WIS Express - Hybrid Updates
January 2021
Waubesa Intermediate School Information
School Principal:
Corey Shefchik
Associate Principal:
Al Northouse
Building Administrative Assistant:
Arlene Bast
Email: shefchc@mcfsd.org
Website: http://www.mcfarland.k12.wi.us/schools/intermediate/
Phone: 608-838-7667
A Note From Our Principals
Dear Waubesa Intermediate School Community,
In our January Newsletter (Link), sent on December 29, 2020, we provided an overview of the Hybrid schedule and information about health and wellness checks. We're dedicating this special edition of the WIS Express Newsletter solely on details related to our transition to Step 3 Hybrid.
Throughout the fall and early winter, our school has been preparing for this transition while providing virtual learning opportunities for our students. Along with the input of our school staff, school custodians and with guidance from Conrad Elvehjem staff and administration, we have built a plan that we feel will support a safe student learning opportunity for students and staff. There is a lot of information regarding the details of how this will look and we will do our best to communicate clearly and often how these will work. One thing we've learned throughout this pandemic is that we must be flexible and adapt to changing conditions. As new details are solidified or adjusted, we will continue to update you by using this WIS Express Newsletter.
Our school staff is excited to see our students and we wanted to take this opportunity to provide some more details about how we will welcome students to Waubesa starting January 26 in a way that is as safe as possible for everyone.
Here’s what you can expect to see in this message and the newsletter:
Transition Week Information
School Community Commitment to Health/Safety Protocols
Hybrid Schedule Overview
Instructional Model Snapshot
Attendance
Snack and Meals
Recess Procedures
School Supplies
Related Arts - Wednesdays (Virtual Day)
Asynchronous Learning Responsibilities
Waubesa transition days (January 26, 28, 29)
Important Dates
Alternative Learning Options
As a District, we continue to respond to questions submitted to our FAQ document here, and if you have a comment that is not in the form of a question you are welcome to submit that information here. We know there are a variety of thoughts, worries, and perspectives regarding this plan. We hear and consider each and every idea and know there my not be a clear answer.
Thank you for taking the time to review this information and being an involved parent/guardian for your child(ren).
All the best,
Corey Shefchik - Principal (shefchc@mcfsd.org 608-8383-4601)
Al Northouse - Associate Principal (northoa@mcfsd.org 608-838-4609)
Transition Days to Step 3 Hybrid January 26-29
The week of January 25 will be our transition week to hybrid. Since students have been out of our school building for some time, we’d like to welcome them back in small groups where they would be able to practice the new procedures of our school and get more comfortable in the building. This will also provide families with practice of our new drop off procedures. Prior to January 25, we will have them learn the new procedures via their virtual sessions. There will be no school on Monday, January 25 as previously scheduled, and the rest of the week will be focused on transition days. Students will have only one live synchronous session each day with their homeroom (January 26, 28 and 29), and the other days students will have the opportunity to attend one small in-person group session with their homeroom teacher. More information will be coming on these transition days from your child(ren)’s classroom teacher. Wednesday, January 27 will be a regular related arts day for all students.
Please review this message from District Nurse, Christin Strong.
School Community Commitment to Health/Safety Protocols - to make hybrid learning work, we will need a commitment from our community to make sure that everyone is following the District’s health and safety protocols that were approved by the school board. Please take some time to review these plans in this newsletter as we want to ensure that we maintain Step 3 (Hybrid) and not have to jump back and forth between Step 3 (Hybrid) and Step 2 (Virtual). While we do have plans for individual students who would need to be out of school for short term quarantine, we hope to leave our school open for the remainder of the school year. Thank you for your support of a healthy school.
Please CLICK HERE to review the important health information, including family responsibilities for screening every morning, when to keep your child home, health office visits, and medication
The district has policies in place for when staff observe COVID-19 symptoms in a student once they arrive at school. Please use this symptoms screening checklist with your child.
