News : Vinton-Shellsburg Releases Information about the upcoming Year/seeks input

In a letter to the district, Vinton-Shellsburg's new Superintendent, Kyle Koeppen faces challenges that no one really has an answer to. The school has put together a document that seeks to answer questions about the new school year and what it will look like. "This plan is a fluid, guiding document that will evolve and continue to change as circumstances warrant. Vinton-Shellsburg Community School District will communicate additional information as up dates* are available," the document states.

The school is also seeing input from parents. The school has put together a two-minute survey seeking information about your student's plans for the 2020-2021 school year, please follow the link if you have a Vinton-Shellsburg student. bit.ly/3hDU24j

In a letter to the district, Koeppen said, "Throughout this pandemic, the school has focused on using the most up to date information from local and state sources. As we prepare for the new school year we will continue to do the same to work towards our goal of providing a safe working and learning environment for both our staff and students.

Our "return to learn" district leadership team has been meeting the past several weeks to gather information and make recommendations for a safe return to school. We have been reviewing a variety of guidance from federal, state, and local authorities. One of the best resources we have found has been from the American Academy of Pediatrics. Our school teams will continue to utilize guidance to develop our routines and procedures to keep staff and students safe at school.

Our leadership team reviewed data obtained through surveying our district families, 6th-12th grade students, and staff. In reviewing the data it became clear one of the first priorities was to provide professional development around the idea of continuous learning to our staff. This is a new concept for which teachers have not been trained in. This learning will begin in July and August to prepare for the school year.

The committee has also made recommendations for purchasing a variety of cleaning supplies and personal protective equipment. Our goal is to have everything available for if/when needed. We will be following guidance on when and where it is appropriate for the use of PPE. Typically, face coverings will be recommended when physical distancing is not available and students are in a confined area, for example, the bus. More information will come on specifics about mitigation strategies.

I hope you find time to enjoy the rest of the summer while staying safe and healthy. If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out."

The full document which lays out plans as best as the school can at this time, can be seen at this link.

The school has also planned additional meetings with parents to answer questions and to share information. There will be a Zoom meeting on Thursday, July 23 at 9 am. (the school plans to share this recording and also hold a second meeting in the evening next week, that is to be announced.) To watch the Thursday morning meeting live, go to this link:

https://zoom.us/j/91588923997…
Meeting ID: 915 8892 3997
Password: vikes
There will also be an in-person session held on Monday, July 27, at 7 pm in the V-S High School auditorium.

*the word "up dates" is spelled correctly in the school document, but the Vinton Today website reads the word as a programming command, so that is the point of the misspelling...good news, it should be taken care of in the near future, more on that later!