DART Meeting - held on Wednesday, June 2nd, 2021
Comments regarding making masks optional on the Wolf Creek campus:
Becki Olseen (Learning Manager): “We need to create a culture of respect around differences, wearing masks or not wearing and masks and preferences for all stakeholders in our building.”
Wolf Creek School Board Meeting - held on Tuesday, June 8th, 2021
School Board Comments regarding making masks optional on the Wolf Creek campus:
Sue Frame (Board Co-Director): “I feel comfortable with making a motion to change from ‘must’ to ‘may’ and keeping the other items that you mentioned for the summer. There has been ample time for those who wish to be vaccinated to become vaccinated and to protect themselves. Those who choose to not wear a mask or become vaccinated…I don’t know how else to help them.”
Catherine Veith-Bruno (Board Parent Representative): “I will second that motion to make masking optional.”
Goal: To ensure the safety of all stakeholders who physically enter our building. To acknowledge that persons have differing views on many of these subjects and that COVID 19 has brought significant trauma to all who have lived through it ( all of us) and that we want to move forward with respect and dignity for all persons at Wolf Creek.
Masking Recommendations: It is strongly recommended that all people present in school buildings and district offices wear a face covering. A motion was made on June 8th to follow the wording of Chisago Lakes policy and other schools in our area, same county. This policy is available linked to this presentation and on our website.
Schools are encouraged to maintain a supply of face coverings for students or staff who forget to bring them. Staff and students may choose to wear their own face covering, but all such face coverings should fit well and cover the nose and mouth.
Transportation Notes: Face coverings: All people are required by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) order to wear face coverings on all public transportation conveyances (airports, public buses, etc.), including school buses. We need to follow 4.0 Transportation policies on buses and vehicles.
Physical Distancing: When possible, maintain 6 feet distance as a recommendation at all times to avoid close contact. We still need to contact trace.
Restrooms: Wolf Creek has both single-stall and shared restrooms on campus available to all stakeholders. We will encourage all stakeholders to use the restroom with which they are comfortable.
Reporting Cases: Handling a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19: Minnesota Rule 4605.7070 requires any person in charge of any institution, school, child care facility, or camp to cases of COVID-19 to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). Put systems in place to allow staff and families to self-report to the school if they or their student have symptoms of COVID-19, a positive test for COVID-19, or recent close contact with someone with COVID-19 in a manner that is consistent with applicable laws and privacy policies, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
Cleaning, disinfection, and hygiene practices: Establish a daily schedule for routine environmental cleaning and disinfection of high-touch surfaces in classrooms and common spaces. Ensure the availability of appropriate supplies to support healthy hygiene behaviors (e.g., soap, hand sanitizer, paper towels, disinfectant wipes, and tissues) and strategically place supplies in areas where they will be frequently used. Build routines of hand hygiene into the daily school schedule for all students and staff, including handwashing and sanitation breaks during or between classroom activities. Teach and reinforce handwashing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and/or the safe use of hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol by staff and older students.
Health screening, isolation, and quarantine: Follow the Recommended COVID-19 Decision Tree for People in Schools, Youth, and Child Care Programs (www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/schools/exguide.pdf) to determine who should stay home and when staff or students may return.
Educate staff, students, and families about the signs and symptoms of COVID-19, when their children should stay home, and when they can return to school. Develop policies to prevent the spread of disease including:
Staff and students staying home if they have tested positive for COVID-19, have symptoms of COVID-19, or are ill and waiting for a COVID-19 test result.
Staff and students staying home when they have had close contact with a person with COVID-19.
For more information, visit CDC: When to Quarantine (www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-aresick/quarantine.html). Handling a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 case.
Additional Information:
We will continue to contract trace and alert families to COVID exposures. Forced quarantine will only be required for students showing symptoms. The suggested quarantine will be followed for all exposures since students can easily move to a virtual learning setting as Wolf Creek is a virtual school.
Temperature Checks: Temperature checks will continue to ensure that people who are ill are not coming to campus. We will review the needs for this to continue for fall in August.
Please consult the Wolf Creek Summer Guidance document for the latest information on Wolf Creek's operation in response to the COVID 19 pandemic, including the updated face-covering policy.
