Greyhound News Bi-Weekly 11/24/21
Thanksgiving Break is November 25 and 26
Enjoy the long weekend!
Thank you to our staff who are still working to support large numbers of students at home due to illness or quarantine and to navigate 1-1 devices and blended learning. This year more than ever our staff in the classrooms, hallways, kitchens, and all areas have been taking on extra duties to help with the tasks of their colleagues who are ill and for positions we haven't yet been able to fill. This is a monumental task and I hope that our entire community realizes how difficult this can be and how grateful we are to so many who continually step up. We are so thankful for them. Our staff is incredible and the heart of our school.
Thank you to our students who made this full return exciting for all of us. We are so happy to see their faces (at least their eyes) every day and to be part of their school experience together again. We know the full return was a shock to the system for most students and that the return of so many expectations, deadlines, and activities has been exhausting for many. I am so proud of how hard they work to meet their own goals and how many of our students step up to advocate for their peers. Our students are amazing and the reason we are all here.
Thank you to our families and school community for your consistent support of all we do. We have the privilege every day of spending time with the young adults you're preparing to send out into the world and are proud to be part of their development. I know I speak for everyone in our building when I express how thankful we are to be part of the Duluth East Greyhound Family.
We wish you all a safe and happy long weekend.
Hound Pack Calendar Fundraiser
This year our Hound Pack leaders are trying a new fundraiser to support their work with our 9th graders. They are selling calendars with photographs done by East student Colin Willemson! Colin is a 16-year-old landscape, adventure, and water photographer based in Duluth, Minnesota. He works to find and photograph unique locations as well as showcase the unseen beauty of popular areas on the North Shore of Lake Superior. Colin attends Duluth East High School.
Colin's description:
"The calendar starts off in January with a photo of the Palisade Head cliffs, with sea smoke on a sub-zero morning. The sea smoke theme is continued in February with sun-lit sea smoke drifting between an island, this was taken on a -25º F morning. For March we see the Northern Lights dancing over the shoreline of Tettegouche State Park. As spring slowly starts in Minnesota, I included two waterfall photographs. A large, raging waterfall, and the next month a small trickle next to a delicate display of ferns. In June, you will see a photo taken from in Lake Superior. With my wet suit, underwater housing, and paddle-board I captured an amazing sunrise reflection at Split Rock Lighthouse. In July the calendar displays a waterfall from a Minnesota slot canyon. The Milky Way Galaxy over Ellingson Island at Split Rock State Park brings the stars to the month of August. Fall starts and we see the fall colors at a beautiful stone bridge and a display below a large cliff in the BWCA. For November, I chose a windy and wavy day on Lake Superior. Finally for December, a rime ice-filled forest on a ski trail at Spirit Mountain."
Duluth Saliva Test Site: DECC
Mon-Thurs: 11 A.M. - 6 P.M.
Schedule an appt: mncovidtestingappt.as.me
*Students experiencing symptoms may request a rapid test from the health office.
Please stay home if you're sick!
Quarantine anyone with symptoms (fever, difficulty breathing, loss of taste or smell, muscle pain, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, chills, cough, runny nose or congestion, sore throat, headache, fatigue). Those with symptoms should remain quarantined from all school, extracurricular, and social activities until they:
Have a negative COVID test AND symptoms improve OR
Received a positive test and have passed the quarantine date set by our health office
Get a COVID test done. If students have symptoms, the school has test kits available to send home. If they are leaving with symptoms, we can send them with one. If they stayed home with symptoms, a family member or friend without symptoms can pick up a test for them. There are also numerous test sites in the community that may have availability. Please note that rapid testing (kits from school and at other sites) are only for symptomatic people. If you have been exposed and need a test but don’t have symptoms, you will have to be tested at a saliva test site, where anyone can be tested.
Report any symptoms and both positive and negative test results to our health office.
Increase all mitigation strategies (masking, social distancing, washing hands, limiting contact, etc.) in all areas, not just school.
Encourage and enforce proper mask wearing. Wash hands before and after putting your mask on and taking it off. Over the nose and under the chin. Don’t touch the front of the mask while wearing it. KEEP IT UP!
Work with your healthcare provider and consider vaccination if you haven’t already. If and when entire classes need to quarantine those who are vaccinated will be able to continue attending school and won’t be required to quarantine.
EAST HEALTH OFFICE
Gerri Settergren, Heath Office Aide ext 2114, geraldine.settergren@isd709.org
Susan Sederberg, School Nurse ext 2429, susan.sederberg@isd709.org
All Giving Tree Gifts should be delivered to the office by November 29th. They should be wrapped and labeled with the gift number, child's name, grade, and age.
Attendance Reporting: Please send a note, don't call.
We have an incredible volume of attendance reports to track daily right now. Each day our office has hundreds of absences to process. We ask for your help in the following ways:
2. Be patient. There are often over 100 students coming through in the morning with notes or who need passes to leave. We have one attendance clerical and records won't be updated immediately. DO NOT CALL if you sent a note and don't see the attendance record change the same morning.
