What's New at Dubuque Community Schools

Dear DCSD Families and Staff,

Today, I am pleased to share the first version of the Dubuque Community School District’s Return-to-Learn Plan with you. This document represents months of work by a variety of groups, all focused on preparing for the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year.

The plan is intended to provide an overview of the three educational delivery scenarios that we are prepared for as a district:

• Fully in-person education
• Fully online education
• Hybrid education, delivered as a combination of in-person and online education

The plan also outlines the health and safety measures that will be put in place to deliver in-person learning.

VIEW THE RETURN-TO-LEARN PLAN

I emphasize that it is the first version of the Return-to-Learn Plan because as the COVID-19 situation continues to progress, and as our district team continues to prepare for the beginning of the school year, this plan and its many components will continue to evolve and change.

At the same time, we believe that it is important for us to share our current plan and invite your feedback. We hope you will take a few moments to complete our Return-to-Learn survey, which we will use to inform the continued development of our plan.

TAKE THE RETURN-TO-LEARN SURVEY
(Please complete this survey no later than Wednesday, July 8)

As always, be assured that the safety and well-being of our students and staff is always at the forefront of our planning. There is much work to do over the next six weeks, and we know that much is likely to change in the world around us. At the same time, we look forward to welcoming our students back to school and we appreciate the tremendous amount of support you provide to our students and the district.

Sincerely,
Stan Rheingans
Superintendent

We are excited to celebrate with the Class of 2020 at graduation TOMORROW, Saturday, June 27.

As a reminder:

Hempstead High School’s ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. (with doors opening at 9:30 a.m.)
and
Dubuque Senior High School’s ceremony will begin at 3 p.m. (with doors opening at 2:30 p.m.)

TICKETS ARE REQUIRED FOR ENTRANCE TO GRADUATION.

• Please be sure to wear your tickets on lanyards so they can be easily seen.
• If you have not picked-up your tickets during one of your school’s designated times, they will be available for pick-up beginning when the doors open for each ceremony at the Dalzell Field ticket office, located outside the East Gate.

Be sure to read the complete GRADUATION 2020 SAFETY PROTOCOLS shared by email and available online at www.dbqschools.org/graduation-safety.

We also ask that you pay particular attention to the following:

SEATING

• GRADUATES: Graduates should enter Dalzell Field through the South Entrance near the locker rooms.
  • They will be ushered directly to their seat on the field, which will be marked with their name.
• GUESTS: Guests may enter Dalzell Field through the East, West and Visitor Gates, while observing social distancing guidelines.
  • Seating will be available in the home and visitor sections, as well as on the field level. PLEASE NOTE: The temperature at the field level is significantly hotter than in the bleacher sections. Please take this into account when selecting seats.
  • Guests of a graduate are expected to sit together in the same four-seat section.
  • Please notify an usher if you need accessible seating.
  • Bleacher seats marked with dots are AVAILABLE to sit in. Those marked off with black tape are NOT AVAILABLE to use.

PHOTOGRAPHY

• Photography will only be allowed from guest seats.
• Guests WILL NOT be allowed to move to the stage to take photos.
• Each graduate will receive a high-resolution, printable professional photo at NO COST to the student.

DRINKING WATER

• Water fountains will NOT be available during the event.
• Graduates and guests are encouraged to bring their own water.

LIVE STREAMING

• The graduation ceremony will be live streamed to allow for those unable to attend to watch the ceremony.
• The live stream may be accessed via the district homepage (www.dbqschools.org), on the school websites (www.senior.dbqschools.org and www.hempstead.dbqschools.org) or the district’s official social media channels (www.facebook.com/dbqschools and www.twitter.com/dbqschools).

Again, we ask that you review the full GRADUATION 2020 SAFETY PROTOCOLS. Thanks in advance for your cooperation in following the safety guidelines developed for this event.

Beginning today, Monday, June 22, all school playgrounds will reopen for community use.

