CHS Cougar News
September 20, 2020
From the Principal's Office
School is now in full swing, and it's great to see all the learning taking place at CHS! I'd like to thank everyone for their continued diligence in abiding by all of the safety guidelines put in place to keep our students and staff healthy. Here are some reminders:
(1) If you are sick, stay home! Check Google Classroom for the work you have missed. Be proactive in reaching out to teachers if you find you don't have what you need to be successful.
(2) Masks are required throughout the school day with the exception of when you're eating lunch, participating in phy ed. our outside for class.
(3) Maintain appropriate social distance (six feet apart whenever possible)! This includes when you are outside for class or after school when waiting for your ride.
(4) Wash your hands and sanitize often! This is the best way for us to stay safe!
Looking forward to another great week ahead!
Go Cougars!
Mrs. Franz
The Week Ahead...
9/22 Cougar Odd
9/23 Pride Odd; Referendum Informational Night @ CMS, 7:00pm
9/24 Pride Even
9/25 Pride Odd
Message from Dr. Brewer 9-18-20
9-18-2020
Dear Parents/Guardians:
It is hard to believe that we just finished Week 3 of the 2020-2021 school year. I again applaud the students and staff of the Clinton Community School District, as they have embraced the start of a new school year amidst a global pandemic and are settling into their new routines. Your continued support and cooperation is greatly appreciated and we thank you for stressing the importance of following the new procedures and requirements put in place. The students in all three buildings have done a terrific job adhering to the new protocols and your continued persistence to do so has made a significant impact. Thank you!
Ever since COVID-19 hit the area and CCSD transitioned to full virtual last March, we as a school district have been dealing with individuals who have either tested positive or have been considered close contacts. The district continues to work closely with individuals and families who have been directly affected by this virus. The safety measures and health protocols put into place have clearly mitigated the spread, but will never fully cease the transmission of the virus.
Since school started three weeks ago, CCSD has had a handful of students and staff deemed a close contact resulting in their quarantine and just this past week, we had our first confirmed positive case inside a school building. I am so proud of the Covid Response Team which is made up of individuals from the Rock County Health Department, CCSD Health staff and a multitude of district administration, as their preparation and training resulted in a quick and concise response to the positive case situation.
When a positive case of COVID-19 is reported, families and staff that are affected are contacted by the district and Rock County Health Department. Students and/or staff who are identified as a close contact (physical contact, or within 6 feet of the individual for 15 minutes or more throughout the day) will receive additional communication from the Rock County Health Department providing information regarding steps to ensure maximum safety and to minimize spread.
If an individual does not receive a “close contact” letter, including a phone call from the district, that individual is NOT considered to be a close contact. As such, there is not a recommendation that the individual needs to be tested for COVID-19 or needs to be quarantined. Nevertheless, the following letter will be sent to families of students, including staff, who shared the same space but were outside the close contact range.
The Clinton Community School District will never disclose personally identifiable information of students or staff, which is covered by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA. It is understandable that this may cause you some anxiety, but it’s the law and therefore, you will only be informed of a positive situation if you or your student are directly impacted.
The district and the Rock County Health Department will continuously monitor each situation as it arises and will notify families and staff if any additional actions need to be taken in the near future. With that said, this is a reminder to please keep your student at home if they are ill. It is important for individuals to stay home when they are not feeling well. In cases where a sibling is ill, we recommend all school-aged children remain home, as they may be asymptomatic. If you are unsure if your student should come to school, the best decision is to keep them home and contact your healthcare provider to address your concerns.
It is also important for students or staff who are presenting symptoms to be tested. The Rock County Health Department guidance on returning to school after illness is our baseline decision-making guidance for when students or staff will be allowed to return. Families may wish to make their own copy of this document, in order to assure your understanding of the decision-making process. For continued county-wide COVID-19 updates, visit the Rock County Health Department Coronavirus Response page.
