A Responsible Return to School
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Dear SFHS Falcon Families,
We are less than one month away from the first day of classes, and activity on campus reflects that fact. We continue to prepare classrooms, labs, and common areas to welcome students back to school with our Responsible Return to school plan.
While the Fall of 2020 will bring back the in-person experience for our students, it is important to recognize that we are not yet back to “normal.” Our students and staff will be adjusting to a new daily schedule, smaller gatherings, physical distancing, and adherence to public health guidelines. We have the utmost confidence that our school community will come together and provide a safe and positive experience for our students. It is obvious that there are many questions on what school will look like this fall. This newsletter serves as a guide to daily life at SFHS as we begin the 2020-2021 school year.
As always, we appreciate the patience, understanding, and support of our families and students.
Principal
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First Day of School – September 1, 2020
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The first day of school at SFHS will be for students in Grade 9 only in order to allow our Connections Mentors (selected students in Grades 10-12) to help transition our new students to the high school.
All students (Grades 9-12) will report to SFHS on September 2 and follow an “A Day” schedule in our block schedule.
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Schedules/teacher assignments were to be released August 7. However, we are delaying this in order to address family choices in face-to-face or virtual learning. We will release schedules and teacher assignments in late August. Students will be able to request adjustments to schedules through a Google Form from the School Counselors as soon as schedules are released.
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A variety of strategies will be incorporated based upon American Association of Pediatrics (AAP) guidance and parent/staff feedback to minimize the exposure of COVID-19:
- Staff and students will be required to wear a facial covering while on campus that covers the nose and mouth. It is important that the covering allows for the identification of each student for security purposes. Facial coverings must adhere to school dress code rules. Accommodations will be made for students when physical, medical, or developmental needs exist.
- Students experiencing symptoms of any illness should not attend class in person. Every reasonable effort will be made to accommodate students who miss class for health reasons.
- Daily cleaning of all buildings and classrooms will occur. High touch points will be cleaned throughout the day.
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Special education – Routes and lists have been identified; drivers will wear facial coverings and accommodations will be made for students who cannot wear facial coverings; a hand sanitizer dispenser will be installed in the mini-bus; harnesses are individually assigned to students and all students will have an assigned seat.
Regular education – Drivers and riders will wear facial coverings in accordance with the Governor’s order and the District’s Responsible Restart plan; riders will apply hand sanitizer upon entering the bus; riders will sit in assigned seats and siblings will share a seat; non-resident students will no longer receive transportation services.
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Upon arrival to SFHS, students are expected to proceed to their first class as soon as possible.
- Students may use their lockers or eat breakfast in the Cafeteria and are expected to maintain physical distancing.
- Teacher classrooms will be open/supervised beginning at 7:30am.
- Student entrances to SFHS will open and be monitored beginning at 7:15am – please plan accordingly.
- Students arriving via bus will be dropped off and must enter at Door 2 (Cafeteria Lobby)
- Students arriving by any other means should enter through Door 4 (Gym Lobby)
- Exterior doors at SFHS will be clearly marked for bus riders and all others with doors labeled as one way entry or exit.
- Breakfast will only be served before school and students must eat in the cafeteria before school.
- Microwaves will not be available for student use at SFHS.
- Drinking fountains/bubblers will not be operational. Students will be encouraged to bring clear water bottles from home and use the bottle fillers available throughout the building.
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SFHS revised the daily schedule from a 7-period day into a 4-period “block” schedule utilizing longer time periods to conduct classes. (A larger schedule is at the bottom of this newsletter.)
- With block scheduling, students and teachers will have fewer courses per day which reduces the number of passing times and daily student-to-student contact.
- Each school day will alternate between an A Day schedule and B Day schedule, similar to what our students experienced in middle school.
- Mon/Tue/Thur/Fri – classes will consist of 3 periods of 100 minutes and 1 period of 50 minutes.
- Wednesday – classes will consist of 3 periods of 85 minutes and 1 period of 50 minutes.
- Block scheduling allows for a smooth transition to a hybrid or fully virtual/online environment if either becomes necessary.
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Lockers/Backpacks
- Students will be allowed to carry a backpack during the school day.
- Students should keep items needed for each course in their backpack.
- Lockers will only be used before school, during lunch, and after school – please plan accordingly.
- Students will be expected to follow physical distancing while at their locker.
- Students should leave their locker area once they have retrieved anything they would need or stored anything in their locker.
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Passing Times
- Most hallways will have one-way traffic with the exception of the gym lobby, cafeteria lobby and CTE wing where there will need to be two-way traffic. Signage and arrows on floors will indicate directions and “lanes” as applicable.
- Students will not be allowed to stop at their lockers during passing time (except during lunch).
- Physical distancing will be expected in hallways and all common areas.
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- Students will use hand sanitizer upon entering each classroom and sanitize desks/ work spaces prior to use.
- Assigned seating will be used in each classroom to allow for contact tracing.
- All classrooms and other indoor spaces will be arranged to allow for maximum physical distancing.
- In order to minimize contact, students are expected to bring the materials they will need each day (i.e. pencils, notebooks, binders, etc). If you have a need for school supplies, please email our Student Services team. SFHS School Supply List
- Students taking PE courses will be allowed to use the locker room and change clothes for class. Lockers will be spaced out to maintain physical distancing. Students will not be allowed to utilize SFHS showers until further notice.
- All school assemblies, concerts, etc. will need to be virtual or pre-recorded.
- There will be no field trips (other than virtual) at least through Semester I.
