Spartan Gazette
January 2021
A Note From Our Principals
Dear IMMS Families,
During such a critical time in our district we want to take a moment to say thank you. Thank you IMMS families and students for staying engaged, helping us grow, coming to supply swap, reading all of our emails/weekly communication/this newsletter, and for your patience and support despite the challenges we continue to face. We are so grateful that we get to teach you/your child. We are equally grateful to you parents/guardians for your continued communication and advocacy for what your kids need.
Hybrid Instruction Starting in February
As you likely know, during the school board meeting on December 21, 2020 (or was it technically the early morning of December 22?), the school board voted to transition to “Step 3: Hybrid Learning” for the middle school on February 16, 2021 starting with our 6th grade students and for students in grades 9-12 on February 22. You can view the recorded meeting with this LINK and presentation to the board using this LINK.
As I shared at the board meeting, here are a few important things to keep in mind:
Our number one priority is providing a safe learning environment for our students and staff, which includes student physical and mental health.
The stakes of doing this well couldn’t be higher - we do not want to rush into a situation where important factors could be overlooked.
Our best work is the only option in opening our schools successfully; we owe that to our staff, students and community.
Each building reopening is a critical learning experience for us. In Public Health Madison and Dane County guidance, they allude to a greater risk of spread with older students--our mitigation strategies need to be well thought out and polished.
Each building’s success demonstrates to the next building that students can return to in person instruction safely following mitigation strategies, which can help reassure students, staff and community members that have concerns.
We have to consider the capacity of staff which includes Health Services, Buildings and Grounds, Transportation, Administration, Support Staff and Teachers.
Overview of the Hybrid Plan
While there are many more details to share in the coming weeks, here are the basics:
Start Dates for in person instruction
February 16th- 6th grade only (7th and 8th grade stay virtual)
February 17th- Wednesday Asynchronous Day
February 18th- 6th and 7th grade (adding 7th grade, 8th grade stays virtual)
February 19th- 6th, 7th, and 8th grade (adding 8th grade)
What won’t change:
Daily schedule (with arrival and dismissal times being added)
Cohorts- classmates, a.m./p.m. assignments
Teacher assignments to cohorts
What will change:
Enforcement of safety protocols (staying 6 feet apart, wearing a mask, cleaning/hand washing, students reporting directly to their classroom and staying in the same classroom all day, no lunch/recess, no lockers). Students who refuse to follow safety protocols will not be allowed to remain in the classroom due to the potential danger to other students and may be sent home.
It is important to note that instruction will change and there will be limited opportunities for students to interact with other students while staying 6 feet apart.
Allocation of additional resources for responding to staff and student covid related symptoms and exposure, contact tracing, etc.
Limits to instruction from virtual model (e.g. group work, teacher/student 1:1 support)
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. 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.
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 isn’t a clear answer. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with your questions, concerns, and ideas. We have found that unclear communication, a lack of communication, and misinformation around these issues lead to additional and unnecessary stress and confusion. In addition to contacting us directly, as a District we continue to respond to questions submitted to our FAQ document here. If you have a comment that is not in the form of a question you are welcome to submit that information here.
Alternative Virtual Instruction Options
Finally, we understand that some families may not feel safe with their students returning to school. 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 of you who choose to not send your child to in person instruction in February, you have a few options including:
Enrolling your child in our virtual school (WIVA): More information can be found here:
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.
We recognize that many families are understandably disappointed that the district does not offer an alternative virtual option taught by middle school teachers. While this would be ideal, as was explained during the board meeting (LINK) there are a variety of reasons why this is not the best option for our students (and staff).
Thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter and for your involvement in your child’s education!
Stay classy,
Aaron Tarnutzer, Principal (tarnuta@mcfsd.org, 838-4603)
Brett Jondle, Associate Principal (jondleb@mcfsd.org, 838-4622)
Upcoming Dates to Note
Supply Swap: Thursdays, 4-6
January 11: School Board Meeting
January 18: No School, School Board Meeting
January 22: End of Term 4
January 25: No School
January 26: Start of Term 5
Yearbook Update
We are beginning a unique road with a group of fabulous 8th graders to design a yearbook that will reflect a unique school year. We never anticipated having to create a yearbook through distance learning. We have students who are creative and dedicated to creating the best yearbook ever.
We will need your help for photos though. We will also be sending out surveys over the next few months to gather pertinent information about what our students are doing and enjoying (or not) during distance learning. In order to communicate in one place, we have created a website where you can upload photos and provide us information.
