Greyhound Special Edition 1/14/22
Finals, Test Kits, Reporting
No School Monday, January 17 or Friday, January 21 (Office Closed Monday)
Final Exams Have Been Canceled, What Does This Mean?
2. Attendance is still required. School wasn't canceled, just (almost all) final exams.
3. A handful of CITS courses are still required by our college partners to administer final exams. Teachers will have made that very clear to impacted students.
4. This week students should still have a chance to improve their grade. There are a variety of options by course.
32nd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration
Sunday, January 16th
Join us for a LIVE community reading of Dr. King's Letter from a Birmingham Jail on Sunday, January 16th from 4 pm-5 pm via Facebook Live.
https://www.facebook.com/events/1146925342736528?ref=newsfeed
Community members will be able to participate in a moderated discussion during the reading using the comments in Facebook.
Be a Reader: If you are interested in participating as a reader, fill out this registration form - https://m.signupgenius.com/...
Please note that People of Color will have priority in reading assignments.
Monday, January 17th
The Duluth NAACP invites you to the viewing of the documentary, “Dr. King’s Words into Actions: Black Empowerment Across the Generations” on Monday, January 17th from 11 am-12 pm via Facebook Live.
https://www.facebook.com/events/466915815105337?ref=newsfeed
In this 20 minute documentary conversations will be held between two generations of Duluth residents where they discuss their perspectives on quotes from Dr. King on a variety of topics such as Voting Rights, Economic Justice, Criminal Justice, Health & Environmental Equity, Education, and Engagement of Young Adults. The viewing will be followed immediately by a call to action from committee chairs of the Duluth Branch of the NAACP.
MORE MLK EVENTS SPONSORED BY OTHER ORGANIZATIONS
Monday, January 17, 2022
Time: 8:45 AM - 10:30 AM (CST)
Location: VIRTUAL
Description: The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Breakfast is a fundraiser to benefit the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) Twin Cities in helping local students of color get to and go through college.
Guest Speakers:
Laura Coates, CNN Host and Senior Legal Analyst, Constitutional Expert and Author
Michael L. Lomax, Ph.D., President and CEO of UNCF
Moderated by Angela Davis, Host of MPR News with Angela Davis
Learn more about the speakers and program sponsored by UNCF and supported by General Mills. (https://www.mlkbreakfast.com/)
Sponsored by UNCF, United Negro College Fund
Register by Friday, January 14, at 4 pm to get the Zoom link - https://www.tfaforms.com/4956167 (When you register, identify yourself as part of the : Duluth, MN Metro Area group)
Wednesday, January 19, 2022
Time: 12:00 - 1:00 PM (CST)
Location: VIRTUAL
Description: Dr. Tyner will share her insight on creating unity in our community through service and provide those who wish to join the fight for social, racial, and economic justice with the necessary tools to advance social justice.
Dr. Artika Tyner - University of St. Thomas School of Law, Dr. Tyner serves as the founding director of the Center on Race, Leadership and Social Justice
Attendees will gain awareness and understand how our biases influence us, develop skills where we can learn to work more effectively in diverse groups, and build tools and confidence for advancing social justice awareness.
Sponsored by: Lake Superior College, Minnesota State, Ridgewater College, Northland Community & Technical College, Hennepin Technical College, Century College, Century Lakes College, Alexandria Technical & Community College, Saint Paul College, Riverland Community College, Southeast Minnesota State College, Anoka-Ramsey Community College
Details for this event can be found at
Registration is free
Test Kit for Every Student
Dear Families,
Our school received BinaxNOW OTC Antigen Self Test kits from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). They are rapid COVID-19 tests intended to be used at home for students who are symptomatic, and are to be administered by a caregiver. Each kit includes two separate tests. See the attached document for more information about the tests and how to use them.
https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/schools/binaxotc.pdf
Test kits are available free to families, one kit per student enrolled. A test kit will be sent home with your East student on the Wednesday, January 19. Please hang on to your student's test kit to be available to use if needed for symptoms. If you would prefer not to receive a test kit, please instruct your student not to take one as they leave that day or send it back to school should they bring one home.
In October, the district received a shipment from the MDH of BinaxNow OTC test kits that health offices have kept on hand to distribute to symptomatic students. Many health offices are running low on this supply and we are unable to place another order of these through the MDH. I know this has been a great service to offer families, but once these are gone, families will need to utilize community testing sites.
Crystal Diehl, RN, PHN, MSN
Licensed School Nurse
ISD 709 Duluth Public Schools
COVID Coordinator
218-336-8700 x3141
Students and ISD 709 staff who have COVID symptoms can receive a Rapid Testing kit from our office. Please do not send students into the building with symptoms. Call the office to arrange for a pick up.
*Students experiencing symptoms may request a rapid test from the health office.
Please stay home if you're sick!