Individuals who have a diagnosis of COVID-19, are experiencing symptoms of illness (i.e. fever of 100.4 or higher, cough or shortness of breath), or have been in contact with anyone diagnosed with COVID-19 in the past 14 days should not use district facilities.

Additionally, we recommend the following when using one of our playgrounds:

• Bring hand sanitizer to use before and after your time on the playground
• Bring your own reusable water bottle
• Follow social distancing guidelines with people not from your household

On this Juneteenth holiday, also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, and Liberation Day, we recognize the incredible significance current events will have in our nation’s history as we join in commemorating the end of slavery in the United States 155 years ago.

As a public school district, our mission is to equitably provide each and every student we serve with the resources and support they need to be successful.

We continue to stand in support of and solidarity with our Black students, families, teachers and staff.

Now, and always, we unequivocally stand against racism.
We stand for acceptance and racial equity.
We stand together in the fight to end injustice.

As a district, we have not and must not simply stand. We must take action.

Rooted in our strategic plan that seeks success for all students,
we are continually focused on the important work of breaking down barriers,
of enhancing support, and of being constant advocates for our Black students,
and all students in underrepresented groups.

We see them. We hear them. We firmly pledge to both continue this important work and, at the same time, to do better, faster.

As educators, we know that knowledge truly is power and that education plays a critical role in bringing about positive change.

As we all seek ways to take action, our Director of Equity Taj Suleyman has compiled a set of resources to assist students and families in navigating these times.

We must continue to stand, and act, together.

Sincerely,
Stan Rheingans
Superintendent of Schools

VIEW THE RESOURCES >>

LEARN ABOUT JUNETEENTH:

• Teaching Juneteenth
  The history of Juneteenth acknowledges hard history while also empowering students to be advocates for change.
  Source: Teaching Tolerance

BOOKS:

• Anti-Racist Reading List for Kids
  Source: Carnegie-Stout Public Library
• Diverse Children’s Literature Titles for Elementary Students
  Source: Dubuque Community School District
• Diverse Children’s Literature Titles for Middle School Students
  Source: Dubuque Community School District
• Beyond the Golden Rule: A Parent’s Guide to Preventing and Responding to Prejudice
  Source: Teaching Tolerance

TOOLS AND RESOURCES:

• Talking to Young Children About Race and Racism
  Source: PBS Kids for Parents
• How to Talk to Kids about Race and Racism
  Source: Parent Toolkit
• Talking About Race
  A guide that explores topics such as bias, whiteness, being anti-racist, and more.
  Source: National Museum of African American History & Culture

ARTICLES:

• “Talking to Kids About Race”
  Source: National Geographic (June 1, 2020)
• “These Books Can Help You Explain Racism and Protest to Your Kids”
  Source: The New York Times (June 2, 2020)
• “How to Talk with Kids About Racism and Racial Violence”
  Source: Common Sense Media (June 1, 2020)

We are excited to celebrate the Class of 2020 at graduation in a few short weeks!

Graduation is scheduled for Saturday, June 27.
If there is inclement weather that prohibits the event to happen as scheduled, the rain date will be Sunday, June 28.

Hempstead High School’s ceremony will begin at 10 a.m.
Dubuque Senior High School’s ceremony will begin at 3 p.m.

READ FULL EVENT DETAILS IN THE GRADUATION SAFETY PLAN, developed following consultation with the City of Dubuque Public Health Department.

Each graduate will receive four (4) tickets for guests to attend. Ticket pick-up for graduates will be held the week of June 22. WATCH FOR INFORMATION DIRECTLY FROM YOUR SCHOOL REGARDING PICK-UP TIMES AND PROCESS.

The Dubuque Community School District is pleased to announce the appointment of Julie Lange as the district’s new director of digital literacy.

In this new role, Julie will work to ensure equitable curricular offerings and skills needed for instructional online delivery, provide support-teaching and guidance to faculty and students in the use of instructional hardware and software, and establish and lead best practices for educational content creation, delivery and organization. She will also coordinate the district’s assessment plan as well as Iowa Testing, ACT, FAST and other standardized tests.

