News and Views
An e-newsletter from Mounds View Public Schools
October 2, 2020
Donations help 882 students
Thanks to donations, the Ralph Reeder Food Shelf distributed school supplies to 882 students in grades K-12 during its annual Good Neighbor Back to School Project. Students received everything from pencils to backpacks. Supplies are still available for those needing help. Please call the food shelf for more information at 651-621-6280.
Meet the Foundation and help ‘Rock the School House’
As a result of the pandemic, the District is experiencing additional expenses to support learning, both at home and in school. The Mounds View Schools Education Foundation is poised to be the bridge between those who want to help our students and the students who need it most. Want to learn more? Attend Rock the School House At-Home on Saturday, November 14. Attendees who want a Rock the School House experience at home can do that by getting an event pass starting at just $20 per household. Supporters can even purchase an All-Access Pass that includes local specialty snacks, exclusive drinks and DIY event activities. Passes are on sale through October 15 by visiting the event website. If you just want to tune in for the program, visit the same website for more information.
Top 10 District for National Merit
Mounds View Public Schools ranked among the Top 10 school districts in the state for the most 2021 National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists, with a total of 13 students between Irondale and Mounds View. The following students were named National Merit Scholar Semifinalists for 2021.
The semifinalists from Irondale High School are Andrew Kim and Vincent Thai.
Semifinalists from Mounds View High School are Amy Binder, Lily Bronson, Angie Chen, Jennie Cheng, Sydney Dvorak, Shardul Rao, Claudia Seyfarth, Rajan Singh, Paul Wang , Ella Wiggenhorn and Maxwell Ye.
Top 10 school districts in Minnesota
Wayzata
Edina
Rochester
Minnetonka
South Washington County
Mounds View
Rosemount-Eagan-Apple Valley
St. Paul
Eden Prairie
Osseo
What is the COVID-19 notification process?
Now that schools are open for blended (hybrid) learning, one of the most frequently asked questions is, “Will I be notified if there is a confirmed COVID-19 case in my child’s school?”
Given the local incidence of positive COVID-19 cases in our county and communities, it’s reasonable to expect that schools will see positive case reports from students and staff. When that occurs, there are two types of notifications that may be made if there is a confirmed case of COVID-19 in our schools.
Close contact notifications
If any known school occupant has a confirmed case of COVID-19, school staff will partner with the Minnesota Department of Health to conduct contact tracing to identify close contacts of anyone with a confirmed case who attended school while infectious. Close contact is when someone is within six feet of the ill person for at least 15 minutes. All close contacts of a confirmed case will be notified of their exposure and asked to stay at home for 14 days since their last exposure to the confirmed case.
General notifications
The risk of exposure for non-close contact individuals present in the building on that date is no greater than the risk of contracting the virus in the general community. These students and staff are not considered to be at higher risk, and there is nothing additional they need to do. For privacy reasons, schools can’t share many details about the status of a person who tests positive for COVID-19. However, after close contact notifications have been made, schools may sometimes notify families of students who shared a classroom, learning space, bus route or small group with the infected person. Who is notified depends entirely on the specific circumstances of the person’s presence at the school. It is unlikely there will be a mass notification of an entire school community simply because of a single positive case present in the building.
Students and staff who are not close contacts of a person with a confirmed case or who were not in a shared space with an infected person should not expect to receive a notification from the school. These students and staff are not considered to be at higher risk, and there is nothing additional they need to do.
If you have any questions contact Health.covid19@state.mn.us.
State now reporting school COVID-19 cases
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is now publicly reporting on confirmed COVID-19 cases that are related to Minnesota schools. This school-related data is part of their weekly data reports that are updated on the bottom of this page every Thursday at 11 a.m. The school-related data will reflect confirmed COVID-19 cases in all Minnesota prekindergarten through grade 12 school buildings including public, nonpublic and tribal schools. Minnesotans will be able to see the aggregate number of school building-related cases throughout the state broken down by the number of cases associated with adults who are employed by a school and students. MDH will also provide the total number of schools impacted with a range of cases: one case, two through four cases, and five or more. School buildings with five or more confirmed COVID-19 cases will be identified by name on MDH’s website.
Learning model tracker
Minnesota school districts are asked to determine their learning model based on local health data and the number of positive cases in their county over a period of two weeks. The state will provide updated numbers every week. School districts are permitted to take a more restrictive approach at any time, but cannot take a less restrictive approach. Distance learning is always an option families can choose.
Our latest number: 15.40
Our current learning model: Blended (hybrid) learning
Track results this fall at www.moundsviewschools.org/learningmodeltracker.
High school sporting event tickets for fall 2020
Last month, the Minnesota State High School League announced that football and volleyball have been reinstated for the fall 2020 season. The decision included COVID-19 safety restrictions for both athletes and spectators.
Due to capacity restrictions set by the Minnesota Department of Health, tickets for home and away football games will be reserved for families of the athletes only. Families of student athletes will receive information separately about how to purchase tickets in advance of each game this season. Tickets for soccer games will be sold on a first-come, first-serve basis.
No other tickets will be sold for sporting events this season, and no additional spectators will be allowed to view the events.
The link to purchase tickets to view a livestream of each game can be found here.
Changes to free meal pick-up for distance learning students
Free meals are available for all distance learning students, regardless of need. See the upcoming curbside pick-up dates below.
Friday, Oct. 9 from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 14 from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Meals can be picked up at the following locations:
- Chippewa Middle School (5000 Hodgson Road, North Oaks)
- Irondale High School (2425 Long Lake Rd, New Brighton)
Free meals for blended learning students
Free breakfast and lunch will be available to all blended learning students, regardless of need, on the days that they are at school. Students will also be offered a bag to take home for the next day (their at-home learning day). Students will not need to pay or enter a PIN number to receive these meals.
The Minnesota Department of Education has announced an extension of the USDA’s “Free Meals for Kids” program until December 31, 2020, or until funds run out. This program provides free meals for all students regardless of eligibility.