Please CLICK HERE to access our district’s Health Services site for additional information and direct links
Wellness Check Responsibilities during Hybrid In-Person
Families are asked to screen their students for COVID-19 symptoms at home using this symptom screening tool prior to sending them to in-person school, every day that they attend in-person. This screening includes:
Fever (100℉ or higher) or chills (uncontrollable and sustained)
New or Worsening:
Cough
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Fatigue
Muscle or body aches
Headache
New loss of taste or smell
Sore throat
Congestion or runny nose
Nausea or vomiting
Diarrhea
Any student with these COVID-like symptoms cannot attend school in-person. If a medical provider
determines they do not have COVID-19, they must not attend school or school events in person until
they have no symptoms for 24 hours, without taking any medications for their symptoms, as per our
standard illness protocols.
Masking Requirements
Students are asked to come to school (walking, bus, or car) wearing their mask for the day.
All staff and students are required to wear masks the entire school day, unless eating (if applicable) or drinking; this includes wearing masks at recess.
Masks should fit comfortably over both the mouth and the nose; teachers will send a note home if the mask appears ill-fitting or falls off the face.
If you have questions about what constitutes an appropriate face covering, feel free to contact our health office at 838-4673.
If a child loses their mask or it gets wrecked (broke, spill, etc.), teachers have disposable child-size masks on hand and will provide one to your child; we also ask students to keep spare masks (or more) in a Ziploc bag in their backpack.
The following are resources to share with your child:
Why Do People Wear a Mask? Youtube Video
Wearing a Mask in School Youtube Video
We ask that you clean your child’s masks frequently.
If for some reason your child cannot wear a mask, you are required to submit a note from their pediatrician to our health office.
Hybrid Schedule Overview
- In-person learning follows the school-year calendar (for example, no school during winter and spring breaks), and takes place on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays in EITHER the morning or afternoon, based on your child’s AM/PM assignment from our Step 2 Virtual programming.
AM: 7:50-10:50 AM
7:50: drop-off begins
8:00: attendance taken
8:05: students marked tardy
8:00-10:45: student instructional day
10:45: daycare and special education buses dismissed
10:50: car riders/walkers dismissed
PM: 12:25-3:25 PM
12:25: drop-off begins
12:35: attendance taken
12:40: students marked tardy
12:35-3:20: student instructional day
3:20: all bus riders/daycare dismissed
3:25: car riders/walkers dismissed
A 15-minute recess is scheduled for each class during the student instructional day; students will remain in their class cohort at recess, will use recess equipment assigned to their class, and will wear their masks.
Students will continue to have asynchronous (“on your own”) lessons M/T and Th/F in the AM or PM, alternating their in-person instruction.
Students will continue to have live virtual related arts lessons on Wednesdays and will not be attending in-person classes. More Related Arts information is below.
What will Hybrid Instruction Look Like?
Children will arrive between 7:50-8:00 if assigned to the morning session and between 12:25-12:35 for those assigned to the afternoon.
Students will hang their coat/backpack in their own personal cubby (alternated every-other between AM/PM to help distancing) and enter the room to wash their hands and begin their day. There are markings on the floors and walls to ensure distancing during transitions.
Students will remain only with their small-group cohort, they will not be mixing with other students from other classes or using any shared spaces in the school (such as the gym, library, etc.).
Desks/tables and carpet spots are spaced out to ensure six-foot distancing.
Teachers have adjusted their instruction to accommodate six-foot distancing and to incorporate teaching safety and hygiene procedures.
Students will be engaged with approximately 60 minutes of math instruction and 60 minutes of literacy instruction per day, in addition to time dedicated to classroom community, hygiene, and movement (including recess).
Students will be taught to wash hands upon arrival, after using the bathroom/blowing their nose, after recess, and before going home; they will be taught to use hand sanitizer before and after touching shared items, and before leaving the classroom.
Students will be taught to maximize quick and efficient transitions in the hallways, and there will be limited students in the bathroom at any given time (along with some sinks closed) to increase distancing between students.
