Sunday, April 11, 2021 Family Update - The School District of ...

Sunday, April 11, 2021 Family Update
Hello Folks,
This is a more full-featured update as compared to last eek with new information regarding Prom and
Graduation and updates in testing and close contact guidelines for vaccinated individuals. The wait for
spring sports has felt eternal and I am looking forward to providing those updates starting in the next
couple of weeks after the official practices begin on April 19 with contests to start a week later. Better
late than never applies, especially when we consider that we last had spring sports contests in June
2019.
While the latter half of the update is usually filled with running reminders, I want to specifically direct
parents to another new section at the end of this document. I am including some information from Mrs.
Hoch that was shared with the high school staff in our weekly bulletin, also going out today. It has to do
with vaping. A bit of context: we first saw a dramatic increase in vaping during the 18-19 school year, as
did most schools around us and even across the country. When I attended a nationwide gathering of
roughly 100 private and public school principals, it was evident that this was a dominant issue at most of
our schools.
However, after a sad rash of injuries and deaths due to vaping, mostly due to unknown substances in
the vaping liquid, during the summer of 2019, the number of incidents in schools, and especially at
WDHS, dropped to very few in the 19-20 school year. All stayed quiet through the first semester of the
current year until one of my SCC counterparts noted at a meeting in January that they had recently seen
a sudden increase. Unfortunately, our own increase was not too far behind and in March we started
facing that reality.
Therefore, we are sharing information this week with parents to bring more attention to the issue so
that we can minimize the number of occasions where this happened between now and the end of the
year, and beyond. One of the scariest aspects of vaping is how an innocent investigation can turn into a
full-blown addiction. And it isn’t just nicotine but also THC, the psychoactive product found in marijuana
that causes the high. Additionally, the sourcing of vaping products has more of a ‘wild west’ feel in that
there is a greater risk of not knowing where the vaping products are originating and what is contained in
that seemingly benign-looking liquid. While some may read this and think I am overreacting, please trust
that our experience has shown us that if anything, we are not being proactive enough and that our
concerns are shared by school officials near and far.
Therefore, please take some time to review the materials shared by Mrs. Hoch so that parents know
what to look for in some of the more common nicotine and THC vaping products. I also suggest one
check out the following website: https://www.parentsagainstvaping.org/ for other information. If
anything, please consider having a conversation, at least, with your children.
Thanks for reading and have a good week,
Hugh
Schedule – Week of Apr 12
    •   Mon – Skinnies
    •   Tue – Skinnies
    •   Wed – Skinnies
    •   Thu – Even Blocks

•   Fri – Odd Blocks
Student Expectations
    1. Attendance
           a. Regular school attendance is essential, however, students who feel sick should stay
                home.
           b. You may have COVID-19 if you have any of these symptoms (or a combination of these
                symptoms): Cough (new onset or worsening of chronic cough), Shortness of breath,
                Fever, Chills, Sore throat, Runny nose, Muscle pain, Headache, New loss of taste or smell
           c. Not everyone with COVID-19 has all of these symptoms. For many, symptoms are mild,
                with no fever. Some people may also experience fatigue or gastrointestinal symptoms
                such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or abdominal pain. It is important to know that you
                can still spread (transmit) the virus to others even if you have mild or no symptoms.
    2. While at School
           a. Wear masks (covering mouth and nose) The school district will continue with a mask
                requirement for anyone who enters the building.
           b. Wash and/or Sanitize hands regularly.
           c. Distance whenever possible
                     i. Please limit the amount of contact with other students, especially during
                          unstructured times like before/after school and lunch.
                    ii. Remember, close contact is defined as 15 cumulative minutes within six feet
                          over the course of an entire day.
    3. Devices – The best option is coming to school with a fully charged device. Even with the
       additional outlets in the new building, there are not enough for everyone and the charging
       towers are no longer an option seeing as the cables have gone home.
    4. Virtual Students
           a. Students in RVA classes should continue progressing as directed.
           b. It is important to check one’s school email and Google Classroom pages on a daily basis.
Prom 2021 (New)
Prom is scheduled for Saturday, May 15 (times still to be determined but usually from approximately
7:00-11:00 PM). As with many of our fellow South Central Conference schools, we are holding a joint
Junior & Senior event and we have reserved a large tent so that it can be held outdoors in the parking
lot between the building and the sports complex. Admission is limited to current students. WDHS
Freshmen and Sophomores may attend only if they are the “date” of a Junior or Senior. We will hold
separate Grand Marches and are investigating a unique option. Stay tuned for more information.
Graduation 2021 (New)
The Commencement Ceremony for the WDHS Class of 2021 is scheduled for Friday, May 28 at 5:30 PM.
Like last year, the ceremony is slated to be held outside and will take place in the new WDHS Athletic
Complex. For those who attended or were familiar with last year’s setup, we have not yet determined
the exact parameters, nor have we set invitation limits, however, one should expect that we will have
those in force once again and that we will provide a livestreamed option.
We also have a Plan B, C and D.

