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On March 17, 2020, schools across Kansas closed for the safety of their students and communities because of the COVID-19 pandemic. School districts were given approximately one week to formulate plans to remote teach for the remainder of the school year. This is the story of how one rural school district in Kansas met those needs.

At Kansas State University, we were inspired by Wamego USD 320's service, adaptability and commitment. While they would be the first to admit it was not all perfect, we found their courage, strength and compassion remarkable, and we know there are many more stories like it throughout the state.

We'd also like to acknowledge the phenomenal leadership at the Kansas State Department of Education and several of the Kansas Teachers of the Year whose work created a model for remote teaching used by Wamego schools.

Watch video here.

 

 

 

June 1st-July 31st we will serve 5 lunches and 5 snacks each week. Monday & Wednesday Grab & Go bags will contain 2 lunches and 2 snacks. Friday bags will contain 1 lunch and 1 snack. #fuelingkskids

 

 

• National Center for Disease Control (CDC) 
• Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) 
• Pottawatomie County Health Department

 

Dear Parents, Students, Faculty, and Staff,

Friday May 8, 2020

I hope you have all had a good week.  Happy Friday, happy end of Teacher Appreciation Week, and to all of our amazing mothers- HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!  No one would be here without their mother, literallyJ.  Thanks to all who took the time to complete our 2^nd parent survey.  We carefully reviewed this information and there are couple topics I will address in this letter due to your responses and comments in the survey.

I will start with summer lunch today.  We will continue to offer a food service program through the summer this year.  We will serve meals in the current format until the last day of school, May 19.  We will then begin the summer food service program beginning on June 1 and ending July 31.  This is a free program for children ages 1 to 18.  To best meet our community needs we are asking all to complete a survey of your intentions to participate in the summer meals program.  Please use this link to complete the survey.  This survey is anonymous and will not commit you to anything.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfBxFNBGs_xqY4ZYUMhia4StOhMPUx7HWwegzNzyBt5V0F1mQ/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1

We are nearing the end of the school year with just 5 days remaining for our seniors (last day May 15), 6 days for our 8^th graders (last day May 18), and 7 days for all other grades (last day May 19).  The school principals will be sending out information on how the end of the school year and checking in school equipment, textbooks, etc. will look. 

It is so unfortunate we will not be able to celebrate the end of the year as we are accustomed to with our seniors, 8^th graders, and others.  The Governor doubled down on her order that graduations of any kind that bring people together in any manner during phase 1 will not be allowed.  This means traditional, drive up, small group, etc. are prohibited.  The only permissible graduation ceremony during phase 1 would be a virtual program.  We decided our best option was to find date this summer for a graduation.  Seniors and parent, please complete the survey Mr. Katt sent out this week by tomorrow if you have not already done so.  We ask that both seniors and parents complete the surveys which were sent. 

As we move into our summer routine we will continue to monitor and abide by all COVID 19 Phase Out guidelines as issued by our county health department.  We also reserve the right to take a more conservative approach.  For example, we will not open our indoor school facilities to any activities prior to June 12.  Decisions and dates regarding Boys and Girls Club, Camp Invention and other programs are on hold at this time.  We will make decision on these programs most likely the first week of June.   

From the survey some indicated concerns with their students falling behind.  This is a legitimate concern and it is a topic of our leadership discussions.  We are exploring the possibilities of offering summer school programs when permissible this summer and or next summer, and the possibly after school remediation programs in the school year.  This is subject to how we continue to move out of the COVID 19 challenge.  I am not optimistic summer programs will happen this summer, but I am also not ready to rule it out.  

Also, from the survey you asked what the plan is for this fall?  I am very optimistic we will be back in school in August as we would any other year.  However, other options could be a later start date, a combination of in school instruction and online instruction, or we will be in the online format.  The state department of education, administrators, and teachers across the state are currently working on a fall plan.  Details of this plan will be made available to us in early July.  Again, I am optimistic we will be back together “in school”, but we will plan for any and all options.    

Happy Mother’s Day, God Bless, and stay healthy Wamego.

Tim Winter, Supt. 

