Happy Friday Everyone!
It looks as if we will have a good weekend to binge a TV show or watch some movies as rain is scheduled to settle in and temperatures dropping. No matter what you do this weekend, I hope you are safe and with family.
I have a couple of topics to hit in this edition of “From the Hilltop”. First of all, my vlog last week seemed to jinx our low quarantine rate as numbers rose this past week. While we hate to see any of our students lose in person learning, we still have 92% of our students in attendance outside of quarantine. We continue to monitor our numbers and reflect on our practices to make sure students and staff are safe!
In the wake of recent students testing positive for COVID-19, some new questions have been asked concerning quarantine. What we are discovering, is that most students who are required to quarantine from school are a result of coming into contact with a positive person on the school bus. Mr. Schoth and the bus drivers follow all CDC, IDPH and LCHD guidelines to keep our buses safe and disinfected, but quarantine becomes more likely because of the proximity of students to each other on a bus. If families are able to transport their students to school, it will decrease the likelihood that their student will come in close contact with a positive person and also reduce the chances of being quarantined. Please keep in mind, school still remains one of the safest places to be, according to the CDC, but this is a tip that could keep students even safer.
In other news, we are excited to conduct interviews this weekend as we search for a replacement for Mr. Morgan, who retires this year as high school principal. Six candidates will be interviewed by three interview teams to select finalists who will be interviewed by the Board Personnel Committee. The Board hopes to announce Mr. Morgan’s successor at the regular January meeting of the Board of Education. At this same, meeting the Board hopes to also adopt the District Improvement Plan which will guide all instructional and organizational planning for Mt. Pulaski Schools. This improvement plan is connected to strategic planning that was conducted last winter.
As always, we appreciate your support and hope you have a happy weekend!
Respectfully,
Fred Lamkey, Mount Pulaski Superintendent