Raider Update
A Weekly eNewsletter from Hastings Public Schools
Message from the Superintendent
Good afternoon Raider Families,
This week has been a significant week for COVID, with the county number reaching 84.1 and our district's 14-day per 10,000 number reaching 113.3. We have also reached a weekly high of 57 positive cases detailed below:
County 84.1
District 113.3
HS 13; 10 students, 3 staff
MS 17; 15 students, 2 staff
Elementary 19; 17 students, 2 staff
Tilden 7; 4 students, 3 staff
The increasing positive numbers have us ramping up our readiness for potential changes, and I believe families should be aware and ready as well. In addition to watching the number of students out due to COVID, in a classroom, grade level, or building, we are also paying attention to the number of teaching staff that are out. To this point, we end up short on certain days, to cover all of our classes. Thankfully, staff has been willing to cover during their prep times when we have already assigned our additional full-time floating substitute teacher. However, if we start getting more staff out due to COVID, our situation could change because those staff are out for extended periods of time, and we may not be able to cover all of the needed classes throughout the day. What does this mean? It means we need to again be ready for the potential to move to distance learning. This could happen by classroom, grade level, or the entire building, and it will most likely occur with a day or less notice. At the same time, we might not need to move, but again, we need to be ready for it. If it does happen, communication will come from the building level to families.
Bob McDowell, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Health Services Update
We have had a substantial increase in covid-19 cases in our district. Due to this, we are sending you a general notification to strongly encourage you to have your child/student tested for covid-19.
Covid-19 Testing Sites
- The MSP airport has PCR/Vault Testing (free - every day 7A - 7P).
- Inver Grove Armory opened this week as a community testing site doing antigen rapid testing (not to be used to shorten a quarantine).
- At home - Free from the State Vault tests - you can order one of these to have on hand at home. You do the test over zoom with a Vault employee. Can't transfer the test kit to anyone else.
If your child has ANY symptoms whatsoever (runny nose, cough, vomiting, fever, sore throat, diarrhea, loss of taste/smell, headache, chills, fatigue) please keep your child home from school and have them tested.
Covid-19 Pfizer vaccinations have now been approved by the CDC for children ages 5 - 11. Here is a link to vaccine locations in Minnesota. We encourage you to get your child/student vaccinated.
Fall Sports Review
- HHS hosted 122 different home games on 40 different dates.
- Average team GPA of 3.55 and multi-sport athlete rate of 53%.
- Girls swim & dive was undefeated MEC champions; their 7th consecutive MEC title & fourth consecutive undefeated. They advanced swimmers to the finals in all 12 events in Section 3AA.
- Girls’ tennis earned the #2 seed out of 16 teams in the section playoffs and hosted a quarterfinal round at home.
- Football earned the #2 seed in Section 3AAAAA, winning a home semifinal playoff game and finishing section runner-up.
- Dana Strain was voted Suburban Maroon District Football Coach of the Year.
- Bella Meier finished her HHS career as the girls soccer all-time leading scorer in school history.
- Ty Bushinski was named Academic All-State in Cross Country.
- Five student-athletes earned a collegiate athletic scholarship and signed a National Letter of Intent on November 10; Kendal Jenkings (softball), Bella Meier (soccer), Lilly Nuytten (basketball), Jackson Schaffer (baseball), Maggie Schlottman (basketball)
- Each HHS fall sport had a “partner” program they supported directly. In a cool, new tradition, players and coaches from one sport attended the other sport as a large group. Football/soccer, cross country/girls swim, volleyball/girls tennis each showed up for each other to cheer, rally, and support their cross-sport peers.
Hastings Middle School Program Review
Hastings Public Schools
- Tilden Community Center 651-480-7670
- Kennedy Elementary (K-4) 651-480-7221
- McAuliffe Elementary (K-4) 651-480-7390
- Pinecrest Elementary (K-4) 651-480-7280
- Hastings Middle School (5-8) 651-480-7060
- Hastings High School (9-12) 651-480-7470
- Hastings Alternative Learning Center 651-480-7690
*If you need any assistance in translating the Raider Update, contact us at kgorr@isd200.org.
Website: www.hastings.k12.mn.us
Location: 1000 11th Street West, Hastings, MN, USA
Phone: 651-480-7000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hastingspublicschools