LS-H Middle/High School Newsletter
January 12, 2021
LS-H Middle/High School "Return to Hybrid" Timeline
Happy New Year to all of our students and families! We look forward to beginning Hybrid Learning on Monday, January 18th just in time for our students to have a strong finish to Semester 1 of the 2020-2021 school year. As we return from Distance Learning, it is important for all of us to continue using key mitigation strategies to help protect and promote the health and safety of our students and staff. We have introduced a school dashboard, updated on Fridays, to provide weekly updates and insight to the health of our school community. Please continue to keep the schools informed of any confirmed positive cases, close contacts, and symptomatic individuals as this information will help to show the transmission of the virus within our communities.
Rolling Start:
In order to safely transition to in-person and hybrid learning models, the Minnesota Department of Health and Minnesota Department of Education are requiring schools to implement a rolling start process for students to be brought back "in-person" to our schools. As a result, LS-H Elementary Schools had teacher planning days on January 11-12 and LS-H Middle/High School has teacher planning days on January 14-15. Our teachers use planning days to learn about new COVID-19 protocols, adjust classrooms to meet state requirements, prepare class materials (online and physical), and adjust lesson plans to hybrid learning.
- Thursday, January 14 & Friday, January 15 = No School for Students, Teacher Planning Days
- Monday, January 18 = Hybrid Learning Begins (Blue Day), Middle School Activities Resume
- Thursday, January 28 = Last Day of Semester 1
- Friday, January 29 = No School
Distance Learning Update
LS-H Schools will continue to offer a "Distance Learning Only" option to students for the entirety of the 2020-2021 school year.
- On January 18, all students will return to the learning model (Hybrid or Distance Learning Only) they were previously in for the remainder of Semester 1.
Please complete the Distance Learning Election Form by January 22nd if you would like to move from Hybrid Learning to Distance Learning Only for Semester 2.
- Students will be allowed to return from Distance Learning Only to Hybrid Learning until Feb. 12th, 2021.
- After February 12, students who have chosen Distance Learning Only will remain in this learning model until the end of the school year.
- Contact your child's guidance counselor or the school office if you have any questions.
Hybrid Health and Safety Updates
Please review the following health and safety reminders as we return to Scenario 2: Hybrid Learning:
- Complete a daily health screening before coming to school.
- Inform our school of confirmed positive cases, close contacts, and symptomatic individuals.
- Wear a mask (masks must be replaced immediately after drinking/eating).
- Wear a face covering when engaging in indoor physical activity (e.g., during indoor recess, indoor physical education class, or when exercising in a gym).
- Wash hands often.
- Observe 6 feet of social distancing at all times.
- Follow all one way hallways and stairwells.
We expect all of our students to do their part in promoting a safe, healthy learning environment at LS-H Middle/High School. We must remain vigilant in following our health and safety guidelines to keep our students in school.
Student Locker Update
- As we return to Hybrid Learning, students will have access to a school locker to store personal items such as jackets and lunch bags.
- Students will be expected to carry their backpacks from class to class, but may visit their locker before school, before/after lunch periods, and after school.
- Students are reminded that they are not allowed to congregate at school lockers and must follow all social distancing guidelines in the Hybrid Learning Scenario.
- Locker numbers and combinations can be found on student schedules in the Infinite Campus Student Portal.
End of Semester 1
Semester 1 ends on January 28th and we encourage all of our students to use the next two weeks to finish strong! Please remain in contact with your child's teachers if you have any questions about missing assignments, assessments, or how to best support your child's study habits at home.
Attendance
Automated attendance calls are used to inform parents/guardians when an unexcused absence has been recorded. During Hybrid and Distance Learning, there are three steps to make sure attendance is recorded correctly each day:
1.) Students enter their "Virtual Attendance" on Infinite Campus by 10:00 AM on all "off-site" days.
2.) Attend all required virtual class meetings.
3.) Attend school on a required "In-Person" days.
Please continue to contact the LS-H Middle/High School office at 507-665-5801 or pmediger@isd2397.org when an attendance call is received.
We recognize the added complexity of school attendance during the COVID-19 pandemic and look forward to providing consistent communication. Information about adjusting call settings in the Parent Portal is provided in the TIP sheet below.