 

Dear USD320,

April 20,2020

I hope you have all all had a good week.  We survived another week of COVID 19 and our numbers in this area remain pretty flat.  I am certain that is due to your diligence in following the recommended guidelines.  Please continue to follow those guidelines

Last week we sent out a survey to parents asking for their input on many things related to our school in the current platform.  Thank you so much for taking the time to complete it.  We had 691 surveys completed.  We have and will carefully continue to review this information to make improvements.  Overall the survey responses were extremely positive.  All responses were in the neighborhood of 95% positive.  This is wonderful, however, if you are having any issues or concern please reach out to your teachers, principals, or myself.  Most indicated little or no issues with internet connectivity, but some indicated speed issues.  Our technology team took a look at this and we hope to have improved this area by adding an additional filter survey for the district.  All of our district owned devices still go through our filter even from a remote location.  Please keep us informed of any issues you may be having.  We will be resurvey parents in the next couple weeks.  

Thanks as always for your support and patience.  

Stay strong Wamego and We are Better Together!

Tim Winter, Supt. 

 

Dear Parents, Students, Faculty, and Staff,

April 09, 2020

I hope you have all had a good 2^nd week of continuous learning.  From all accounts I receive, we are having great success reaching out to our students, building relationships, and providing instruction.  However, we need to hear from all our parents so we can validate this and or make changes and improvements where ever possible.  I am asking that all parents use the link below to complete a short survey for us.  Please complete this survey for each student you may have.  We know students in different classrooms or schools may have different needs and our goal is to identify how we can best meet the needs of each and every one of our students.  You do not need to identify yourself in the survey, but if you would like a principal or myself to reach out to you, please leave your name and contact information in the comments section.  We certainly encourage you all to reach out to us by email or phone directly as well if you prefer.  

Parent Survey Link-  https://forms.gle/1vywhkZaG5Bxqgr26

Additional information you may need to know-

Calendar/Easter Break- Remember we are on Easter Break Friday, April 10 and Monday, April 13.  Classes in the continuous learning format will resume on Tuesday, April 14.  There will be no meals served on school holidays.  This is a federal program and at this time we are authorized to serve meals on school days only.  We will be back at all of the meal locations on Tuesday.  

COVID 19 Guidance (See attachments)- Please continue to take the recommended steps to stay healthy and keep others healthy.  Wash your hands frequently, avoid groups of any size, practice the 6+ social distance measure at all times, and an addition is- the recommendation to wear some type of facial covering over your mouth and nose when out of your house.  This can be a simple clothe mask and there are plenty of sites which demonstrate how to make these on the internet. Lastly- DO NOT LET UP.  Some have started to communicate that this is making a difference and the spread is lessening.  If that is the case, it is happening because we are doing a good job on all of the above.  Keep doing what is working please.  Our students, our families, and our community are so important, let’s keep working together to keep everyone safe and healthy.  Better Together.

I want to continue to thank all of you for being so supportive.  This community has really come together.  These are difficult times and it will become even more challenging.  Working together will become even more important in the future.  If there is something that you are not happy about, or struggling with, please reach out for help to those who can actually help or have an impact on the situation.  Wamego is a community of volunteers who want to help.   

I will end with wishing you all a Blessed Easter.

God Bless and stay healthy Wamego!

Tim Winter, Supt. 

COVID 19 Update 4:9:20.docx 

Travel_Related_Quarantine_Table.pdf 

Isolation_Quarantine_Release_Graphic_KS.pdf 

Public_Health_Management.pdf 

 

 

Hi Parents,

 

 

March 30, 2017

 

If your student is having trouble connecting to any of our services, please follow the steps below:

 

1.  Use the link below as a guide for troubleshooting

https://sites.google.com/usd320.com/techhelp/home

 

2. You may also contact your teacher, as they are the first point of contact for troubleshooting tech issues.

 

3.  If you have tried these, and you are still experiencing difficulty you may e-mail helpdesk@usd320.com

 

Keep in mind that applications like google classroom, seesaw, and other educational services are being heavily used and we may see performance issues.  Most issues that have been reported are a slowdown in downloads from seesaw. 

 

 

The majority of issues we are seeing, are regarding the school owned device not authenticating to our proxy. Please use the site for troubleshooting these issues.  

https://sites.google.com/usd320.com/techhelp/home

 

Dear USD320 Families,

March 27, 2020

I hope you are all doing well.  You continue to be in our thoughts.  Monday, March 30 is an exciting day! Essentially it is our 2^nd First Day of School for the 19-20 school year.  We will start the Continuous Learning Program, Day 1.  I want to assure all that we will take this very slow for the first few days.  This is an experiment that is happening around the entire country, and never before will the internet, zoom, google classroom, seesaw, and other online learning platforms been accessed to this level.  Because of this I ask all to be patient and gracious to all.  If you experience technical issues, your first contact is your student’s teacher.  They have been trained on trouble shooting the common minor issues that may occur.  If they are unable to correct this issue, we will then utilize the USD320 Technology Department.

