NOVEMBER 6, 2020
FPS Family Newsletter | 20-21 Issue 17
NOVEMBER & MONITORING THE METRICS
Most of you are aware that I have been working in Franklin for a very long time. When I started, the community was more rural than it is today. The other day when working at my desk, I was reminded of that when a turkey passed by. It caused me to pause and smile. I thought, out loud to be honest, that he better hide because Thanksgiving is coming. As we continue to work through the day-to-day challenges we face, November is a good month to remember to be thankful. I am thankful that we have been able to keep as many classrooms and schools open as long as we have.
Based on our metrics, we are preparing to transition some schools to virtual learning. If your child is at a school that hits the 3% positive case rate, you will receive a message letting you know that the school will move to virtual learning for two weeks. We receive our information regarding positive COVID-19 cases from the Franklin Health Department every day, including Saturdays and Sundays. Therefore, you may receive this notification on the weekend. We will inform you as soon as possible. The message will contain information about how virtual learning will be conducted, and when the students are scheduled to return. We continue to remain hopeful that the spread of COVID-19 will slow, and we are able to keep as many students in-person learning for a long as possible at our schools.
Have a good weekend. We can all be thankful for the weather!
Dr. Judy Mueller
District Administrator
COVID-19 IMPORTANT UPDATES
As communicated on Wednesday, November 4th, in our message to families, our metrics are trending to red in some of our schools. Regardless of the trend, we will not close a school prior to the metric hitting 3% or higher, as the metric continues to fluctuate based on old and new cases. When we do close a school building, athletics will take a “time out” for the period of time the school is closed. The reason for this is that the school is at a level of high concern for the spread of COVID-19 and we are not scheduling activities that allow our students to be together. Athletics will resume when we return to offering in-person classes.
During this 14-day period, we will continue to track the number of new positive cases with our students and staff. While the City’s burden rate is high, our 14-day positive case percentage will need to decline to a rate of less than 2% in order to consider a return to in-person learning. Based on previous experiences with this metric, the lower this metric is, the better chance we have of staying in the in-person learning environment longer once we return. As we approach the end of the 14-day period we will meet with the Franklin Health Department to review the current metrics, and decide on a timeline for a possible return to in-person learning. The metrics will continue to be updated on Wednesdays and Fridays on the District’s website.
Below is a screenshot of this week's update. You can click or tap on the screenshot to see a larger version on your device.
UPCOMING DISTRICT DATES
As a reminder, the District Calendar and all building calendars can be found here.
All of our calendars are able to be subscribed to! Follow the steps at the top of the District Calendar for how to subscribe.
Southshore Superintendents Release Joint Statement
On behalf of Dr. Judy Mueller and a group of Southshore Superintendents, we are sharing with you this joint letter to families and the community of nearby districts. We are releasing this to all families and community members about the concern we have for how COVID-19 is affecting our schools and communities. Please read and take the necessary steps you can to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in our communities so we can continue to offer in-person options for our students.
Take In An FHS Performance...At Home!
The 2020 FHS Fall Play, TinkerBell, is live streaming tonight and Saturday if you want to watch from the comfort of your own home! Our students and staff have created this production following safety guidelines and want to share their performance with you!
Here you can watch a news piece from The Saber Roar about the production: https://youtu.be/GhkeSADpuAM
Tonight or Saturday's live stream link can be found on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/c/thesaberroar
NICHE 2021 RANKINGS FOR FPS
Niche is an organization that compiles statistics, reviews, and data on how school districts and individual schools are performing. They release a ranking list every year based on state test scores, college readiness, graduation rates, SAT/ACT scores, teacher quality, public school district ratings, and more.
Below, we are pleased to highlight some of the district and high school rankings we are recognized for in Franklin Public Schools.
Franklin Public Schools
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Email: communications@franklin.k12.wi.us
Website: http://www.franklin.k12.wi.us
Location: 8255 West Forest Hill Avenue, Franklin, WI, USA
Phone: 414-529-8220
Facebook: facebook.com/franklinpublicschools
Twitter: @fpsdistrictwi