“Julie is well-versed in the use of technology to support strong instructional practices,” said Superintendent Stan Rheingans. “Her expertise in this area, combined with her strong relationships across the district and her deep familiarity with our instructional practices, make her an excellent fit for this new position.”

Julie currently works at the district level as a teacher on special assignment overseeing elementary science, social studies and technology. Prior to this, she was the district’s lead elementary technology coach, technology integration coach at Kennedy Elementary School, and a teacher at both Kennedy and Lincoln Elementary School.

She holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in education, as well as an instructional coach certificate from the University of Northern Iowa. In 2019, she completed her master of arts degree in educational leadership also from UNI.

Dear Students and Families of the Class of 2020,

We are pleased to share that we plan to move forward with holding graduation on Saturday, June 27, at Dalzell Field, pending any significant changes to the COVID-19 situation in our area.

Hempstead’s graduation will be at 10 a.m. and Dubuque Senior’s will be at 3 p.m. Due to social distancing measures in place, each graduate will be limited to four (4) tickets for family members/friends, who will be required to sit together at the event.

INFORMATION ABOUT TICKET PICK-UP WILL BE FORTHCOMING.

While we know that limiting the number of tickets is not ideal, doing so will allow us to hold the celebration in person.

The event will also be live-streamed for family and friends unable to attend. Information about accessing the live stream will also be forthcoming.

Last week, the district met with public health officials to ensure that we are putting proper safety plans in place to minimize the risk of COVID-19 spread. In accordance with public health guidelines, we suggest that older individuals and especially those with underlying health conditions not attend.

Complete safety protocols as well as door opening times and arrival procedures will be shared with families prior to the event. We understand that not everyone will feel comfortable attending the ceremony, and we respect that decision. We will still read the names of each graduate in the class of 2020 regardless of whether or not the student attends.

Again, additional details will follow. We are excited to celebrate the Class of 2020 in a few short weeks!

Sincerely,
Stan Rheingans
Superintendent

Iakwe Baamle ko im Rijerbal ro,

Wiik in, Jej kobooj rijikuul ro nan aer etal in jamor. Ijellokin, jej wonmaanlok wot ilo jerbal kein ad ilo ad maanjapopo in karuwaineneik tok rijikuul ro ilo jinoin iio in jikuul in lal. Rainin, Ikonaan lewaj nan kom melele ko ikijen elmaakot eo nan ad Bar Rool tok Nan Jikuuul:

EJ AIKUJ WONMAANLOK WOT JIKUUL
Ilo an ijino jikuul iio tok 2020-2021 tarrin wot 10 wiik jen kio, ej too wot nan ad likuun jela enaj ewi wewen jinoin iio in jikuul in lal. Ta eo jejla ej bwe jikuul kein rej maanjapopo nan lelok ta eo ekkar im emenin aikuj elane enaj baj lokan wot im bar wor menin kabanban ko renaj walok.
Einwot jikin jikuul, jenaj ejake lamlam ko renaj kabidodoik an wor jilu wewen kilen katakin ko ralikar im rej aikuj komman.:

• Jikuul ilo Likieo in armej
• Likuun Jikuul jen ettolok
• Aolep kilen katakin kein, kommani jimor wewen katakin kein-jen ettolok im ilo likieo in armej.

Pedped wot ion ta eo enaj emman ilo tore en, jenaj maron bojak nan ad jela im kojerbal kelet eo emman tata einwot an kanuuj menin aikuj.

ELMAKOT EO NAN AN IJINO JIKUUL ILO 2020-2021
Kotobar eo ad imaan tata bwe en ijino jikuul ilo Okoj ilo an rijikuul im rikaki ro bar jeblaak tok nan ruum in jikuul ko aer, bar komourur jikuul juon alen.

Jej konaan bwe rijikuul ro aolep ren ipen don ilo iien eo emokaj tata ilo wewen eo emman elane jenaj maron!

