OTSEGO LOCAL SCHOOLS
Superintendent's Weekly Update - December 11, 2020
We have 5 more school days before break. Reminder - 12/21 and 12/22 are remote learning practice days. Look for more information from principals and/or teachers.
Our numbers rose this week as a result of what we believe is Thanksgiving. Please stay home and give us a chance to continue in-person school. We have the highest number of quarantines we have ever had this week. Our numbers should go down tremendously next week. The dashboard gets updated daily if not multiple times a day. We are NOT seeing student to student transmission and our quarantined students are remaining healthy. Again, please do only the essential activities for all of us. We must continue to work together for the health and safety of this community.
Quarantined: If a student or staff member has been in close contact with another individual that tests positive for COVID-19 the student will be required to quarantine for 14 days from the date of close contact. Close contact is defined as being within 6 feet for more than 15 minutes of the positive individual. The quarantine may end only after 14 days if the student/staff member was symptom-free the entire time.
Isolated: If a student or staff member has tested positive for COVID-19 they are to isolate at home for 10 days since the symptoms first appeared. The student or staff member may return when there have been 10 days since symptoms began, no fever for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication, and COVID-19 symptoms have been improving for at least 24 hours.
Contact Tracing: We will contact trace through multiple means. We will start with all of our seating charts in classrooms and on the bus. We will also check to see what extracurriculars the students are involved in. We will also be directly communicating with the students to get a detail of their day. The contact tracing will start two days prior to a student having symptoms. For example, if a student tests positive for COVID-19 and symptoms appear on a Wednesday, we will contact trace and determine if any individual had close contact (within 6 ft. for more than 15 minutes) on Monday or Tuesday of that week.
Wood County Health Department Information
Dec. 11, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Alex Aspacher
419-354-9212
aaspacher@co.wood.oh.us
Resources now available for safe holiday planning
Win cash prizes in a video contest, take a quiz, and pledge to keep our community safe
BOWLING GREEN — Wood County Health Department has released a package of resources to help the community celebrate holidays safely and reduce the spread of COVID-19.
This includes a three-pronged approach to making holiday celebrations safer:
· A contest with cash prizes to share how you’re safely celebrating this year
· A fun, holiday-themed quiz with information on planning a safer gathering
· A COVID-19 pledge to do five things that will help Wood County drive its cases down.
Everything can be found on the Holiday Planning page of the Health Department’s COVID-19 website at Coronavirus.WoodCountyHealth.org
The COVID-19 Holiday Contest allows Wood County residents and BGSU students to submit videos showing how they did things differently this year to be safer while celebrating a holiday. Videos will be shared on the Health Department’s website and social media.
The contest winner will be awarded a cash prize of no less than $1,000. The size and number of prizes will increase based on donations received for this contest. The currently available number of prizes and the amount of each prize will be maintained on the WCHD Holiday Planning webpage. Individuals or businesses that would like to contribute to this campaign should reach out to their local chambers of commerce or business associations or contact the health department at healthdept@woodcountyohio.gov
This contest includes all holidays through New Year’s Day. Videos must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 6. All entries must follow all recommended safety guidelines and demonstrate how to safely celebrate with more than one household.
All entrants who met the contest guidelines will be eligible to be considered for the finalist group. Finalists will be those individuals whose plans are judged to be the most innovative or creative by a panel of judges. Winners will be selected by drawing from among the finalist group. Full contest details and rules will be available online.
This exciting contest is a fun way to celebrate those who are taking creative and essential steps to keep our community safe. Safe holiday plans include limiting travel, celebrating with those in your household, virtually celebrating with friends and family not in your household, consistently washing hands, and wearing your mask when you do need to go out. These precautions will save lives. This contest will help encourage, inspire and celebrate those making safe decisions.
A fun, holiday-themed quiz, also found on the Holiday Planning page, provides information on the keys to a safer celebration. It envisions a gathering with Santa Claus one week before Christmas Eve, and asks questions about how to keep Santa healthy so that he doesn’t get sick and miss delivering presents the following week.
Take the quiz at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KeepSantaSafe
No matter what holidays you celebrate, Wood County Health Department is asking for the community to come together and pledge to keep one another safe as COVID-19 cases are on the rise heading into the holiday season. We want to pledge to use what we know limits the spread of this lethal virus to protect our community. Our health care, education and economic systems depend on it.
We are asking community members to pledge to these five things starting now until Jan. 6:
- I pledge to follow all public health guidelines including wearing a mask in public, maintaining a 6-foot social distance and washing my hands regularly.
- I pledge to limit the size and number of social gatherings I attend.
- I pledge to change how I celebrate holidays to limit my contact with those outside my household as much as possible.
- I pledge to stay home if anyone in my household is showing symptoms of COVID-19, and I will consult with my health care provider to determine if testing is needed.
- I will be an ambassador for public health in my community and ask at least 10 other people to take this pledge with me.
This list was created out of tried-and-true methods to limit the spread of COVID-19. If Wood County residents follow this pledge it will save lives, help health-care facilities, and be another positive step toward getting our economy back.
We encourage our community to share their pledge on social media using the hashtag #COVIDPledge. This year has brought negativity; let’s share positivity and encourage each other for pledging to be safe.