- For students who are attending the course in an online/virtual format, teachers will be live streaming each class period. Students not “attending” the live stream will be marked absent.
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Restrooms
- Hand sanitizer stations will be available outside each restroom.
- Students who need to leave the classroom to use a restroom are encouraged to leave their backpack at their desk.
- Students who use the restroom during passing time should leave their cell phone in their backpack.
Enhancement
- Enhancement is an intervention/enrichment time period each day for students to complete coursework or other academic/extracurricular tasks.
- For Quarter 1, students will not have the option of selecting their teacher/location for Enhancement as they have in the past. Students will report to their Homeroom each day for Enhancement and remain there for the duration of the class period to assist in potential contact tracing.
- The Cafeteria and Library will be closed during Enhancement.
- Teachers have the option to conduct virtual meetings using Google Meet with students in order to collaborate on coursework or complete any club/extracurricular activity meetings.
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- SFHS will have three lunch periods in order to reduce the number of students per lunch.
- There will be no self-serve lines – lunches will be pre-packaged or served by staff following physical distancing guidelines.
- Students will wear facial coverings during the transition to lunch and while in the lunch line and will be able to remove the covering when seated and eating lunch.
- Floor decals will be utilized to assist students with seating availability and when lining up to purchase lunch items.
- Students purchasing lunch items will use their student ID to provide touch-free checkout.
- There will be no cash sales or deposits made while in the lunch line, all sales will need to be from their student account.
- Students will NOT be able to purchase A La Carte items until further notice to give kitchen staff time to adjust to the new school year.
- Students will have the option to eat in the Cafeteria or in the Gym Lobby in order to physically distance from others. Students will not be allowed to eat in the Cafeteria Lobby.
- Microwaves will not be available for student use at SFHS.
- To maintain physical distancing, staff will monitor restrooms during lunch so only one student goes in at a time.
- Plexiglass dividers on tables will be used to support physical distancing during the lunch periods.
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- Students leaving via bus must exit through Door 2 (Cafeteria Lobby).
- Students leaving by any other means should exit through Door 4 (Gym Lobby).
- Students will be dismissed and are required to leave the building in a timely manner to allow for our cleaning crews to begin their work. Students may remain in the building only if they are working with a teacher or attending a school-sponsored activity.
- Students are expected to exit the school grounds by 3:05 p.m. – please plan accordingly.
- Students waiting for a bus are expected to wait outside in front of school under the canopy or in the Cafeteria Lobby (Door 2) while maintaining physical distancing.
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Visitors
- Visitors will not be allowed into SFHS with the exception of pre-approved vendors (food supply, copy repair, etc.) until further notice.
- Parent meetings will be held either via phone or online format.
- Parents who need to drop off items will press the high school button and leave the items in the vestibule at Door 3. A staff member or student will then report to the vestibule to retrieve the items and speak with the parent if necessary.
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Online/Virtual Learning Students
- Classes will be live streamed for virtual students using Google Meet.
- Virtual students will join their classes online at the regularly scheduled times and follow the schedule consistent with in-person students. Teachers will take attendance based on the student’s online presence.
- Canvas will be the primary tool for access to daily learning activities and resources.
- All students in grades 9-12 will be provided a Chromebook to access materials.
- The virtual experience may look different for hands-on activities and elective courses and may require alternative activities based on the specific materials needed to complete in-person tasks. Some activities and course offerings may not be offered virtually.
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Helpful Mask Information for Parents
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Wearing masks is something new for all of us. Staff will work with with students to understand why we wear masks at this time and teach some strategies for use. Here is a great article from Children’s Hospital that may be helpful at home, as well.
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Athletics Update from Mr. Berlin
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Welcome Back
First of all, I want to thank all of you for your continued support while we navigate through these unprecedented times. Certainly the last month or two has been unsettling times for everyone full of uncertainty and hope for the return of normal. As we face our new reality TOGETHER, I wanted to take this opportunity to provide some updates regarding our athletic department’s response to a safe return this fall.
Brian Berlin
Sheboygan Falls HIgh School Associate Principal/ Athletic Director
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Summer Recap
Currently during the months of July and August I am very happy to announce that there has been a restart in athletic activity in the weight room, open gyms, football camp and contact days for all sports with effective safety protocols in place. Needless to say it has been busy, but a good busy for all of our student athletes. Some of the major off season safety protocols in place have been a proactive screening process upon arrival, mandatory physical distancing at all times, facial coverings indoors, implementation of “pods” during activity and disinfecting continuously before, during and after activity. Our number one priority during this time was to get students involved in safe school activities while not jeopardizing the status of our fall seasons.
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Sports Protocols
Although there have been a lot of aspects of the fall seasons hashed out, I have to report at this point there are some things still in the works and need to be finalized before communicated out. Such things including crowd sizes, concessions, locker room use, streaming services, in season health/safety protocols and transportation to events. Since athletics are an extension of the school day, some of these protocols will mirror those put in place for the school day. Other decisions will be determined based upon input from the health department, district legal counsel, school nurses, athletic trainer, medical agencies, the WIAA, as well as conference meetings. Please stay tuned as these will be communicated out immediately once they have been finalized.
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Fall Sports Update
The WIAA has also adjusted the start dates for Fall sports to allow schools to focus on school first and for the safety and best interest of the athletes and the likelihood of competitive seasons occurring. Below is a table of the Fall sports, the official start date for each and the contact information for each sport as well. Please refer to the table and feel free to contact the head coach of the sport you would wish to participate in the fall if you have not already.
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