Einwot ke ej kotobar eo ad in, rainin jaar kwalok elmaakot in ad nan Board eo an Jikuul bwe en kalolo ilo kolenta eo an jikuul bwe ran in jikuul eo imaan tata nan kilaaj K-12 en mokaj tok nan Bolaide, Okoj 14, im iien jino itok an an kilaaj Pre-K-5,6,im 9 enaj ilo Taije, Okoj 13.

LALE AOLEPEN ELMAKOT IN KOLENTA IN

Elmakot in ej kottar tok wot tobrak in ronjake eo an Board ilo naj Juun 8.

Kotobar eo ad kio ej nan kalonlok raan in an rijikuul ro itok nan jonan eo elap tata jemarone nan iio in lal, im jej lelok kamoolol nan rijerbal ro elap aer kate er im jerbal ipen don ilo district in, ra dik ko waj ad rej lap aer jerbal, im kamiti eo an rikaki ro rotijomlok, enin jej maron tobar kotobar kein ad.

Kolenta eo ekaal tata enaj ajeej waj nan baamle ko elikin wot an naj weppen jen Board eo an jikuul.

KAROK KO KON AENOMMAN IM EJMUUR
Emman im ejmuur eo an rijikuul im rijerbal ro ejja kotobar eo wot ad imaan im eaorok tata ilo jerbal kein ad. Ejab jomlok ad lale tok wewen im kokabiloklok ko jen federal, state im jen rijerbal ro an jikin ejmuur ikijen lamlam im komadmod ko ilo ad karuwaineneik tok rijikuul im rijerbal ro.
Jerbal kein remman renaj wonmanlok wot ilowan wiik kein rej bedo tok im jenaj wonmanlok wot ilo ad lewaj melele ko rellonlok ilowan jamor in elane renaj dedelok alikar tok.

Jokijooror in karuwaineneik tok rijikuul ro ilo aer bar rool tok ilo Okoj im jej kamoolol kon jerbal in jiban kein alikar im emmanlok wot ilo ad maanjapopo!

Ilo kautej,
Stan Rheingans
Superintendent of Schools

Dear Families and Staff,

This week, we were scheduled to be sending students off for the summer. Instead, we continue our work in preparing to welcome students back in the fall. Today, I’d like to provide you with an update on our Return-to-Learn plans:

REQUIRED CONTINUOUS LEARNING
With the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year still 10 weeks away, it is too early to know exactly what the beginning of the school year will look like. What we do know is that the district will be prepared to provide required continuous learning should another disruption occur.

As a district, we will develop a model that allows us to have three required delivery options available:

• Fully in-person education
• Fully remote education
• Hybrid education, delivered as a combination of in-person and remote education

Based on best practices at the time, we will be prepared to pivot in and out of these options as necessary.

2020-2021 PROPOSED SCHOOL START DATE
Our primary goal is to prepare for learning to resume in August with students and teachers back in the classroom, bringing our schools to life once again.

We want our community of learners together in person as soon as it’s safe to do so!

With that as our goal, today we shared with the School Board a proposal to amend the 2020-2021 school calendar that includes moving the first day of classes for grades K-12 to FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, with orientation for grades Pre-K-5, 6 and 9 on THURSDAY, AUGUST 13.

VIEW THE FULL PROPOSED CALENDAR

This proposal is pending Board approval following a public hearing at the June 8 Board meeting.

It was our goal to add as many student attendance days as possible for next year and, thanks to great teamwork and collaboration among the district, our many bargaining units, and the district teacher quality committee, we are able to do so.

A final calendar will be shared with families following official adoption by the School Board.

HEALTH AND SAFETY PLANNING
The safety of our students and staff continues to be at the forefront of our work. We continue to review best practices and recommendations from federal, state and local health officials regarding health and safety protocols for welcoming back students and staff.

These best practices will likely continue to evolve in upcoming weeks and we will continue to share additional details over the summer as they are finalized.

We cannot wait to welcome our students back in August and appreciate your ongoing support and flexibility as we prepare to do so!

Sincerely,
Stan Rheingans
Superintendent of Schools