On episode 50 of the MITW Podcast, we had a Q&A Session with Vaughn Bowles, the Public Information Officer, regarding COVID-19. Topics for discussion include: New COVID-19 Variant update, Vaccinating Elders, and Vaccinating Students and Teachers, Reopening Menominee Tribal School and Menominee Indian School District, Second dose of COVID-19 Vaccine, and President Biden’s Face mask mandate on Federal Lands..
 
 

Menominee Tribal School Plans:

 

Menominee Tribal School is offering a re-entry plan due to the recent rise in COVID-19 cases on the Menominee Indian Reservation.  

 

We have developed a 3 step process to utilize throughout the school year based on COVID-19 positive case numbers, and based on the risk of COVID-19 to students, staff and community.

 

Both students and staff will be required to wear masks and follow social distancing guidelines. 

 

Step 1

 

Students will return to in school scheduling by grade level to help reduce the number of people in the building. This will allow students to enter the building in a safe manner where staff can build strong relationships and ease fear, while administering the beginning of the year assessment. There will only be one grade level present in the school building per day. On the day that they are assigned to come in, each grade level will be broken into several, separate, small groups (labeled A-F in the table below) with no more than 5 students per group. These students will be allotted a certain amount of time at each station and will attend every station throughout the school day. Students will rotate from station to station throughout the day.

 

On the days that students are not required to attend school, classroom teachers will work on setting up communication with students and family, technology support for students, and preparation for curriculum. Teachers will also have work provided for these students to take home and work on.

 

*Bussing will be needed*

 

Assessment Schedule - 1 Grade Level Per Day 

January – February 12th/Pending COVID cases 

 

Testing Schedule by Day:  Aug 28-Sept 10

Day                                 Grade

Friday, Jan 22nd             2nd Grade

Monday, Jan 25th          5th Grade

Tuesday, Jan. 26th          3rd Grade

Wednesday, Jan 27th     4th Grade

Thursday, Jan 28th         8th Grade

Friday, Jan 29th              Kindergarten

Monday, Feb 1st             7th Grade

Tuesday, Feb 2nd           1st Grade

Wednesday, Feb 3rd       6th Grade

Thursday, Feb 4th          2nd Grade

Friday, Feb 5th                5th Grade

Monday Feb 8th             3rd Grade

Tuesday Feb 9th             4th Grade

Wednesday Feb 10th     8th Grade

Thursday Feb 11th         Kindergarten

Friday Feb. 12th              7th Grade

 

 

IF COVID CASES CONTINUE TO RISE, WE WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE ONE GRADE PER DAY IN THE SCHOOL BUILDING ON A TWO WEEK ROTATION UNTIL IT IS SAFE TO RETURN.  THE SCHEDULE FOR STUDENTS WILL SWITCH TO ACADEMIC PROGRAMING.

 

 Step 2

Students will return to school on a rotating A day/B day schedule.  This schedule allows the students to begin to return to school on a regular basis, while still taking social distancing and safety precautions. 

 

On the days that students are not required to attend, teachers will be working on establishing a virtual classroom and preparing lessons for students both in and out of the classroom.  They will also be working on establishing relationships with families, making sure that they are on board with the current plan and do not have any questions.     

 

A and B Rotation Schedule

Pending COVID cases

 

 | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday
 |  A |  A |  B |  B |  Online
 |  A |  A |  B |  B |  Online
 |  A |  A |  B |  B |  Online

 

 

 

A Group                                            B Group

Kindergarten                                     2nd Grade

1st Grade                                          3rd Grade

5th Grade                                          4th Grade

7th Grade                                          6th Grade 

8th Grade

                   

 

 

Step 3

 

Students and staff will continue by following the Menominee Tribal School 2020-2021 School Year Calendar, which was already approved, with a class size of 9.

 

School COVID 20-21 Schedule

All schedules and plans will follow our previously approved health and social distancing protocols.

 

Menominee Indian School District Plans: 

 

(Keshena, Wis.)  Like many school districts, Menominee Indian School District has been adjusting its educational delivery model as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Teachers returned to their classrooms on Jan. 4 while continuing to teach and meet virtually with their students. Now, starting Feb. 1, some students will return to school for in-person learning.  

 

“Since the pandemic began, we’ve relied on our COVID dashboard as well as information from, and meetings with, our Emergency Pandemic Response Team,” explained MISD Superintendent Wendell Waukau. “We know students and their families want to be back in school, but we had to make sure it could be done safely. We’ve adjusted things as we’ve gone along, and now we’re ready to bring back some in-person learning opportunities.” The new delivery model will include:

• Keshena Primary School (KPS) returning to four days a week, in-person classes. 

• Menominee Indian Middle School (MIMS) giving their students and families the option of remaining 100% virtual or returning for a combination approach with two days a week being virtual and the other two days a week in-person with cohort group.  

• Menominee Indian High School (MIHS) remaining 100% virtual. 

• Distance Learning Support Center services will continue to be available for all students.

 

Infection control and mitigation measures will be taken at all school facilities, including requiring temperature checks at the door, requiring mask wearing and, if there is a direct classroom contact with a positive person, the building administrator will notify the student’s guardian. All school facilities will be closed on Fridays for deep cleaning. 

 

There is also good news for school athletics as a limited number of fans will now be able to attend games in person. Each student athlete on the basketball, wrestling and volleyball teams will be allowed to have four family members or friends attend games. Spectators will be required to wear masks and socially distance. No locker rooms will be used and concession stands will not be open. However, restrooms will be open and sanitized periodically. Games will continue to be livestreamed for public viewing.

 

 

“I want to thank everyone for supporting our schools, teachers and students, “added Waukau.  “It has been a tough year and we’ve worked hard to do what’s best for everyone. We greatly appreciate the input and feedback from our teachers and staff, building leadership and especially our school board members who have put in a lot of extra time and effort to make sure we’re doing what’s right. We’re excited to take this step forward toward getting students and teachers back in our buildings.”

 

 

# # #

 

About Menominee Indian School District (MISD):  MISD, which serves more than 1,000 students, is located seven miles north of Shawano, Wisconsin. It is a public-school district, operating under State of Wisconsin laws, guidelines and standards. Although MISD works cooperatively with the Menominee Indian Tribe, it is a separate and distinct entity from the Menominee Indian Tribal School and Menominee Indian Head Start. MISD currently operates four schools: Keshena Primary School, Menominee Indian Middle School, Menominee Indian High School and a Student Health Center. Learn more at: www.misd.k12.wi.us

 

Media Contact:

Wendell Waukau

MISD Superintendent

(715) 799-3824 ext. 6010

wwaukau@misd.k12.wi.us