Jayhawk USD 346

Drivers Education classes will begin at JLHS on Monday July 20. Social Distancing protocols will be utilized and students are encouraged to wear a mask. Temperature checks will be conducted when students arrive. If a student is feeling ill, we ask that they please stay home!

Summer conditioning and sports specific events are cancelled for Monday July 20th. Our hope is resume those events later this week.

Jayhawk students, parents, patrons - We are just a few hours away from Graduation 2020. Thanks to everyone for your patience as change has been frequent these past few months. The students have their time slots for tomorrow (7-18-2020) to share with family and friends. Graduation speeches will be played at 9 a.m. and again at 9:15 a.m. on both the FM radio station 106.3 and on line at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkmuoXkyYeY . At a later date we will have a full video of the graduates and the speeches available to all. Please note that the FM radio station 106.3 will only travel about a mile from the high school and is intended for you to hear as you stay in your car in the parking lot. Parents and guests we encourage you to “park outside the lines” when you are parking in the JLHS parking lot tomorrow. The stage is in between the flag pole and the front doors of the high school, please feel free to angle your vehicle where it gives you the best view of the stage even if it’s outside the lines. At 9:30 the first group of students will begin the drive-through graduation ceremony. Please feel free to leave after your graduate has received his/her diploma as it might allow another family to see the stage better. Graduates- If you have any questions, please find me in the morning on the south side of the bus loop.

Link to the Live Stream for our 2020 JLHS Graduation tomorrow. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkmuoXkyYeY

Today's Class of 2020 salute goes out to senior Ethan Thomas- Congratulations!

Today July 15th, 2020 Today we had another case of COVID-19 confirmed in our county and believed to have close ties with our school district. We may have as many as 5 students who have tested positive at this time. Because of these numbers and the possibility of others exposed we will proceed with our safest plan- the Drive through Graduation Plan for this Saturday. Students will be allowed to have 2 carloads of family or friends drive through in front of JLHS where there will be a stage. Family/friends may exit the vehicles to take pictures and share the moment with their senior receiving a high school diploma. (We request that the student pick a person from their family to present them their diploma on stage). We will share the ceremony over a FM radio band for those who are supporting a student in the parking lot. Speeches and the receiving of diplomas will be live streamed for those at home. To follow social distancing guidelines, we will have (6) 30-minute sessions for graduates to be recognized beginning at 9:30 am. In other words, 6 graduates will drive through from 9:30 to 10 am and another group of 6 graduates will drive through from 10 to 10:30 and so on until the final group from noon to 12:30. I will share tomorrow the graduates’ specific time slots so your family can be present at the correct time to support your graduate and leave if they wish. Seniors we will go ahead with graduation rehearsal tomorrow evening at 7 pm, but I request you stay in your car. I will give you directions over the radio from the stage area. I realize this is not a traditional graduation, but our seniors have been unique since grade school, and no other class has had a graduation like this. They have shined on the darkest days, stayed calm during the craziest of times, and adapted to change like no other class has encountered. We are truly proud of our Jayhawk seniors and can’t wait to celebrate with you on Saturday.

July 15th 2020 Parents and Students: As the number of active cases of COVID-19 continues to rise and hospitals in parts of the state fill to capacity with patients affected by this virus, Governor Kelly and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment have decided it would be in the best interest to push back the reopening of schools. On Monday, a record spike pushed Kansas to over 20,000 cases with nearly 300 deaths. Schools will reopen after Labor Day on September 8th. We will release more information later on enrollment dates, Drivers Ed, and what the school year will look like. We are still mandated to provide 1116 hours of instruction to the students and to be clear this is a delay in the reopening of schools.