Mental Health Supports
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused high levels of stress for many of our staff, students, and families. We have several resources at LS-H Middle/High School to support the mental health needs of our students and families:
- LS-H school counselors are available to meet with students and parents. Ms. Undeberg (Middle School and AVID) can be reached at kundeberg@isd2397.org or (507) 665-5806 and Ms. Al-Sattam (High School) can be reached at ialsattam@isd2397.org or (507) 665-5807.
- LS-H Middle/High School partners with the Sioux Trails Mental Health Center to offer school-linked services. Contact your child's guidance counselor for more information.
- The Minnesota Department of Health's "Supporting Mental Well-being During COVID-19" website has a wealth of information and resources.
If you need immediate assistance in a crisis situation, dial 911.
South Central Mobile Crisis Team: 877-399-3040
Crisis Text Line: Text MN to 741 741
Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
Our school's goal is to provide support and connect each family with the resources they need to succeed. Please contact your child's guidance counselor for more information.
New Classes for Semester 2
We are pleased to announce two new classes available for Semester 2; Environmental Science and Intro to Education (please see the flyer below for additional information including course descriptions).
Environmental Science is a Science elective that will be available to students in grades 10-12. It will be offered during 7th period and students will earn .5 high school credits. Students will learn how different organisms interact with the environment through discussions, labs, and field experiences.
Intro to Education is a concurrent enrollment course through Minnesota State University, Mankato for 11th and 12th grade students at LSH with a minimum GPA of 3.0. Students will have the opportunity to earn high school and college credits through this course while exploring various careers in education.
Students interested in taking either or both of these courses should contact Ms. Al-Sattam, ialsattam@isd2397.org, by January 18th.
Daily Schedules for Hybrid Learning
Hybrid Learning Schedule (Monday-Thursday)
Hybrid/Distance Learning Schedule (Friday)
Hybrid Lunch Schedule
Giant Tips for Success in Scenario 2
Tips for Students:
- Students should enter their Virtual Attendance in Infinite Campus by 10:00 AM each "off site" day.
- Check "At A Glance" documents at the beginning of each week.
- Attend all required virtual meetings.
- Complete assignments on time.
- Communicate with classroom teachers with questions or support. Being a positive self-advocate is a Giant Key to Success!
- Attend Advisory class at 9:30 AM on Fridays. Advisory classes will only meet on Friday mornings.
Tips for Parents:
- Contact our attendance secretary, Ms. Mediger, (507-665-5801) if your child is ill or must be absent from school.
- Review your child's grades and missing assignments in the Parent Portal on a regular basis.
- Continue to report positive cases of COVID-19, close contacts, and symptoms. These can be communicated by calling our school office (507-665-5800), calling our District Nurse, Molly Thelemann (507-602-0308), or by emailing Ms. Thelemann at mthelemann@isd2397.org.
- Meals will continue to be available for our students. Please contact Justin Craig, Food Service Director, at jcraig@isd2397.org with any questions about food service.
Distance Learning Reminders:
- Students are expected to complete assigned work from teachers during the times labeled as "Office Hours/Asynchronous Learning" on our Distance Learning Schedules.
- All LS-H Middle/High School teachers will have an open virtual meeting during all office hour/asynchronous learning times.
- Teachers may require students to meet with them during office hours/asynchronous learning times.
- We encourage students to meet with their teachers during office hours/asynchronous learning times to ask questions and receive support or extensions.
Infinite Campus Parent/Student Portal
Please refer to the following document to assist with logging into and updating information on Campus Portal. The "forgot username" and "forgot password" features on our district's Campus Portal can also be used if you are having difficulty logging in. Further support can be found by contacting the LS-H Middle/High School Office at (507) 665-5800 or by sending an email to tech@isd2397.org.
COVID-19 Resources
Past Newsletters from LS-H Middle/High School
All Middle/High School newsletters will also be posted on our school's website.
Middle/High School Contact Information
Brian Thorstad, Principal (507) 665-5803
Jeff Christ, Dean of Students/Activities Director (507) 665-5804
Pam Mediger, Attendance Secretary (507) 665-5801
Gillian Wychor, MS/HS Secretary (507) 665-5802
Christy Smykalski, Activities/Counseling Secretary (507) 665-5805
Email: gwychor@isd2397.org
Website: https://hsms.isd2397.org/cms/One.aspx
Location: 901 Ferry Street, Le Sueur, MN 56058, USA
Phone: (507) 665-5800