Our teachers are making sure that classrooms are not only clean and safe, but are warm and inviting as well, and are planning to ensure a balance of safety and hygiene measures are in place, along with engaging and rigorous instruction.
WIS staff are going to teach students to maintain six-foot distancing to the greatest extent possible, which also includes avoiding physical interaction unless necessary. For example, students will be taught alternatives to handshakes,high-fives, hugs, etc.
Attendance
It is our responsibility to ensure student safety and promote accountability for our students’ education by taking attendance, especially while we are in this hybrid instruction phase. In addition, attendance data continues to be necessary when a student is being considered for a special education referral, possible intervention support, a student support plan, and eligibility for open enrollment. Thus, our attendance procedures for hybrid instruction will closely mirror what we typically follow in a traditional school year.
Families are responsible for calling our attendance line at (608)838-7667 on days where their child may be absent or tardy for their in-person and virtual sessions (Wednesday only).
Teachers will be submitting attendance for both the AM and PM sessions, and our office staff will be calling families we have not heard from.
If special circumstances arise that you would like to discuss regarding your child’s attendance needs, the first step is to connect with their teacher.
Snacks and Food Service
In order to promote clean spaces and support allergy and health needs, there will be no snack break during hybrid school; Please plan to have your child eat breakfast (before the AM session) or lunch (before the PM session).
If you would like for your child to bring home free meals after school you will need to sign up one day in advance using the meal request form (the order form will be sent closer to February 1)
Morning students will receive a cold lunch for that day and a cold breakfast for the following day when they leave their classrooms at 10:50.
Afternoon students will receive a cold lunch and a cold breakfast for the following day when they leave at 3:25.
Go to the PRE-ORDER pages on the Waubesa Intermediate menu page at Nutrislice Menus
REMEMBER:
Meals that are ordered and picked up are free.
You must sign up in advance. If you sign up and don’t pick up your meal, you will be charged $3.15 to cover our costs.
Families can order up to a week in advance.
You can order Wednesday meals to go home with on Tuesday and can also order weekend meals to take home on Fridays.
If you have any questions, please call Barb Waara at 608-838-4549.
Drinking fountains are closed; please plan to send a water bottle to school each day with your child to fill in the classroom.
Recess and Breaks
A 15-minute recess is scheduled for each class during the student instructional day; students will remain in their class cohort at recess.
Students will have access to plenty of outdoor space, and will be provided with recess equipment assigned to their class.
The Waubesa playground will be divided into “zones” to ensure students remain within their cohort. Classes will rotate through each zone over the course of the week.
Per district policy, all students will wear masks at recess.
To the greatest extent possibly, students will be outside for recess. If weather does not permit, there will be a 15 minute break during the normally scheduled recess time with options for students to safely take a break from class.
As always, please plan to dress for the weather! This includes boots and snow pants each day. Please contact School Social Worker Lily Hlavacek at hlavacl@mcfsd.org or 608 838-4610 if you need assistance obtaining these items.
School Supplies
Earlier this year, you were sent the school supply list for your child(ren)’s grade level. Look for a message from your teacher with direction on which supplies to bring into school.
iPads will be brought to and from school each day. We will wipe them off at the beginning and end of each day.
Teachers have created plans to limit shared supplies to the greatest extent possible; students will be using hand sanitizer before and after touching any shared item.
Please plan to have your child keep a small Ziploc bag with a spare mask or two in their backpack in case of loss/accident of the mask they wear to school.
Our drinking fountains are closed, so please send your child with a reusable water bottle to school every day. Waubesa has refilling stations in the school as well as sinks in every classroom.
Our PTO has provided a supply of reusable water bottles for families who require assistance obtaining one, please contact School Social Worker Lily Hlavacek at hlavacl@mcfsd.org or 608 838-4610.
Related Arts - Wednesday Virtual Days
There will continue to be asynchronous (“on your own”) related arts (RA) classes for students to complete - three per week.
On Wednesdays students will have a live lesson with their related arts teachers. Again, go to Canvas, the RA Course and click the Zoom link on the home page.