Message from Director Tracy Quarnstrom:
Last week, the MN Department of Education and Governor Walz introduced new guidance for when and how schools could return to in-person learning. On Friday, December 18th, our school board met, and based on that guidance, we are planning to return to our normal on-campus schedule for students beginning Tuesday, January 26th, 2021.
Please understand this is very new information and we have not been given full guidance from the MN Department of Education or the MN Department of Health. We will continue to communicate any changes with families as we continue working through the details.
In addition to the timeline for a return to school, the Department of Education also released new safety protocols for students and staff who are learning and teaching in-person. These include:
In order to successfully return to school, we need to all do our best to follow CDC health and safety protocols including wearing a face covering, avoiding large crowds, practicing social distancing, and getting a COVID-19 test if not feeling well.
Staff will continue to be on campus each Tuesday for student needs until the on-campus schedule resumes. Know that we are committed to ensuring that all needs are being met whether our campus is open for student use or not. We need the continued support of all Wolf Creek families to engage in the online interventions, reach out for help and assistance when needed, and encourage your students to remain safe in our community. We are also asking families to take another important survey to help with reopening plans. Please click on the link to the survey. Thank you for your cooperation with these guidelines. We are excited to be able to have students back on campus soon!
Campus is closed through January 8th, 2021.
Subject: Future Campus Closure Details
Dear Wolf Creek Families:
With rising COVID-19 case counts in our local counties, we believe it is necessary for Wolf Creek to close campus to student use and offer only distance learning in the future. We are actively monitoring the three counties where the majority of our students live; being Chisago, Anoka, and Washington. With this information, we need to consider doing our part in stopping the community spread and ensuring the safety of all stakeholders at Wolf Creek.
Due to these low case counts with our staff and students, we are prepared to keep campus open each Tuesday and Thursday through November 19th.
Important Points to Remember:
We are aware that local school districts around us are closing more quickly but please note that we are not a part of Chisago Lakes Schools and are our own school entity. For information on Wolf Creek campus openings or closures please continue to follow our communications.
At this time, we plan to continue with our campus closure through January 8th. Prior to January 11th, we will be sending family communications to see if a return is feasible or if additional changes to our campus schedule need to be made.
Staff will continue to be on campus each Tuesday for a variety of student needs. Know that we are committed to ensuring that all needs are being met whether campus is open for student use or not.
At this time we need the support of all Wolf Creek families to engage in the online interventions, reach out for help and assistance when needed, and encourage your students to remain safe in our community.
Sincerely,
Tracy L Quarnstrom
The Wolf Creek School Board held a special meeting on August 4, 2020, to determine the reopening plan for the 2020-2021 school year. The board decided to implement the Wolf Creek Hybrid Plan to begin the school year. The COVID-19 data from three counties (Chisago, Washington, and Anoka) will be looked at every two weeks to determine the next steps.
These are the resources and documents that the board used to make their decision and will continue to use:
MSBA Fall 2020 School Reopening Guidance
Message from Commissioner Ricker Regarding Face Masks in Schools
MDE Guidance/Governor’s Executive Order for 2020-2021 School Year
Link to top three counties where we draw students for enrollment purposes
Safe Learning Plan Link 1 and Link 2 (good overview) for 2020-2021
Fall Family Survey:
We want to gather input as to the needs of all families for safety purposes for fall 2020.
We are asking all families to participate in our fall planning survey by July 13th.
Fall 2020 Wolf Creek Online Planning Survey
Summer School Update:
Exciting news! Wolf Creek will be following guidance from the Minnesota Department of Health and the Minnesota Department of Education and will open campus to staff and students for summer school!
We are committed to following all safety guidelines put out by the state, so campus will look a little different for the coming months. Here are changes you will see on campus to ensure the safety of our students, staff, and visitors:
Video Update from Director Tracy Quarnstrom
PDF version of Wolf Creek Virtual Plan
We want to continue to provide updates to families on the following resources available during the coming weeks. We will continue to send updates as new information becomes available. Any questions on how to support your student or how to get support from Wolf Creek, please contact: Tracy Quarnstrom at tquarnstrom@wolfcreekhs.org or Brenda Swanson at bswanson@wolfcreekhs.org
Advisory Sessions Available to All Students
In order to support families, we will hold virtual advisories on Tuesday, March 24th, and Thursday, March 26th. We encourage all students to attend a check-in at least once per week with their assigned Learning Manager. If the time noted does not work, please note that you can attend any other advisory as well to get continued communication from Wolf Creek. All check-ins will be scheduled for 30 minute time periods.