1. Plan B – In the event of rainy weather that is not widespread, we may adjust the start time
       accordingly to avoid any passing showers or storms. I do not see us going any earlier than 5:00
       PM but we may look to start as late as 7:30 PM.
    2. Plan C – In the event of a complete washout then we would postpone until late morning on
       Saturday, May 29.
    3. Plan D – In the event of a prolonged period of rain or inclement weather, our last resort is to
       move the ceremony inside to the gym. In that case, stricter attendance parameters would be in
       place. We hope to avoid Plan D at all costs.
Everything noted above is subject to changing guidance from Local and State government and health
mandates or recommendations.
State Mandated Testing (Update)
Any Sophomores unable to partake in the Wisconsin Forward Test in Social Studies on Mar 26 will be
tested by the counseling office in a small group or individual basis. The Forward testing window closes
on May 14.
Upcoming State-Mandated Testing:
Freshmen and Sophomores – ACT Aspire
    A. 9th & 10th grade students take the ACT Aspire in the subjects of English, Math, Reading, Science
       and Writing.
    B. The testing dates are Wed Apr 21 and Wed May 12
            a. Both are early release days.
            b. Juniors and Seniors are excused from attending, in-person and virtually, on both days
    C. The test is taken on a laptop.
    D. Virtual students are required to come into the school building for the tests.
SDWD CDC Guidelines (Update)
For all unvaccinated people, the School District of Wisconsin Dells has chosen to allow persons who do
not develop symptoms to end their quarantine on Day 10 without testing if the student is a close
contact to a positive case at school. In addition, the School District of Wisconsin Dells will encourage all
persons in quarantine to:
    •   Stay at home.
    •   Check yourself (or your children) daily for symptoms.
    •   If symptoms arise, please contact a school nurse and your primary care provider.
    •   Continue to comply with COVID precautions for physical distancing, mask wearing, and avoiding
        all gatherings with people not in your household (whenever possible).
If you have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (received second dose in a two-dose series, or one
dose of a single-dose vaccine) and were in close contact with someone with COVID-19, you do not
have to quarantine if you meet ALL of the following criteria:
    •   Your exposure to someone with COVID-19 happened at least two weeks after receiving the
        last dose of your vaccine series.
    •   You have not had any symptoms of COVID-19 since your last close contact.

Continue to monitor for symptoms for 14 days after your last close contact. If you develop any
symptoms of COVID-19, isolate from others, contact your healthcare provider, and get tested.
Summer School
In partnership with Adams-Friendship and Nekoosa High Schools, Summer School (Credit Recovery) is
scheduled for June 14-July 2 and July 12-30, starting at 8:00 or 8:30 and ending before Noon. Students
who failed a core subject (Math, English, Social Studies, Science) first and/or second semester will be
enrolled and expected to attend. Those who do not will need to retake the failed course(s) next school
year. We will start contacting students/families over the next couple of weeks.
Spring Sports Season
WIAA Affiliated Spring Sports (Baseball, Softball, Boys Golf and Track & Field) will begin practices on
Mon. Apr 19.
Please click here for the SDWD Activities Calendar.
A Message from the SDWD Food Service Director
At the beginning of the school year the option for all students to receive a free school lunch was made
available as part of the federal government response to the pandemic but was scheduled to end on Dec
31, 2020. However, the program has been extended through the end of the school year.
Dear Parents/Guardians/Families,

    •   Grab n go meals are available for free to ANY child 18 years or younger. This applies to students
        who are attending school virtually, as well as families in the community with children at home
        who are 18 years of age or younger.
    •   All meals must be ordered by 12:00 noon the day before pick-up. Call the Wisconsin Dells High
        School, (608) 253-1461, ext. 1155. (Please do not call your student’s school to place your order.)
    •   You will need to provide the number of children you are picking up for along with an estimated
        time of pick up.
    •   Pick-up days are: Tuesday, (2 days meals provided), and Thursday, (3 days meals provided). Pick-
        up times will be 9:30 am – 10:45 am sharp.
    •   A meal box for a balanced breakfast and lunch that meets the requirements of the National
        School Lunch & Breakfast Programs will be provided. All meals are free and will be available
        during scheduled school instruction days.
    •   We will not be able to provide meals if you have not placed an order.

Meal service is at the Wisconsin Dells High School, 1501 Brew Farm Road. All meals may be picked up
outside of the High School MAIN Entrance doors. Please do not enter the building someone will deliver
the meals to your vehicle.

Sincerely,
Greg Heller, Food Service Director

Vaping

The following are pictures of items (found in this building) in case you are not aware of what the
popular devices look like.

This is a vaping device referred to as a box. The cartridge inside is referred to as a cart. Kids
can get a cart like this of THC for $20-$40.

This can be ordered off Amazon. Bottle of flavor drops to add to a vape, usually for THC.
However, THC can also come pre-flavored.

Nicotine vaping supplies from Top to Bottom:

JUUL cartridges for a vape pen; a Vuse vape pen, a JUUL vape pen, an NJOY vape pen,

charger for a vape pen.

Another box with a THC cartridge that would load into the top of the box.

Another vaping device, a pen. This style usually has THC, not nicotine.

Package for a THC cart and the cart.