Specific information regarding schedules and format for the Continuous Learning Program is  or has been sent out by each school.  Please be looking for this information.  The teachers and principals have been working very hard for all of our students to put forth a quality educational experience for the remainder of the school year.  Our school calendar will remain as is.  

Remember to take advantage of the school lunch program that is now offered at 3 locations.

• Wamego City Park 11am to 1pm
• Louisville Ball Field 11:30am to 12:30am
• Belvue Ball Field 11:30am to 12:30am

Our food service have been simply amazing preparing and distributing lunch and breakfast meals.  They are working very hard along with some other staff and volunteers.  Yesterday over 1600 meals (breakfast and lunch) were distributed.  We also started providing toilet paper to those who ask.  This will take place every Tuesday-  TP Tuesday. 

Please follow all recommended guidelines;

• Stay home as much as possible.
• Wash Hands Frequently
• Practice the 6-foot distance when in public
• Avoid groups of people
• Monitor for these symptoms and if they occur contact your primary physician by phone

• Dry cough
• Shortness of breath
• Fever greater than 100

• Fevers- It is recommended that you are fever free for 72 hours without the assistance of fever reducers before you are not contagious from COVID 19.  Please practice this protocol no matter why you have a fever, whether you have been tested or not.  Better safe than sorry.   
• A positive COVID 19 Test requires quarantine and two negative test to be released from the quarantine. 

Thanks for all your support and patience as we continue to navigate this challenge.  We will get through this and we will be- Better, Working Together.  

Have a great weekend and Stay Healthy Wamego!

Tim Winter

Supt. 

 

 

 

 

Dear USD320 Families, 

Tuesday March 24, 2020

I hope you are all doing well.  You continue to be in our thoughts and we hope you are all well.  Our teachers and administrators are working very hard this week for you, to be ready for Monday, March 30 when we roll out the Wamego Continuous Learning Program.  We are so grateful for WTC and working with us to provide internet to all homes from now until the end of school in May.  If you did not fill out our internet survey we sent out last week and still need internet, please contact the district office at 785-456-7643 or email me at wintert@usd320.com  asap.  We ask this even if you are not in the WTC service area.  We will assist you in securing internet for your homes during this time. 

If needed, we hope you are taking advantage of our Monday - Friday meal program provided by our food service in Wamego (11am to 1pm), Louisville (11:30 to 12:30), and beginning tomorrow 11:30 to 12:30 the Belvue ball field.  One additional feature of this we will add is, TP (Toilet Paper) Tuesday.  On Tuesdays we will have toilet paper available to any family who requests it.  We will provide two rolls to those who request it when picking up their meals.  We ask that you request it only if you have a critical need.  I know it is kind of crappyJ that we must do this, but we want to help however we can.  We do have an inventory of TP that would have been used in the schools if we were still in session.  We are limiting to two rolls per week so are able to make our supply last until the school is out in May.  Each Tuesday we will have a limited amount to be given out on a first come first serve basis.  We hope this is helpful to those who really need it.  TP has been missing from most stores’ shelves for several days now.  To get this started we offer it Thursday this week and moving forward next week, it will always be on TP-Tuesday.  It will not be openly offered, you must request it when you pick up your meals, simply ask your lunch provider. 

I have attached the latest guidance from our local health depart.  Please review this.  There have been two additional states added to travel areas which require self-quarantines, Illinois and New Jersey.  Please follow all recommended guidelines;

• Stay home as much as possible.
• Wash Hands Frequently
• Practice the 6-foot distance when in public
• Avoid groups of people
• Monitor for these symptoms and if they occur contact your primary physician by phone

• Dry cough
• Shortness of breath
• Fever greater than 100

• Fevers- It is recommended that you are fever free for 72 hours without the assistance of fever reducers before you are not contagious from COVID 19.  Please practice this protocol no matter why you have a fever, whether you have been tested or not.  Better safe than sorry.   
• A positive COVID 19 Test requires quarantine and two negative test to be released from the quarantine. 

This all this information I have for now.  Your schools will be in touch with you regarding your needs for starting school in the Continuous Learning Program.  Please monitor you email frequently.  

Thanks for all your support and patience as we continue to navigate this challenge.  We will get through this and we will be- Better, Working Together.  

Stay Healthy Wamego!