The website below will be linked to the school website, library website, as well as announcements. Please save the website for future reference. You are able to order a 2020-21 yearbook through Infinite Campus Fees. Thanks so much for your help and cooperation.
https://sites.google.com/mcfsd.org/imms-yearbook/home
Ms. Neal, Ms. Stokes, and the yearbook staff
Appreciation - Bowls of Hunger
Thank you for your contributions to the 2020 Bowls for Hunger fundraiser for the McFarland Food Pantry. Thanks to your generosity Bowls for Hunger has had another successful year and continues to help our community. It is the generous support of contributors like you that makes it possible for McFarland families in need to have access to healthy food.
With our sincere thanks,
McFarland School District Art Teachers
PTO Update and Upcoming Events
Happy Holidays from the McFarland EC-8 PTO. We held a fundraiser in partnership with
Spartan Pizza in November and raised $600.00 in just two nights! Thank you for your support
of both a local business and our organization.
This holiday season, the PTO is partnering with the McFarland Food Pantry’s Giving Tree
Project and adopting a few families to provide gifts to this holiday season. To help make a
donation please visit our website at McFarlandpto.org, go to the bottom of our homepage where
you can contribute through our PayPal account, or checks can be made out the McFarland PTO
(please put “giving tree” in the notes section) and mailed to 5204 Rustic Way, McFarland, or
contribute directly to the McFarland Food Pantry. A friendly reminder that the PTO is a
nonprofit 501c3.
You can see all of our updates by following our Facebook Page
www.facebook.com/McFarlandPTO or visiting our website www.mcfarlandpto.org
Please mark your calendars for our at large meeting on February 17, 2021(6:30pm) via Zoom.
We also meet the second Thursday of the month for PTO advisory council meetings. To join us
please email Michaela Voeck (PTO president) at mcfarlandptoprez@gmail.com to be added to
the Zoom meeting invite.
McFarland Youth Center - January News
Hello Youth, Parents and Guardians.
Continuing on with phase one of our reopening plan the McFarland Youth Center will host in person and virtual activity groups in January.
- The January in person programming (sign up only) will continue to be very limited as we continue with Phase 1 of our reopening plan.
- Groups are 2 hours per day on Mon/Tue/Wed only from 4:00 to 6:00 (virtual programs will continue on Thursdays) no programming on Fridays to allow for a deep cleaning of MYC)
- Mondays: Arts and Crafts, Tuesdays: Science activities, Wednesdays: Computer and video game lab. More detailed description in the sign up link below
- Extensive safety precautions and guidelines have been put into place for both the safety of the youth and staff (see below)
- Programming will be OUTDOORS whenever possible (pop up tent, tables, plexiglass dividers and chairs have been acquired to support this) (During winter months, youth will likely be indoors)
- Youth are welcome to sign up for as many program slots as they would like but are expected to do their best to attend the programs that they sign up for
- A completed electronic permission slip form is REQUIRED for anyone choosing to participate (see link below)
- All groups will be capped at 6-8 youth
See links below for a schedule and program descriptions:
January IN PERSON Programming Permission Slip & Sign up here: In Person Programming Sign Up
January VIRTUAL Programming Permission Slip & Sign up here: Virtual Programming Sign Up
COVID-19 Safety Precautions:
- Both staff and youth will be expected to wear masks at all times while indoors (as well as outdoors whenever they are less that 6 feet to another person). An exception will be made during snack time in which youth will be seated 6- 8 feet apart.
- MYC will provide every youth who signs up for a program with a cloth mask. Youth will be expected to bring this to programming each day. (Youth are also welcome to bring their own masks instead of using a MYC issued mask)
- Youth and staff will have their temperature taken at arrival each day, if their temperature is above 100 degrees, they will be asked to leave until tested for COVID19.
- Youth and staff will be expected to use hand sanitizer upon arrival and throughout the day.
- Activities will take place outside whenever possible.
- Staff will deep clean and sanitize MYC twice daily.
- Youth members will be expected to follow safety guidelines, if a youth is unable to do so a parent will be contacted and youth may be asked to take a break from MYC activities.
- Youth and staff will stay 6-8 feet apart in order to observe social distancing guidelines.
- Youth will have individual program supplies for every activity in order to reduce the spread of germs.
- Snacks will be provided daily but will be pre-packaged for each youth.
Thank you and please feel free to reach out with any questions.
VISIT OUR WEBSITE: mcfarlandyouthcenter@gmail.com
VISIT OUR FACEBOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/mcfarlandyouthcenter/