End of Term 3 Dates
As a result of the state-mandated school closure and to allow students and families to adapt, we are delaying our end of Term 3. The end-of-term deadline will now be Thursday, April 2nd at 2:00 pm.
This will allow students the opportunity to connect with Learning Managers during the week of March 30th to ask any questions and get any help with classes before the deadline. We know this is a hard time and we want to work with students to help you be successful. Report cards will be sent in the mail the following week.
Presentation from Wolf Creek Counselors
Wolf Creek’s Licensed School Counselor, Lindsay Miller, and Mental Health Counselor, Tasha Barnes, held a presentation online last week Getting Through Turbulent Times. Below you will find a link to the slides presented, a recording of the presentation, and a letter to families with mental health resources available. Click here to view the slides that were presented at the meeting. Click here to view the entire recorded presentation. Click here to view the
Nutrition Needs
Any student receiving educational benefits who wishes to secure a school lunch during the campus closure should contact Brenda Swanson at bswanson@wolfcreekhs.org.
Technology Needs
If you need access to a Chromebook or financial support in gaining internet access during this difficult time, please reach out to Brenda Swanson at bswanson@wolfcreekhs.org.
Link to video of All School Meeting held on March 17, 2020, to inform students and families about Wolf Creek’s plans and procedures regarding COVID-19:
All School Meeting – March 17, 2020
Thank you for your patience as staff come back from Spring Break and work on a plan of action regarding COVID-19. Information from the State regarding this event is changing daily and sometimes hourly, so we are working to answer all concerns and questions with information that we know. First and foremost, we want all Wolf Creek families to know that we are here to support you through this trying time.
Based on the information we have received from the Governor and Commissioner of Education, Wolf Creek is taking the following actions:
Wolf Creek Online High School believes that the safety of our students, families, staff members, and guests is always our first priority. Due to the recent COVID-19 outbreak, we are following Minnesota requirements to close campus for some time.
We know that these are uncertain times in our society right now and wanted to first thank you for your continued dedication to your student’s education. We believe that Wolf Creek is posed to be in an excellent position to provide a continuity of services to students in a 100% virtual manner with only small changes to our delivery system. Wolf Creek prides itself on being a leader in online learning and many around the state will be looking to us for guidance over the next few weeks.
Governer Walz and Commissioner Ricker did announce yesterday that all MN schools would be closed from March 18th through March 27th for planning purposes. The closure time is to plan for a virtual learning option if needed in the future.
Monday, March 16th, and Tuesday, March 17th are school days here at Wolf Creek. Classes are available to students online as usual although our campus building is closed. Since Wolf Creek is ready to continue with a virtual learning platform we are awaiting further direction from the Minnesota Department of Education to see if students can continue working on coursework from March 18th through March 27th.
Any questions on how to support your student or how to get support from Wolf Creek, please contact Tracy Quarnstrom at tquarnstrom@wolfcreekhs.org or Brenda Swanson at bswanson@wolfcreekhs.org.
Governor Walz Executive Order Closing Schools from March 18th – March 27th
https://mn.gov/governor/assets/EO%2020-02%20Final_tcm1055-423073.pdf
COVID Resources from Minnesota Department of Education
https://education.mn.gov/MDE/dse/health/covid19/
Supports During Campus Closure
We want to ensure that all students are academically and socially successful during this time of campus closure. Look for another MailChimp soon on how we can support your student.
Support Session on Thursday, March 19th at 10 am
Wolf Creek will hold a support Google Hangout on Thursday, March 19th at 10:00 am. This session will be an informational session led by Mental Health Resource Tasha Barnes, School Counselor Lindsay Miller, and Director Tracy Quarnstrom. We encourage students and families to attend if they need support and tips on staying calm in turbulent times.
To attend the Google Hangout, click on the following link at 10:00 am on Thursday, March 19th.
