classroom, on the school bus, or other school activities. When doing contact tracing and in notifying parents of the close contact, the name, grade, etc. of the positive case will not be disclosed due to privacy. If your child is not exposed, you will not be notified out of respect and privacy for the impacted student(s).
The parents of those students who are considered close contacts will be notified by personnel from both Louisa County Public Health and the Morning Sun CSD. Current guidance requires those individuals to be quarantined for 14 days from the date of the last exposure. Any student under quarantine will continue to be provided with learning activities and assignments by district teachers allowing them the opportunity to keep up with their class and assignments.
What is known about COVID-19 is constantly changing, and as such, we are prepared to pivot as guidance from the CDC, Iowa Department of Public Health, and Louisa County Public Health changes. We ask for your patience and understanding as we work through this evolving environment together.
We also ask that if your child is not feeling well or running a low-grade fever to please keep them at home. Giving them medicine to knock a fever down so that you can send them to school should not happen. If your child is sent home from school, they will most likely miss the following school day because he/she MUST be fever free for 24 hours before coming back to school. We will monitor this closely. All of us must make the extra effort to not only keep our own child(ren) safe but to keep the classmates and teachers of our child(ren) safe. We must all work together on this in order to keep our school open and have in-person learning.
Water fountains have been removed. We now have bottle fill stations. We ask that each student bring a water bottle/container to school already filled each day. During the day when more water is needed, they will be able to use the fill stations to stay hydrated.
One final message; our goal is to keep our students and staff protected to the fullest extent possible. We are asking that no parents/guardians enter the building. However, you are welcome to drop off or pick up your child at the entry/exit doors. Also, for any appointments during the day, you will be buzzed in at the top of the steps and we ask that you wait at the entry and not come any further into the building. We will have your child(ren) come to you. Again, this is all part of our safety protocols to keep students and staff safe.
Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns. Thanks for all you do!
Steve Hollan, Principal Morning Sun CSD
Morning Sun PowerSchool is NOT recording information. PowerSchool is temporarily closed. If you registered Monday - today, your information was not recorded. This outage is due to the wind storm in Cedar Rapids on Monday. They are still without power. We are sorry for the inconvenience. We will keep you updated.
Here is the Link for the Board meeting tomorrow, Tuesday, August 11th.
us02web.zoom.us/j/81938893338?pwd=M1N0U3NqaDJhVnBxcENNYVRPclEzdz09
Join our Cloud HD Video Meeting
us02web.zoom.us
Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, confer...Registration will be in the lunchroom, so i you need to call the school with any questions or need to get a hold of someone. Please call Kim at 319-850-1426.
Registration will be today, Wednesday, August 5th from noon -7pm. Please use Elementary doors.
Registration will be Wednesday August 5th from noon to 7 in the lunchroom.