 

3-23-2020 Updates.pdf 

 

COVID-19_March_24_2020_[1].pdf 

 

 

COVID-19 Resources for Parents

 

 

• • National Center for Disease Control (CDC) 
  • Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) 
  • Pottawatomie County Health Department
  • Talking to Children About COVID-19: A Parent Resource
  • How to Talk to your Children About Coronavirus
  • 5 Tips to Help Children Manage Coronavirus Anxiety
  • Coping With Stress During Infectious Disease Outbreaks
  • Helping Children Cope With Emergencies
  • Helping Children Cope During and After Disaster
  • How to Talk to your Elementary Children About Coronavirus
  • Talking to Children About COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
  • http://sites.edb.utexas.edu/agency-and-young-children/
  • https://consciousdiscipline.com/covid-19-five-helpful-responses-for-families/?mc_cid=89fc7c1740&mc_eid=347c7f60b3
  • https://preventchildabuse.org/coronavirus-resources/

 

Dear USD 320 Families,

Today, March 17, 2020, Governor Laura Kelly announced all school facilities will be closed for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year. This would also imply all school activities, programs, and events will be canceled.  We understand this may place tremendous hardship on our families and staff, and impact the social and emotional well-being of our students.  We also realize the many cancelations will be a great disappointment to all.  For that, we are very sorry.  

In cooperation with the Kansas State Department of Education, we are developing a Continuous Learning plan to meet the ongoing learning needs of our students. While our buildings may be closed, student learning will continue. Details of this process will be developed with our teachers next week and will be communicated to all families as soon as possible. 

Food Service will continue to provide breakfast and lunch at no cost to anyone ages 1-18. At this time, meals can be picked up at the Wamego City Park or the Louisville ball diamonds from 11:00am to 1:00pm.

Our staff and board of education are also working on other critical issues, such as what this means for our seniors, how this will affect next school year, and what impact this will have on our employees. We will provide updates on these issues as soon as the information is available.

We are committed to working together as a community to support one another throughout these unprecedented times, and communication will remain a top priority. Please continue to monitor your email for updates from the district. 

As a reminder, this school closure is in response to the current public health crisis. The focus should remain on preventing the spread of COVID-19.

Please be mindful of the following:

• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
• Cover your nose and mouth when coughing and sneezing (cough/sneeze into your sleeve or a tissue).
• If you or any member of your family are sick, stay home.
• Avoid close contact with anyone with cold or flu-like symptoms.

Follow additional guidance from these sources:

• National Center for Disease Control (CDC) 
• Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) 
• Pottawatomie County Health Department

All of us in USD 320 are working together to meet the needs of our students and maintain the healthiest environment possible for our community. We appreciate your patience and continued support. We live in one of the greatest communities in the world, and together, we will get through this. 

God Bless you all,

Dear USD320 Families, Faculty, and Staff,

As you all know all Wamego Schools are closed this week.  A decision regarding next week will be made later this week.  The KS Dept. of Education and Governor Kelly also yesterday Strongly encouraged All schools in Kansas to close this week.  Please do your best to practice the precautionary measures of social distancing and avoiding travel as much as possible.  Remember the symptoms to look for are- coughing, shortness of breath, and a fever greater than 100.4.  If these occur call your primary physician and they will direct you to your next steps.  

I have attached the latest updates from the health department on self isolation if you have traveled.  This now includes areas in the U.S., specific counties in Colorado, all international travel, and cruise travel.  PLEASE review and take the appropriate recommendations to heart.  

Grab & Go meals will be available from 11:00-1:00pm in front of the Wamego City Park Train Shelter House on 6th Street.  There will be a “pull through” lane (graciously marked by the City) for cars to pull into.  Food Service staff will hand meals to students in the vehicles.  Students may also walk to the park and pick up their meals from a Food Service Staff member at the Shelter House.  Each student can pick up a lunch for today and a breakfast for tomorrow.  The both meals should be refrigerated within two hours.

All Schools are closed to everyone except USD320 essential personnel who have been notified.  We must continue to deep clean and maintain a sanitary environment for when our students return.  Please, do not visit our schools.  If you have a critical need, office staff will be present, and you may call a specific school.

We will continue to provide regular communication regarding this situation through email and social media. 

Thank you for all your support and working together to maintain the safety and health of our entire community.

 3-15-20+Quarantine+recommendations+press+release[1].pdf

 COVID19-Traveler-Info-Card[1].pdf 

10Things.pdf