Today July 14th, 2020 Parents and Students: Monday evening we received word that we may have possible student cases of COVID -19. Today we were able to confirm that information. We believe at this time that there are multiple exposures in our area and may continue to multiply. Because of this latest trend in the county, we will hold graduation outside this Saturday. We have 2 choices under consideration at this time: 1. Host the graduation program in the football stadium; or 2. Hold a drive-through graduation at the JLHS. We feel the stadium graduation would offer a more traditional ceremony for our students, while the drive-through approach would be the safest option for our students. We will monitor the county’s COVID numbers the next few days and try to give you a definite answer Thursday as to which direction we will move toward. In all probability if the county’s numbers stabilize or decrease, we will do a traditional outside ceremony. If the numbers increase the next few days, we will probably host a drive-through ceremony. Whatever that direction is, we appreciate the hard work of our seniors throughout their school years and hope to provide the safest celebration for their efforts. Please check back for information. Royce Powelson Superintendent USD #346

What we know today for USD #346: Graduation is our top priority this week and is still planned for Saturday July 18th at 9:30 am. We plan on holding the ceremony inside the main gym where each graduate will have a designated space for their family and friends to social distance from others. The space or “pod” has enough seating for 8 guests of each graduate. If a graduate has more than 8 people attending the celebration there will be overflow areas designated in the JLHS auditorium, JLHS cafeteria, and corridor area. Wearing a mask is strongly recommended as well as keeping a social distance of at least 6 feet from others during your time on campus. We plan to “live stream” the ceremony to accommodate those that feel more comfortable staying at home. A link for the live stream will be released later in the week. We have also developed a contingency plan to host graduation at the football stadium if need be on Saturday. Thank you for your patience, consideration of others, and interest of celebrating our students’ years of hard work! Stay safe. During your time on campus we encourage you to: 1. Wash hands and use hand sanitizer frequently; 2. Cover coughs; 3. Refrain from touching faces or other surfaces. 4. Wear a mask. 5. Don’t attend if you are not feeling well and/or have a temperature; 6. Remain 6 feet apart from others 7. Submit to any wellness protocols established by the district for participation in school activities. Such protocols may include, but may not be limited to, temperature screening upon entry to any school facility, property, or event.

Summer Conditioning and sports workouts for both High School and Junior High will not be held until further notice. We hope to begin those workouts again soon!

What we know for USD #346 on July 8, 2020 Kansas is in the Top 14 in the nation for having both the fewest restrictions and the fastest coronavirus spread. Linn County has had 18 confirmed cases and currently has 5 active cases. Covid-19 data shows that there is a 2% death rate and an 11% chance of hospitalization if you are infected with the coronavirus. A hospital bill for being on a ventilator for three weeks can exceed 1 million dollars. Graduation is still planned for July 18th at 9:30 AM. We believe we can keep everyone safe by social distancing and wearing masks if need be. We have several plans prepared for that day (inside-both gyms and overflow areas, outside, or even a drive-in graduation if need be). We will monitor the county numbers and decide closer to Graduation day what works best for our situation. Please check our website and/ or Facebook page prior to attending graduation for last minute information. We will continue to ask everyone to follow these practices while attend school functions: 1. Wash hands frequently; 2. Cover coughs; 3. Refrain from touching faces or other surfaces unless required for the school activity; 4. Wear a mask unless the school activity does not accommodate this precaution, as determined by the district administration and as directed by the school activity coach/sponsor; 5. Don’t attend if you are not feeling well and/or have a temperature; 6. Remain 6 feet apart from other students and staff whenever the school activities allow; 7. Submit to any wellness protocols established by the district for participation in school activities. Such protocols may include, but may not be limited to, taking the student’s temperature upon entry to any school facility, property, or event. Prom- After much consideration and visiting with educational, medical, legal, and county staff members we are making the tough decision to cancel Prom which was scheduled for July 25th. We are most disappointed for the students, but also apologetic to the parents who have bought dresses and ordered tuxes. Beginning of school- The Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) will be sharing recommendations and guidelines for educational practices and safety of students and staff on July 16th. Our administrative team will meet on that day and adjust our current plans to hopefully adopt best practices for our students, staff, and community. Prior to or during the week of July 20th we will send out another round of surveys so you may have a voice in the overall plan.

There will be NO conditioning and volleyball on Tuesday, July 7th, but instead makes plans to attend Girls Basketball camp, Monday-Wednesday, July 6-8th. Conditioning and volleyball will resume on Thursday, July 9th at 6:00 p.m.

Update - The USD 346 administration is very concerned with the increase in Covid-19 infections in Kansas. While we have not changed our plans for the July 18 Graduation as of yet, please check our communication platforms frequently in case we do have need to make such a change. Due to the nature of our planned Prom, we are questioning the ability to ensure student safety during such an event and will be making a decision in the next few days as to whether we will proceed with Prom. We apologize for the uncertainty, but will do our best to keep our students safe during the pandemic. We will update frequently through our communication portals.

