The Lance
July 2 update
The mission of Lakeshore Middle School is to promote collaboration between educators, students, and families to foster engaged learners and active and compassionate
members of their community.
Reflections from Mr. Swegles
Much like life since March 13, the post-end of the year work has looked a little different this year than in year's past. There has been great work done by our Return 2 School Committee that is focused on creating robust learning plans for a variety of situations. Our Pandemic Response Team at the district level has been focused on what life looks like in the building and the newly released plan from Governor Whitmer's Return to School Advisory Council has provided some more clear requirements based on the Phase of our area (see information below).
I will continue to follow up with information as it comes available from Superintendent Freeman or at the state and federal level. See below for updates from Superintendent Freeman.
Important Calendar Updates
Parent Update School Calendar
June 30, 2020
Prior to the move to distance learning in March of this year, many discussions were taking place in Lakeshore and other Berrien County school districts about a possible move to a pre-Labor Day start for school in the fall of 2020. The District looked at several options and weighed the pros and cons of each. Then came COVID-19 and the move to at-home learning. As part of our Back-to-School Committee work, we have determined that the move to a pre-Labor Day start made the most sense for the coming fall. With that in mind, the first day of school for Lakeshore Public Schools students will be August 31, 2020.
Our thoughts:
- This coming school year, Labor Day falls on September 7th, the latest possible date for the holiday. If we continue with a post Labor Day start, this would mean the first day for students would be on September 8, 2020, adding a full week of an already extended absence from school.
- Our students have been away from school now since March 16, 2020. The move to an August 31, 2020 first day of school gives us an opportunity to get the students back to school sooner.
- A post-Labor Day start would push the final day for students to June 16, 2021 if no changes are made to the current school calendar. For comparison purposes, the first day of school during the current school year (2019-2020) was on September 3, 2019 with the final day of school slated for June 10, 2020.
- A vast majority of districts in Berrien County have made the move to a pre-Labor day start for 2020-2021. Aligning our calendar with the other county districts allows us to better align our programs where we share students such as Career Technical Education (CTE) and Special Education.
Key Dates on the 2020-2021 Calendar:
August 25-26, 2020 - Teachers Report
August 31, 2020 - First Day of School for Students
September 4-7, 2020 - Labor Day Break
November 25-29, 2020 - Thanksgiving Break
December 19, 2020 - January 3, 2021 - Winter Break
January 18, 2021 - Dr. Martin Luther King Day - no school
February 15, 2021 - President's Day - no school
April 2-11, 2021 - Spring Break
May 31, 2021 - Memorial Day - no school
June 10, 2021 - Last Day for Students/Staff
We will share a more detailed calendar in the coming weeks.
Governor Whitmer's Return to School Advisory Council Update
June 30, 2020 Update
Governor Releases Return to School Roadmap
Today at 3:00 PM, Governor Gretchen Whitmer held a press conference where she was joined by members of the Return to Learn Advisory Council to unveil the Return to School Roadmap to help guide districts toward a safe reopening of schools in the fall. We are encouraged by knowing that we anticipated much of what was laid out in the Roadmap and are optimistic that our ultimate plan will support the safe return to school.
Here are the key take-a-ways from the release:
The Roadmap provides required and strongly recommended safety protocols to keep school communities safe. These protocols are based on the status of each region as described in the MI Safe Start Plan. (find link below)
Depending on the status of MI Safe Schools, there are three scenarios for school opening in fall 2020.
Schools open for in-person instruction with minimal required safety protocols (MI Safe Start Phase 6).
Schools open for in-person instruction with moderate required safety protocols (MI Safe Start Phase 5).
Schools open for in-person instruction with more stringent required safety protocols (MI Safe Start Phase 4).
Schools will not open for in-person instruction and instruction is provided remotely if a region continues to be in phases 1-3 in the MI Safe Start Plan.
Our region is currently in Phase 4 according to the MI Safe Start Plan.
As you might expect, it will take some time to digest the multiple components of the Governor’s plan for reopening schools in the fall. We feel well prepared to take on the challenges presented with reopening schools in the fall because of the work that has been taking place in committees charged with developing contingency plans for several scenarios. With the Return to School Roadmap now in place, we will be able to focus our efforts on finalizing the plans to educate our students safely in the fall. This work will continue to be done in collaboration with area Superintendents and the Berrien County Health Department.
Thank you in advance for your patience! Your support through this pandemic has been nothing short of incredible. We will continue to work in the best interests of our stakeholders as we develop plans for a safe return to school!
Resources:
https://www.michigan.gov/documents/whitmer/MI_Safe_Schools_Roadmap_FINAL_695392_7.pdf
https://www.michigan.gov/documents/whitmer/MI_SAFE_START_PLAN_689875_7.pdf
Lakeshore Announces Official District Facebook Page
In a further effort to promote a positive school community, we have launched an official school district Facebook page. Please search for Lakeshore Public Schools to access and LIKE our new page.
Follow us on Facebook
Posts include events, links to relevant resources, and photos of everyday life at LMS. Families can use it as a communication tool between administration.
Follow us on Instagram
Posts will include photos of everyday life at LMS.
Follow us on Twitter
Posts include events, links to relevant resources, and photos of everyday life at LMS.