By taking this pledge, our community is standing up for the safety of our most vulnerable. Do your part, be proud of your decision and share it with others.
The mission of the Wood County Health Department is to prevent disease, promote healthy lifestyles and protect the health of everyone in Wood County. Our Community Health Center provides comprehensive medical services for men, women and children. We welcome all patients, including uninsured or underinsured clients, regardless of their ability to pay, and we accept most third-party insurance. For more information, visit www.WoodCountyHealth.org.
Travel Restriction Guidance
Food Pick up for ONLINE STUDENTS: Monday, December 14th
Food pick-up is Monday, December 14th from 4-5 pm.
Food Service Reminder - Breakfast and Lunches are FREE all year for ALL students. Even if your child packs every day have them try our lunches. We are ok with that. It would be a great opportunity for them to try out our food service program.
Board Meeting:
The monthly Board of Education meeting is Wednesday, December 16th at 6pm. The meeting will be live streamed on www.otsegoknights.org
Adam Koch
GO KNIGHTS!
Special One Time Food Delivery for ALL students
Our food service department will be packing up the food in the morning on 12/21 and our bus drivers will be delivering it to the town stops. Once we know who all signed up we will determine the time and the locations in each town. The estimated time of delivery will be from 2 to 4 pm on 12/21.
Knight In Shining Armor Nominations
Knight In Shining Armor Nominations
Please use the following form to inform OHS Student Council about a family in need within the school district. While the family does not need to have students in the district, we do ask that they are a member of the Otsego Community. Please use this form to share information about their current situation as well as how they can best be assisted.
Please be sure to understand that while Knight in Shining Armor (KISA) would love to help all community members in need, we are still a new program, and may not have the funds to do so. With that being said, we will consider each request on a case by case basis. Filling this form out does not guarantee that we will be able to assist the family, but we will try our hardest to do so!
These funds are not for routine expenses such as utilities, bills, rent, etc. It is designed for assisting community members in an emergency situation. This can include but is not limited to unforeseen medical expenses, medical-related travel expenses, and household emergencies such as a fire, water leaks, etc. Please keep this in mind when submitting a nomination.
Please refer to this link at any point during the year as a need arises, and KISA will do their best to help out!
Otsego Food Pantry
The Otsego Food Pantry is always willing to help those in need. This service is by appointment only. Please call, text, or email to schedule.
Otsego Food Pantry
c/o Lisa Hatfield
PO Box 261
17700 Beaver Street
Grand Rapids, OH 43522
Phone: 419-830-1051
Email: otsegofoodpantryoh@gmail.com
Housed in the Grand Rapids First Presbyterian Church – Supported by our Community!
Athletics
Saturday, December 12
9:00 - JH WR @ Liberty Center Inv.
5:30 - JV/V GBK (H) Woodmore
Monday, December 14
4:15 - 7th/8th BBK (H) Rossford
Tuesday, December 15
4:15 - 7th/8th BBK (H) Woodmore
4:30 - 7th/8th GBK @ Evergreen
5:30 - JV/V GBK (H) Elmwood
Wednesday, December 16
4:15 - 7th/8th GBK @ Genoa
5:00 - JH WR (H) Lake
6:00 - HS WR (H) Lake
Thursday, December 17
4:30 - 7th/8th (H) Swanton
Friday, December 18
4:45 - 9th/JV/V BBK (H) Woodmore
COMMUNITY EVENTS SECTION
Questions, Concerns, Comments, or Rumors
SPONSORS
Otsego Board of Education
President: Brad Anderson banderson.otsego@gmail.com
Vice President: James Harter jameslharter@gmail.com
Board Member: Mark Tolles mdt814@cs.com
Board Member: Jessica Mehl jmehl.jd@gmail.com
Board Member: Gordon Digby gdigby44@gmail.com
Adam Koch, Superintendent
Email: akoch@otsegoknights.org
Website: www.otsegoknights.org
Location: 18505 Tontogany Creek Road, Bowling Green, OH, United States
Phone: 419-823-4381
Twitter: @AdamKoch_Otsego
Lisa Austin, Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent/EMIS Coordinator
Email: laustin@otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381
Lauri Dunham, Special Education Director
Email: ldunham@otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381
Stephen Bihary, School Psychologist
Email: sbihary@otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381
Luke Swartz, Technology Director
Email: lswartz@otsegoknights.org
Website: www.otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381
Katrina Baughman, Elementary Principal
Email: kbaughman@otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381
Twitter: @KBaughman723
Becky Buchman, Assistant Elementary Principal
Email: bbuchman@otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381
Twitter: @buchman_becky
Kevin O'Shea, High School Principal
Email: koshea@otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381
Twitter: @KosheaOHS
Jon Rife, Junior High Principal
Email: jrife@otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381
Twitter: @OJHS_Principal
Tom Ferdig, High School Athletic Director and Assistant Principal Grades 6-12
Email: tferdig@otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381
Eva Vasher, Director of Transportation, Custodial, and Maintenance
Email: evasher@otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381
Emily Bires - Director of Food Service
Email: ebires@otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381
Twitter: @Otsego_Cafe