Parents and Students: Today (6-30-2020) is the last day of our Summer Breakfast and Lunch program. A special thank you to food service workers, bus drivers, and other essential staff that produced and delivered nearly 4500 meals a week since late March. We are blessed to have so many caring people work for our school district. As for the future, the administrative staff and I have been working on 3 different plans to begin school in August. Which plan we use will depend upon the trend of COVID-19 cases closer to the first day of school which is scheduled for August 13th. The Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) will be sharing recommendations and guidelines for educational practices and safety of students and staff on July 16th. Our administrative team will meet on that day and adjust our current plans to hopefully adopt best practices for our students, staff, and community. Prior to or on the week of July 20th we will send out another round of surveys so you may have a voice in the overall plan. Currently, we still plan to have graduation July 18th at 9:30 am at the JLHS gym and we hope to provide enough space where everyone is able to social distance. Right now, masks will be strongly encouraged unless COVID-19 cases start to neutralize or worsen closer to graduation day. Finally, I have been asked to encourage all of you to participate in the 2020 Census and share why it Is Critical for Our Children’s Future. The talking points are listed below: • it is so critical to count everyone – especially our children – in the 2020 Census. • The census determines each state’s representation in the U.S. House of Representatives and helps decision-makers in Washington, D.C., Topeka and Linn County determine how to allocate funds for programs that serve children – including those we are proud to teach – in our community and other small towns. • Counting everyone in your household, including children, ensures they will be included in the 2020 Census. This is important because census statistics help determine funding for the next 10 years for new schools and programs such as special education, teacher training, rural education, Head Start and nutrition assistance. Yet young children are among the populations historically undercounted in the census. So please be sure to count all children in your household, including babies born on or before April 1. If we do not count everyone, our area could lose critical funding for programs, including those that support education, for the next decade. • By now you will have received information about how to fill out the 2020 Census. You are encouraged to respond promptly at my2020census.gov, by calling 1-844-330-2020 or by mail. • So far, 50.7% of the households in Linn County have responded, but we need to count everyone. Help ensure our children count and that we are taking this important step to shape their future.

JLHS GRADUATION UPDATE We are still planning on an indoor ceremony on July 18, 2020 at 9:30 AM in the JLHS gym. Graduates have a meeting and practice scheduled for Thursday July 16 at 7:00 PM. That meeting is also to be held in the JLHS gym. Please note that all plans are subject to change according to County and Local Health guidelines. Should a change be necessary, updated plans will be communicated as soon as possible.

View our JLHS Class of 2020 Scholarship Recognition video: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=717169602418803

Girls Basketball Skills at JLHS: Starting on Monday June 22 all girls grades 7-12 are invited to attend skills workouts every Monday at 7:00 PM through July. Basketball Camp will be July 6-8 from 6:00 to 8:00 PM

2020 JLHS Prom is now set!!! On Saturday July 25, the Junior Class of 2020 will be hosting this formal event at the Mound City 4-H building with walk-in starting at 7:00 PM and the dance from 8:00 - 11:00 PM. If you were a junior or senior this past year, please watch your school email for important information concerning this event. More announcements to come as we get closer to July 25.

It’s time to start Summer Workouts! YIPPEE! We are looking forward to seeing you at our first week of conditioning, June 9th and June 11th from 6:00-7:00 p.m. We will be making some modifications from our usual early morning/weight room format to keep everyone safe and healthy, but we are excited about the opportunity to get together and work on getting faster and stronger. This workout is for ANY GIRL that wants to come, 7th-12th grades, and ANY sport! Here are some things to keep in mind: 1. If you are sick, have a temperature, or believe you have been exposed, please stay home. 2. We will be limiting groups to 15 or less, but don’t worry, we will have a coach to lead your group. 3. Bring your own water bottle. NO SHARING of water bottles will be allowed. Come see us on Tuesday at 6:00 AT THE TRACK for a great workout and some even better friendships! If you have questions, please call Christa Holt at (620)-224-0208.

Our Thursday Class of 2020 Salute features Jayhawk senior James Collins- Congratulations!