3. Give all the information we need in your note:
a. Student's full name
b. Student's grade
c. DATE of the absence
d. TIME of the absence if it wasn't a full day
e. Your name and relationship to the child (Remember only legal parents/guardians can send notes or call.)
f. REASON for the absence (Remember not all reasons equate to an excused absence. We appreciate the notes and calls, but oversleeping is still an unexcused absence.)
4. Excuses must be submitted to the office within 48 hours of the absence. Notes received after 48 hours are appreciated, but the absence will remain unexcused.
Thanks for your help in keeping our attendance record keeping accurate and efficient!
Sources of Strength is Back!
Please consider serving as a Peer Leader for Sources of Strength. All grades are welcome to be Peer Leaders! Deadline to sign up is Monday, November 29th!
Our mission is to provide the highest quality evidence-based prevention for suicide, violence, bullying and substance abuse by training, supporting, and empowering both peer leaders and caring adults to impact their world through the power of connection, hope, help and strength.
Learn more about the program here.
Fill out the interest form found at http://bit.do/EHSSOSLeader
Save the Date--Friday, Dec. 3 (Period 3-5) Peer Leader Training. Pick up a permission slip in the Counseling Office, and they are due on Monday, Nov. 29th. If you have questions, you can contact Laura Horton, Jessica Forsman, or Jamie Savre. They are the Sources of Strength Advisors this year.
Saturday School and Prescription for Success Reminder
Saturday School and Prescription for Success are an opportunity for students to make up time from unexcused absences/unexcused tardies, complete unfinished school work, projects or tests/quizzes and receive tutoring from an East National Honor Society Student. The Prescription for Success is a voluntary agreement between teacher and student that allows for work to be made up during Saturday School. Quality work completed during that time will be given at least 60% credit. Students can be assigned a specific tutor to assist while at Saturday School. Students should see their classroom teacher if they would like to take part in Prescription for Success or would like a tutor for Saturday School.
Remaining Saturday School Dates for 21-22 School Year:
- December 18, 2021
- January 15, 2022
- February 12, 2022
- March 5, 2022
- March 26, 2022
- April 9, 2022
- May 7, 2022
- May 21, 2022
Attendance Issue Contacts:
Main East High School Number (218)336-8845
Kyle Rock: Assistant Principal Ext. 2348, kyle.rock@isd709.org
Jon Flaa: Assistant Principal Ext. 2325, jon.flaa@isd709.org
Tutoring Available with St. Scholastica Students!
COVID: State Case List
Duluth East High School is still listed on the state's "Cases in PreK through Grade 12 Schools" list. This means the school has reported 5 or more confirmed cases of COVID-19 in students or staff who were in the building while infectious during a two-week reporting period.
Per the state's website, families can continue to send their children to school even if the school is listed.
School buildings that have not reported a new case for 28 days will be removed.
Check the MN Department of Health Website Q&A for more detailed information.
By wearing a mask, getting vaccinated and getting tested regularly, we can help limit the spread of COVID-19 and keep our schools and school activities open.
The combination of continuing to follow COVID safety protocols and the availability of vaccines is helping schools, athletics and activities, hospitals, nursing homes, area businesses - everyone. It’s amazing to see what can be done when our community works together.
Counseling Office Notes
REQUEST AN APPOINTMENT WITH YOUR COUNSELOR OR SOCIAL WORKER
Counseling Office Contacts:
218-336-8845
Jenn LaBelle, Registrar: ext 2143, jennifer.labelle@isd709.org
Jamie Savre, Counselor (A-E): ext 2154, jamie.savre@isd709.org
Jessica Forsman, Counselor (F-La): ext 2041, jessica.forsman@isd709.org
Morgan Costley, Counselor (Le-Re), ext 1262, morgan.costley@isd709.org
Laura Horton, Counselor (Rh-Z,) ext 1121, laura.horton@isd709.org
Kerri Persons, Counselor (9th Grade), ext 1345, kerri.persons@isd709.org
Order Your Tickets for the A'la Carte Concert Event!
Activities Office News
Click to purchase tickets to an East event/game.
Click to view the full activities and facility schedule.
Click to learn more about activities at East!
Click to live stream East events.
Activities Office Contacts
218-336-8845
Lynn Carlson, Clerical/Treasurer: ext 2304, lynn.carlson@isd709.org
Shawn Roed, Activities Director: ext 2151, shawn.roed@isd709.org
Notes and Resources from Outside Agencies (Not ISD 709)
Duluth East High School
Assistant Principals: Jon Flaa, Kyle Rock
Activities Director: Shawn Roed
Email: darcy.motschenbacher@isd709.org
Website: https://www.isd709.org/duluth-east
Location: 301 North 40th Avenue East, Duluth, MN, USA
Phone: 218-336-8845
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dulutheasthighschool