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At a special school board meeting held on Monday, January 18, 2021, the Underwood Community School District Board of Directors approved the return to all-day/every-day learning for grades 6-12 on Monday, February 1, 2021. In addition, the board members approved schoolwide one-hour early dismissals on Thursday, January 28, 2021, and Friday, January 29, 2021, in order to assist faculty members in grades 6-12 as they prepare for the return of all-day/every-day learning on Monday, February 1, 2021. Policies and procedures for on-site learning which were approved by the board members in August of 2020 will remain in effect. For example, all students and staff are required to wear masks in common areas, in the hallways during passing time, when sneeze guards are not provided, or any time social distancing is not possible.

JANUARY 2021 DISTRICT DISPATCH Welcome back to the new year and the beginning of the second semester. Students resume classes on Monday, January 4, 2021. With winter here, the possibility of late starts, early dismissals, or school cancellations is always with us. Please remember to tune in to the following radio and television stations if the weather appears threatening: KMA (960 AM), KFAB (1110 AM), KNOD (105.3 FM), KMTV (Channel 3), WOWT (Channel 6), and KETV (Channel 7). In addition, our school district subscribes to the JMC Instant Parent Contact System. This automated telephone broadcast service enables school personnel to notify all households and parents by telephone within minutes of an emergency or unplanned event that causes a late start, an early dismissal, or a school cancellation. If you have not signed up for this service and are interested in participating, please contact the principal’s office where your child or children attend. In addition, if you have signed up in the past but have stopped receiving calls, it may be because you have changed your telephone number and the school district is not aware of that change. If you think this might be the case, contact the principal’s office where your child or children attend and make sure your current telephone number is on file. As I write this article, we are continuing to face the challenges of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Our hybrid model has been working well for us. Our weekly positivity rates have been consistently below one percent of our total student and employee population. I want to extend a sincere “thank you” to our students, employees, parents, and community members for being attentive to masking protocols, social distancing, and hand sanitizing. I believe those things have made a big difference for us and have enabled us to continue keeping school in session. Unlike a hurricane, a tornado, an earthquake, or other natural disaster that wreaks havoc and then ends quickly so that recovery can begin, a pandemic spreads around the world and lasts for an extended period of time. As Dr. Michael Osterholm and Mark Olshaker note in their book, Deadliest Enemy, a pandemic does not just hit one location, leaving all other locations with the ability to come to its aid. A pandemic hits many locations simultaneously and results in all of those locations needing emergency assistance. As we have observed and experienced ourselves, a pandemic has a rolling effect as it first hits individuals, then civil authorities, then local businesses, and then interstate and international commerce. The effects are immediate and the consequences are long-term. With vaccines now available, hopefully the year 2021 will give us a welcome reprieve from the tumult and anxiety of the year 2020.

COVID Recovery Iowa Provides FREE Resources for Iowans

 

COVID Recovery Iowa is a statewide program to help Iowans recover from the devastating effects of COVID-19 and the August derecho. These services are FREE to all Iowans who have been affected in any way by these crises.

 

Counseling. Sometimes, it just helps to have someone listen. We offer FREE confidential counseling to all Iowans through several methods:

 

·Iowa Warm Line, 844/775-9276: connect with a peer counselor or request to be connected to a COVID Recovery Iowa counselor.

 

·Iowa Concern Line, 800/447-1985: provides 24/7 access to stress counselors and other resources, focusing on rural and agriculture topics, including legal issues. Language interpretation available.

 

·Spanish language line: 541/800-368. Answered Live in Spanish: Se responde en vivo en español.

 

Zoom Support Groups for Parents, Teens and Pre-Teens. For information or to register, contact Chelsea.Siefken@pathwaysb.org

 

Tell Me a Story. A different story is presented each day on our Facebook page.

 

Parenting in a Pandemic. Homework tips and a thought-provoking question of the day to ask your kids. Find us on  Facebook.

 

Vivo en Iowa. Resources and support for Spanish speakers. On Facebook.

 

30 Day Fitness Challenge.  Positive daily physical activity for middle and high school students. Fitness Challenge is on Instagram.  

 

My Favorite Things.  Helping pre-teens and teens focus on the positives and provide collective support to each other. Encouraging this group to submit photos of a different topic each week. Instagram.

Foods classes have been busy learning about proper measuring techniques. To demonstrate their skills, they made cookies and bars.