Dear Families,
With the snow melting, the ice out of the bay and 50° temperatures possibly coming next week, it’s hard not to feel a little spring in your step.
We also have many positive things to look forward to in the coming weeks that will be extremely beneficial for students and families. On Monday, March 8, our middle and high schools will transition into hybrid learning, followed by a transition to much more in-person learning beginning the week of March 29.
This represents an incredible amount of work by our staff and leadership teams. There are countless details to be put into place to ensure that we are maximizing safety and productive learning for all students. I am deeply grateful for what they have accomplished given it's been nearly one full calendar year that our secondary students have been unable to attend in person. During this time, opportunity gaps have widened and there are significant social emotional learning needs that need to be tended to. This is the core of our mission in the coming weeks and months. I am also grateful for the hard work of our students and families, as well as their resilience, during this challenging time.
As of last Friday afternoon, nearly 95% of our staff who had requested a COVID vaccine had at least their first dose. Many more have been vaccinated this week, and secondary doses are being scheduled, too. This greatly increases safety, helping ensure that our plans will work to bring students back in greater numbers. Thanks to the great job done by our elementary students and staff, full in-person instruction for pre-kindergarten through fifth grade has been going very well. Furthermore, the COVID rates in our region are continuing to decline and are now at 10.8 per 10,000. All of this is exciting news.
I cannot wait to see our students coming through the doors of our middle schools and high schools next week. I don’t think I've ever looked forward to a Monday so much as I head into a beautiful weekend!
Sincerely,
John Magas
If you have questions or thoughts about what's going on in our school district, email:
School Bus Meal Hubs End Beginning March 8
With in-person learning at elementary schools and hybrid starting at middle and high schools, school bus hubs will no longer be used for bagged meal distribution. Buses will be used for transporting students and more students are receiving meals while at school.
Bagged meals will continue to be available for pick up at the following locations and times when school is in session through March 26:
11:30AM – 1:00PM
- Ordean East Middle School, 2900 East 4th Street
- Lincoln Park Middle School, 3215 W. 3rd Street
- Denfeld High School, 401 N. 44th Avenue W.
- Duluth East High School, 301 N. 40th Avenue E.
Please be aware, bagged meal service schedules may change again beginning March 29 when in-person opportunities for middle and high school students increase, thanks for your patience!
State Encourages Family, Student COVID Tests
From the MN Department of Health:
As students return to school in-person, we encourage every family to get tested for COVID-19. Any children who spend time near people outside their immediate household should get tested every two weeks, through the end of the school year.
- Testing has never been easier - visit a community testing site, order an at-home test kit, or get tested through your health care provider. All options are quick and free to you.
- You can sign your entire family up to get tested at the same time at a community testing site. If someone in your family prefers to speak in another language besides English, in-person or language line assistance is available.
- Test sites are doing everything they can to make sure sites are clean, safe, and comfortable for everyone.
By wearing a mask and getting tested regularly, we can help limit the spread of COVID-19 and keep our schools and sports open.
Visit Getting Tested for COVID-19 or contact your health care provider to schedule an appointment.
Update: HOCHS Project
Information regarding the HOCHS project is being posted at www.ISD709.org/Property.
The page includes:
- A detailed background of steps taken to present
- Presentations regarding the project
- Monthly updates
- The page will be used to share details as steps are taken to move out of Historic Old Central and as relocation plans are developed and finalized.
Planning teams have been meeting to address relocation steps that include:
• Construction of a new District Services Center on the Central Hill Site
• Renovations of the existing Facilities Building
• Construction of a new Facility for District Transportation
• Associated off-site improvements and roadways
• Site development and demolition of exiting facilities
In addition, in order to meet the needs of our Alternative Learning Center (ALC) and Adult Basic Education (ABE), the district will be obtaining leased space for these programs.
HS Registration March 2-23
MS Registration March 1-21
2021 Kindergarten Registration
ISD 709 Elementary Schools provide a rich learning experience for students grades K-5. Schools are scheduling Kindergarten Registration Events for families, check ISD709.org/Kindergarten for details.
In The News
Superintendent John Magas took part in a virtual schoolwide read-aloud at Piedmont Elementary, presenting "The Legend of Rock, Paper, Scissors" by Drew Daywalt. Look out for the bizarre and yummy breaded dinosaurs!
#Inspire709
State Bound Hounds & Hunter
Duluth East Boys & Girls Alpine ski teams and Denfeld’s Margaret Duncan qualify for next week’s state meet, congratulations!
Duluth News Tribune Photo
Duluth East Swim Team Victory
The Duluth Boys Swim Team wrapped up its regular season on with a dual meet win over Rockridge High School. Both teams came into the meet undefeated, Duluth prevailed with a 108-75 victory over the Wolverines. Grant Wodny set two Ordean pool records, with a time of 1:45.75 in the 200 Free and 4:48.68 in the 500 free. It was senior night and Joe Rudd capped off his last home meet with victories in the 100 butterfly (53.46) and the 100 breaststroke (1:00.17).
Thank you, Cliff Knettel, for the photo and info.
Denfeld Speech Team Success
Members of the Denfeld Speech Team continue to compete, persuade, communicate, think and perform. The students are actors, writers, poets, researchers, dreamers, history buffs, comedians and so much more. Team members recently competed in three tournaments. Eastview Speech Lightning Invitational and Princeton Speech Invitational: Tessa Schauer took 7th in Prose and Reagan Kern placed 10th in Serious Prose. Team members received many high marks and personal best ranks.
Forest Lake Invitational, R.C. Streater Classic: Four team members took top honors and medals. SMadeline Watts placed 9th in Drama, Ryleigh Hanon placed 13th in Prose, Reagan Kern placed 6th in Prose and Tessa Schauer placed 2nd in Prose. Congratulations!
Thank you, Jill Lofald, for the photos and information.
#Inspire709
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Duluth East XC Ski Teams Win Local Meet
Great photos from the Duluth East Cross-Country Tri Invitational held February 23 at Snowflake Ski Center in Duluth. Teams included Duluth East, Ely and Cloquet-Esko-Carlton. The Duluth East Boys and Girls teams won the meet, congratulations!Thank you, Erik Riker-Coleman and Renee Willemsen for the photos and info.
#Inspire709
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