Quarantine anyone with symptoms (fever, difficulty breathing, loss of taste or smell, muscle pain, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, chills, cough, runny nose or congestion, sore throat, headache, fatigue). Those with symptoms should remain quarantined from all school, extracurricular, and social activities until they:
Have a negative COVID test AND symptoms improve OR
Receive a positive test and have passed the quarantine date set by our health office.
Get a COVID test done. If students have symptoms, the school has test kits available to send home. If they are leaving with symptoms, we can send them with one. If they stayed home with symptoms, a family member or friend without symptoms can pick up a test for them. There are also numerous test sites in the community that may have availability. Please note that rapid testing (kits from school and at other sites) are only for symptomatic people. If you have been exposed and need a test but don’t have symptoms, you will have to be tested at a saliva test site, where anyone can be tested.
Report any symptoms and both positive and negative test results to our health office.
Increase all mitigation strategies (masking, social distancing, washing hands, limiting contact, etc.) in all areas, not just school.
Encourage and enforce proper mask wearing. Wash hands before and after putting your mask on and taking it off. Over the nose and under the chin. Don’t touch the front of the mask while wearing it. KEEP IT UP!
Work with your healthcare provider and consider vaccination if you haven’t already. If and when entire classes need to quarantine those who are vaccinated will be able to continue attending school and won’t be required to quarantine.
EAST HEALTH OFFICE
Gerri Settergren, Heath Office Aide ext 2114, geraldine.settergren@isd709.org
Susan Sederberg, School Nurse ext 2429, susan.sederberg@isd709.org
This Week's Lockdown: Why not evacuate?
This week East went into lockdown for about 30 minutes following a very vague threat made via the Duluth Police Departments tip line. While the language of the threat didn't include any language about a bomb the caller selected that category in the type of tip. Some have asked why we don't immediately evacuate when a bomb threat has been indicated or implied. The best practice, supported by federal law enforcement explosives experts, is for schools and police to assess threats rather than automatically evacuating schools. The Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, a division of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, recommends schools move into lockdown at least until the item, if there is one, is secured and the grounds are clear of any suspicious item. Our policies and practices reflect this recommendation.
Once the police department arrives we turn over threat response to them and take their direction. Due to the very vague nature of the report it was recommended we remain in lockdown during the search. Out of an abundance of caution, the police continued to investigate and a search dog trained to find explosives went through the school with officers before the DPD cleared us to end the lockdown.
During every potential incident school staff are always constantly planning for multiple contingencies. The safety of our school community is paramount. We are thankful as always for the support of the Duluth Police Department and, in this case, the Duluth Fire Department, too!
Saturday School and Prescription for Success Reminder
Saturday School and Prescription for Success are an opportunity for students to make up time from unexcused absences/unexcused tardies, to complete unfinished school work, projects or tests/quizzes, and to receive tutoring from an East National Honor Society Student. The Prescription for Success is a voluntary agreement between teacher and student that allows for work to be made up during Saturday School. Quality work completed during that time will be given at least 60% credit. Students can be assigned a specific tutor to assist while at Saturday School. Students should see their classroom teacher if they would like to take part in Prescription for Success or would like a tutor for Saturday School.
Remaining Saturday School Dates for 21-22 School Year:
- January 15, 2022
- February 12, 2022
- March 5, 2022
- March 26, 2022
- April 9, 2022
- May 7, 2022
- May 21, 2022
Attendance Issue Contacts:
Main East High School Number (218)336-8845
Kyle Rock: Assistant Principal Ext. 2348, kyle.rock@isd709.org
Jon Flaa: Assistant Principal Ext. 2325, jon.flaa@isd709.org
Tutoring Available with St. Scholastica Students!
Counseling Office Notes
Counseling Office Contacts:
218-336-8845
Jenn LaBelle, Registrar: ext 2143, jennifer.labelle@isd709.org
Jamie Savre, Counselor (A-E): ext 2154, jamie.savre@isd709.org
Jessica Forsman, Counselor (F-La): ext 2041, jessica.forsman@isd709.org
Morgan Costley, Counselor (Le-Re), ext 1262, morgan.costley@isd709.org
Laura Horton, Counselor (Rh-Z,) ext 1121, laura.horton@isd709.org
Kerri Persons, Counselor (9th Grade), ext 1345, kerri.persons@isd709.org
Activities Office News
Click to purchase tickets to an East event/game.
Click to view the full activities and facility schedule.
Click to learn more about activities at East!
Click to live stream East events.
Activities Office Contacts
218-336-8845
Lynn Carlson, Clerical/Treasurer: ext 2304, lynn.carlson@isd709.org
Shawn Roed, Activities Director: ext 2151, shawn.roed@isd709.org
Notes and Resources from Outside Agencies (Not ISD 709)
Duluth East High School
Assistant Principals: Jon Flaa, Kyle Rock
Activities Director: Shawn Roed
Email: darcy.motschenbacher@isd709.org
Website: https://www.isd709.org/duluth-east
Location: 301 North 40th Avenue East, Duluth, MN, USA
Phone: 218-336-8845
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dulutheasthighschool