Owatonna Public Schools
District Newsletter
April 2020
A Message from the Superintendent: #OwatonnaProud
It has been quite a month in the Owatonna Public Schools - for parents, for staff and for students. All of us are going through a transformation in our daily lives as we adjust to working from home, educating kids via distance learning and supporting our children’s education in new ways. Thank you to EVERYONE for your commitment, your effort and your patience.
As a school district, we remain committed to providing critical services for our community. Our Owatonna Public Schools staff have provided over 7,000 meals this week for our students at 14 different drop off locations. It has been great for our staff to see our students and families as they provide these meals. We are proud to offer quality child care for our parents who are emergency or health care workers. It is heartwarming to see our elementary students in child care making paper hearts while being well cared for and supported doing their distance learning assignments.
Our technology team at OPS has been fielding calls and troubleshooting for parents all week and continues to stand ready to provide the assistance that some families need to keep connected to distance learning. Our Success Coaches are offering essential communication for families that need translation and continue to provide a critical connection to our schools and community.
Our staff has been working incredibly hard for the past two weeks to prepare distance learning. From facilitation, distance learning website design, creating resources, and implementing new technologies - we have turned education as we knew it on its head in just eight days in response to this pandemic. I am so proud of our hard-working and determined staff that are committed to solving problems and providing equitable opportunities. We know that parents and students are working extra hard in these challenging times. All of us can be #OwatonnaProud!
Please do your best to stay home, follow the state health department and CDC guidelines for handwashing and do all you can to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. If we can help in any way, please reach out.
- Jeff Elstad, Superintendent (jelstad@isd761.org)
Education Leaders Share Message of Compassion
District Closed Friday, April 10
How We are Responding to COVID-19 Pandemic
Distance Learning
We have missed our students and we are happy to be connecting with them again - even if it’s through distance learning.
If you need technology support, please call our hotline: 507-444-8630.
Free Meals for Students
Free lunches and breakfasts are available for pick-up for all children ages 1-18 at various places throughout the district. There are three drive-up locations open five days a week, and 11 bus drop spots with delivery on Mondays and Thursdays thanks to our continued partnership with Owatonna Bus Company. Check our Owatonna food map or this list of locations and hours from our website.
Free Child Care for Healthcare and Emergency Workers
Cleaning and Sanitizing
School Board Meetings
Due to the current federal and state emergency declarations and guidance about limiting person-to-person contact due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, all meetings of the Owatonna Public Schools (ISD 761) school board will be conducted in accordance with Minnesota Statute 13D.021 - Meetings by Telephone or Other Electronic Means - until further notice.
At this time, members of the public are not permitted to attend these meetings due to the current health pandemic. However, persons may monitor meetings from a remote location by visiting the school district website: www.owatonna.k12.mn.us where they will find the live-stream video. Opportunities for public comment during regular board meetings are also available by emailing comments to schoolboard@isd761.org by 3:00 pm on the day of the regular board meeting. The board meeting schedule and videos from past school board meetings can be found on our website.
Resources
Minnesota Department of Health
National Association of School Psychologists
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
#MissionMoment Spotlight
Michelle Simon, Teacher at McKinley Elementary and MN Council for Social Studies Elementary Teacher of the Year
Watch the short video clip from the March 30 School Board meeting to hear how one of our teachers inspires excellence.
Share OPS News
Feel free to share this newsletter with others interested in the Owatonna Public Schools.
Contact Us
Email: shoffman@isd761.org
Website: www.owatonna.k12.mn.us
Location: 515 West Bridge Street, Owatonna, MN, USA
Phone: 507-444-8600
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/owatonnapublicschools/
Twitter: @ISD761_Owatonna