On a different note, the Board of Education authorized two resolutions, one to exceed the district’s current revenue limit for recurring purposes and another to address the district's aging facilities. The board's action took place at a special board meeting on Tuesday, August 18, 2020 with all seven members of the board present and approving the resolutions for district voters to consider the ballot questions on November 3, 2020.
We would like to cordially invite you to attend a Referendum Informational Night on Wednesday, September 23 at Clinton Middle School starting at 7:00 p.m. Members of the Board of Education, administration and district partners will be on hand to help answer questions about the two ballot questions. For the safety and wellbeing of our community, we must limit the number of attendees and all in attendance must wear a face covering. To make your reservation, please call 608.676.0995 by Monday, September 21st.
Thank you in advance for your understanding and if you cannot attend the meeting, please mark your calendars as the district will hold another Referendum Informational night on October 15th. In the meantime, please visit our district webpage: https://www.clinton.k12.wi.us/district/referendum.cfm for information related to the referendum questions.
Thank you for your contribution in helping to make this a successful start to the year and for being in partnership with the Clinton Community School District. Please remember to practice good personal health habits, proper social distancing, and other recommended local, state, and federal guidelines. Take care and Go Cougars!
Sincerely,
Dr. Jim Brewer, District Administrator
Does Attendance Matter?
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, missing 10 percent of the school year (about two days a month) negatively affects a student's academic performance? Truth be told, attendance has a HUGE impact on student achievement, and is one of the leading predictors of high school dropout and underperformance! While we are urging students to stay home if they feel sick in order to protect our student body and staff, at the same time we are reminding you all to come to school on your scheduled cohort days when you aren't sick, and to FULLY ENGAGE in remote learning! Families, thank you in advance for making every effort to schedule appointments, vacations etc. on days outside of face-to-face instructional days when students have more flexibility in their schedules. And students, remember, even though you are not "at school" five days a week, you still HAVE SCHOOL five days a week! Lastly, remember that we are here to help! If your family is experiencing any difficulty that is negatively impacting your student's attendance, please reach out to any CHS staffer. We will do everything we can to partner with you to ensure that your student is getting the most out of his/her education.
Checking Out Library Books
Even though the library is closed you can still check out Library Books! To check out books we are asking that you use Destiny Discover and put books you would like to checkout on Hold.
https://search.follettsoftware.com/metasearch/ui/17642. Mrs. Sample will pull those books and either leave them with the Office or bring them to the classroom you are in at some point in the school day. When you get to Destiny Discover use the "Log in" Button in the upper right hand Corner. Email Mrs. Sample for questions at: dasample@clintonwis.com.
Reminders for CLINTON CONNECT Students Only from Ms. Weber-Johnson
- Last make-up day for Pre-ACT testing for Clinton Connect students, grades 9-11 is TOMORROW 9/21. Please arrive at 8:45 am, and enter the building through the Science Doors (Entrance A13). Testing will take place in a vacant, disinfected classroom. A snack will be provided midway through testing. Students can expect to finish around noon.
- PLEASE be sure students are checking their email each day! - Watch for class specific invites to meet online.
- E-mailing from your class is not the best way to communicate! Please make your contact with an email directly via your email - not via the Buzz website.
- Electives have been added with the exception of PE & Foreign Language and those will be coming soon.
- Grading is slowed down when students don't "share" their documents with staff - - see this video which also shows how parents can check progress and grades easily. Here is a quick reminder sheet of how to check grades.
- For Discussion-Based Assessments you will need to make an appointment with Mr. Anderson see his directions on Google Classroom (Math) or Mrs. Weber-Johnson (English).
- Push button below to view REGULAR Office hours for students to stop in and chat with a staff member on the CHS Clinton Connect Google Classroom Meet.
CHS Spirit Week: September 28 - October 2nd
Get pumped up for SPIRIT WEEK: September 28th - October 2nd!