If you click on this link, you can see the “big picture.” All related arts are working in 2 week cycles to be able to see all the students.
Asynchronous Learning Responsibilities
Drop-off & Pick-up Information
The procedures for WIS drop-off and pick-up in our car loops have been adjusted from previous years in order to maximize efficiency, safety, and distancing. The tighter schedule for drop-offs and pick-up along with new traffic patterns will help us best avoid lots of students congregating, and will help maintain distancing.
Waubesa Drop-off and Pick-up Overview - CLICK HERE
Parent Drop-off and Pick-up Procedures - CLICK HERE:
Please make sure to pull all the way forward and follow the directions of our staff members.
Students may only enter vehicles on the passenger side (students should not cross into traffic)
Do not let students in or out of the vehicle prior to passing the large cones (The “Cone Zone”).In addition, the curb is painted red to indicate that students should not enter/leave the vehicle.
Please use the left hand lane to pass.
Drop-off and Pick-up Overview
Student Drop-off/Pick-up Procedures
Bussing/Daycare Details
Visitor Policy
Visitors are not allowed at this time; if you need to meet with a teacher you must plan accordingly and may be asked to set a phone/Zoom appointment instead of in-person
If you need to drop something off, you will need to use the contactless dropoff table at the front of the school and contact the office (608-838-7667) to notify us the item has been dropped off
Visitors (volunteers, parents visiting for lunch, etc.) will be allowed when we move to Step 5 (full, in-person) instruction
Cleaning Policy
Our Building & Grounds staff have developed a cleaning plan to disinfect tables/desks and chairs after the both the AM and PM sessions.
Bathrooms and other common areas will be cleaned after both the AM and PM sessions
Handrails, door handles, and other high-touch surfaces will be disinfected daily
Teachers have been provided access to disinfecting wipes, along with a large supply of hand sanitizer in every room, office, and at multiple entrance points to the building
The school will be deep cleaned every Wednesday
All staff are encouraged to use disinfecting wipes often throughout the day on high-touch surfaces
The district has doubled the number of times air filters are changed
Air vents run 24/7 and have been adjusted to increase air flow
Staff and students will wash hands and use hand sanitizer often throughout the day
Alternative Learning Options
We understand that some families may not feel safe with their students returning to school in January. We encourage you to wait and see our full plans as we’ve developed safety protocols and procedures that are modeled after CEPS and have thus far been extremely successful. For those families who do not wish to return to our hybrid option in January, you have a few options including:
Enrolling your child in our virtual school (WIVA): More information, including information on a request for WIVA enrollment, is available on our district website. Contacts about WIVA enrollment, programming, etc.:
McFarland School District contact: Angela Straub - Administrative Assistant to the District Administrator 608-838-4500 ext. 4550 or StraubA@mcfsd.org
For enrollment questions, please contact WIVA’s enrollment coordinator at kschefft@k12.com.
For overall questions about WIVA, please contact the Interim Head of School Susan Stewart at sstewart1@k12.com.
For K-8 specific questions, please contact the K-8 Principal at drahmlow@k12.com.
For HS specific questions, please contact the HS Principal at cworden@k12.com.
For questions regarding special education services at WIVA, please contact the Special Programs Manager at reberhardt@k12.com.
Providing your own home based private education (a.k.a. homeschooling): More information can be found here - LINK
Enrolling your child in another public or private school.
For questions related to alternative learning options, please contact WIS principal, Corey Shefchik shefchc@mcfsd.org or 608-838-4601
January Calendar Updates
January 14 - Supply Swap (4-6PM)
January 15 - Supply Swap (11AM-12PM)
January 18 - No school
January 19 - Waubesa Open Mic (4:00-4:30 - On Zoom)
January 21 - Supply Swap (4-6PM)
January 22 - Supply Swap (11AM-12PM)
January 25 - No school
January 26 - Transition Day
January 27 - Related Arts Synchronous Day
January 28 - Transition Day
January 29 - Transition Day
February 1 - First Day of Hybrid In-Person Schedule