Good afternoon Jacket family,
I have a few more updates to share with you about our response to Covid-19 as we enter this first week of school closure and prepare for our second week of school closure. Please read this entire message. There’s new information, updated information and repeated information. I know it’s a lot to process right now, but it is important that you stay informed and connected.
School Closure Extended Through March 27
All school campuses and offices will be closed through March 27.
Covid-19 Email Hotline
Do you have questions about COVID-19, the SOSD response, & impacts for your family? We’ve set up an email hotline to try & answer them! Send to: covid19@starkvillesd.com #JacketFamily
Learning Resources to Stretch Your #StarkvilleSpark at Home
Our Jacket teachers & curriculum team have compiled an on-going list of excellent learn-at-home resources, organized by grade & subject.
Thank you to our curriculum staff for investing time in developing this list for our #JacketFamily and to our teachers who are sharing creative ideas with your classroom parents.
Check it out & show us what you’re learning! http://starkvillesd.com/covid19/learning-resources and please share these resources with your students and families.
Keep reading below for more information on our plan for continued learning during this time.
Meals 2 Go with Bus Delivery – Important New Information Included
The Starkville Oktibbeha School District is offering FREE Meals 2 Go to children 0-18.
As part of this program, the District is offering meal delivery service with our school buses.
Individuals who HAVE NOT received a free meal delivery but would like to should click on the link below to complete a form to be added to our delivery routes. You must complete and submit the form by 8 pm nightly. This is ONLY if you have not received meal delivery service, and you would like to request it.
**Families with SICK OR QUARANTINED CHILDREN should be sure to scroll down and complete Page 2 of the form.
https://www.starkvillesd.com/covid19/form
The District’s meal service will also be distributed from three school sites: Sudduth Elementary, Henderson Ward Stewart Elementary and Starkville High School from 10:30 am until 12:30 pm weekdays. Drive-up and walk-up service available at each school site in the bus lane located next to the cafeteria.
Each meal will include lunch and breakfast, including two milk servings. Lunches are intended to be eaten immediately or should be stored in the refrigerator within 2 hours. Please discard any leftovers within 3 days. Hot foods should be kept hot (entrees >135 degrees) and cold foods (milk & cheese < 41 degrees) kept cold. All meals are FREE to children ages 0-18. Children do NOT have to be students in the Starkville Oktibbeha School District to participate. However, children must be physically present to receive a meal. Adults who are chaperoning/transporting children to school sites may purchase a meal for $3.15 at school site. Cash only accepted.
Meal delivery service will begin at 10:30 am and conclude around 12:30 pm. Buses will follow their normal routes. The District’s FREE Meals 2 Go is available to children 0-18. All children who would like to receive a meal must be present at the bus stop. Adult service will NOT be available through our bus delivery program. Please be patient as we begin this delivery service. Times should improve and become more consistent as the week progresses.
MDE Update on State Testing, Attendance and Graduation
Mississippi State Superintendent of Education Dr. Carey Wright has recommended to the State Board of Education that state and federal assessment and accountability requirements be suspended for the 2019-20 school year. The MDE will seek the maximum authority and waivers afforded by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and other federal agencies.
State and federal assessments included in this recommendation include:
Pre-K and Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (post-test)
Mississippi Academic Assessment Program (MAAP) and MAAP-Alternate English Language Arts, Mathematics and Science - Grades 3-8 and High School
U.S. History
ACT for 11th graders
English Language Proficiency Test (ELPT)
In addition, if schools statewide need to close for an extended period of time, Dr. Wright will recommend that the SBE waive applicable policies regarding attendance, promotion and graduation.
The SBE is scheduled to meet virtually at 10 a.m. March 19. The public is asked to view the meeting via livestream at http://bit.ly/SBElive.
All MDE COVID-19 updates are posted online: www.mdek12.org/covid19.
MHSAA Suspends All Competition and Practices
Effective immediately, all MHSAA interscholastic sports and fine-arts activities competition and practice is suspended through March 29 and until further notice. This suspension applies whether or not a school is open or closed during this timeline.
This is a difficult time for all of us, and our student athletes and artists, along with their coaches and teachers, who were entering their spring seasons of competition are struggling. Your #JacketFamily lifts you up, and we look forward to your return in our classrooms and on our competition fields and performance stages. We’ll be cheering for you!
For more information on this decision from MHSAA, their full announced is posted here: https://www.misshsaa.com/2020/03/16/all-mhsaa-competition-and-practice-suspended-through-march-29/?fbclid=IwAR0KY_80UBUEO_mZOEr1mtVK7UOuTN5O6JqMCnS4zhd0ppGwefTP5Mepwv0
Continued Learning During School Closures
Excellent classrooms teachers are essential to our students’ success even when our schools are closed. While nothing can replace in-person classroom instruction, it is wonderful to see so many of our teachers and #Tweetchers sharing their love of teaching and learning as they think about how to engage their students through excellent learning experiences during this time.
Our plan for flexible, continued learning will be rooted in our commitment to equity and ensuring all students have an equal chance at success. Our goal is for our students to read, write, communicate and engage in continued learning experiences if schools remain closed for an extended period of time. Our curriculum team is working on a plan that will involve digital/online and paper/pencil resources. We’ll be sharing additional information as we prepare for an extended closure.
In the meantime, you can find many resources at https://www.starkvillesd.com/covid19/learning-resources.
Advanced Placement Testing, Dual-Credit/Dual Enrollment Courses
We continue to await guidance on how our students who are enrolled in these courses will proceed. As soon as we have information to share, we will pass it along to you and to our students and families.
School Closure
It was and continues to be an extremely difficult decision to close our schools, and the decision to close reflects the seriousness and severity of this health crisis. Please remember this is not an extended spring break. It is imperative that we practice and model key preventative measures. You can help keep our schools and community safe for everyone by sharing accurate information. All of our District messages and resources can be found at www.starkvillesd.com/covid19. This page will serve as an ongoing feed of SOSD response updates, event changes and closures, and resources.
One of the many strengths of our greater school community is our love for each other. Our entire Jacket family sends our love and support to all of our families and students, especially our seniors. We know this is not how our seniors imagined their final semester of high school. We will celebrate the SHS Class of 2020 and their achievements!
We are working to provide additional resources for our EL families during this time. We plan to send translated materials to our EL families. Families can expect to receive those within the next 24 hours.
Thank You
I realize this is a lot of information, and yet, I’m sure many of you still have unanswered questions. I certainly do. We’ll continue to share information as more decisions are finalized as we move forward.
I just want to take a moment to thank those of you who have reached out to offer a kind word or a message of encouragement. Together, we will find our way through this. Thank you again for your unselfish commitment to serving our students and families and each other.
Take care of yourselves! Your #JacketFamily needs you to be healthy!
Best,
Eddie Peasant