Dress Up Days:
- Monday: PJ day
- Tuesday/Thursday = Tacky Tourist Day
- Wednesday/Friday = CHS Spirit Wear Day
We will be having a Class vs. Class competition for dress up days. ALL students are invited to join in the fun! If you are not "in-person" for one of the days, just email a picture of yourself dressed up to Mrs. Sullivan: amsullivan@clintonwis.com and it will be counted towards the tally for your respective graduating class.
In addition, we will have games during lunch hours on Tuesday/Thursday & Wednesday/Friday. The games will be individual "minute to win it" games. Stay tuned for more details during Advisory this week.
Cougar Cave COMMERCIAL!
DECA Spirit Wear
The 2020-21 School Year may look different right now, but our Cougar Pride does not! Check out the new 2020 Spirit Wear from your Cougar Cave! Our new campaign is "Customize Your Spirit". We are pleased to partner with Main Street Lettering to provide you a better variety of spirit wear made to order. Please see our catalog for details. Orders will be batched every week to send to Main Street for processing.
Click this link to view the catalog: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/15WbywyJXTC9E-tL0QE3Kvc_hfC5169SMslDqmj1S11o/edit?usp=sharing
Football Open Gyms
What Happening in FFA?
Join us for our September chapter meeting in person or virtually this Wednesday, September 23rd at 3:45pm (all students grades 7-12 welcome)! An ice cream treat will be provided!
Here is the link to join our FFA virtually next week.
On Thursday 9/24 the Beloit Culver's is going to have $1 dishes for Scoops of Thanks in which proceeds will benefit the Clinton FFA! Enjoy some ice cream and support the FFA!
Congratulations to Kenny Ballmer who will be receiving his American FFA Degree at the virtual National FFA Convention next month! Stay tuned for more details about how to watch!
Stay tuned for "Tractor Day" information as we wait on ironing out logistics!
If you have any questions about upcoming events, please don't hesitate to email Mrs. Kueter at kekueter@clintonwis.com.
Start College Now and Early College Credit Program - Application Deadline OCTOBER 1st!!!
Are you an 11th or 12th grade student interested in taking college courses while attending Clinton High School?? If so… There are two pathway options. You could take courses at a technical college or a university college.
If you desire to take college courses at a technical college, it is called START COLLEGE NOW [SCN].
If you desire to take college courses at a university college, it is called EARLY COLLEGE CREDIT PROGRAM [ECCP].
The application deadline for these programs is OCTOBER 1, 2020 to take courses beginning in January.
Here are links to more information regarding these programs:
START COLLEGE NOW information link - TECHNICAL COLLEGES
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN SYSTEM ECCP APPLICATION
WISCONSIN PRIVATE COLLEGES ECCP APPLICATION
For more info, contact Mrs. Monroe, High School Counselor, at almonroe@clintonwis.com
Health Services Note
That said, we have attached three videos from the National Association of School Nursing that we thought might be helpful for everyone.
We appreciate everyone's efforts to help keep each other well!
Washing Your Hands Lavarse Las Manos
Wearing Cloth Face Coverings Usar una Cubierta de Tela Para la Cara
Staying Home When You Are Sick Quedarse en Casa Cuando está Enfermo
Sincerely-
Janet Kmiecik, RN
Jenny Franseen, LPN
Cynthia Clowes, Nursing Assistant
Service Learning
Food Service Update
Breakfast and lunch will be FREE for all CCSD students until December 31, 2020*. That means that all of the students in the building can have a free breakfast in the morning and a free lunch each day! A la carte items will still be available for a charge. Virtual students and students whose cohort is not in the building will be able to pick up free breakfasts and lunches each week. The meal pick ups will be located at CHS. See details below:
- Pride Cohort will pick up every Monday at 11 am
- Cougar Cohort will pick up every Wednesday at 11 am
- Clinton Connect pick up will be on both Mondays and Wednesdays at 11 am. Please plan to pick up on both days in order to have enough meals for the week.
Also, as a reminder, due to safety reasons, we will not have microwaves available in the Commons for student use until further notice. Click the buttons below for a complete listing of the meals available to you!