What's New at Dubuque Community Schools

Thank you to our families and staff for their patience and understanding as we move through these uncertain times. We are uplifted by the overall positivity and support shown by our families and community partners.

As a reminder, all schools are currently closed until Monday, April 13. We are working hard to answer all of your questions and appreciate your patience as information is developing and changing quickly. We also expect further guidance from the State of Iowa on a number of issues and will provide details as soon as we are able.

Here are the main updates for today:

DISTRICT ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS
During this closure period, all school events and activities (both athletic and non-athletic) are cancelled, following guidance from the Iowa High School Athletic Association and the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union:

“All IHSAA and IGHSAU sports are now in a prohibited period for practice, competition, and sanctioned activity until the closure is lifted. This prohibition means no in-person contact between coaches/administrators and student-athletes for the duration of the period.”

NON-DISTRICT ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS
All outside events and activities by rental permit holders in district facilities are also cancelled. The district will work directly with renters to refund any rental fees paid during this period.

MEDICINE PICK-UP AT SCHOOLS
Families with students who have medicine at school, and who need that medicine during the closure, can contact Lead Nurse Allie White at awhite@dbqschools.org to arrange a time to pick it up. Medication not needed over break will remain in the health office to be used following the closure.

MEALS FOR STUDENTS
School is a key provider of meals for many of our students – and we are committed to maintaining this resource during the closure. The district will begin providing meal options for students on Monday, March 23, with specific locations and times to be announced in the next few days. We are also collaborating with community partners who are providing meals and will collect and share information with families regarding all community meal options.

ACT EXAM CANCELLED
ACT announced this morning that the ACT exam scheduled for April 4 has been postponed to June 13, 2020.

Again, thank you for your continued support. Please continue to look for updates each day around 3 p.m. via email, on our Coronavirus Update Webpage and on our official district Facebook and Twitter channels. Also, please remember to look for the most accurate, up-to-date information on these official district channels and be conscious of the misinformation that is sometimes shared by other sources, especially on social media.

Ilo Jotinin rainin, Kobna e an Iowa Kim Reynolds emoj an kojela tok ke ej kur bwe aolep jikuul kein ilo Iowa ren kilok iumin emen wiik nan jiban kadiklok ajeded in coronavirus (COVID-19).

Jikuul kein rar baj jela wot ke emaron kar wor komkaut rot in eidun ainwot an aolep armej melele, im komij enjake ke emaron wor ami kajitok. Komij bareinwot kajitok elon ian ejja kajitok kein wot im komij kojatdikdik bwe enaj wor tok melele ilju im ilowan raan kane rollon rej pedo tok.

Jikuul kein ilo district renaj kilok maanlok mae Eprol 13 ran. Kim kar jela ke kelet in emaron kar komman, ritel rein rej bok eddon jikuul kein rar likuun jerbal mantak nan bojak. Komij kadedelok karok kein am nan an bojrak jikuul, eo im enaj jino jelet jikuul kein jen wiik en elkin wot wiik in kakkuje in. Ilo kotaan in wewen ej walok, jenaj kate koj jerbal nan lewaj melele ko rejimwe im kaal tata im jenaj maron tobari.

Ilo an wor jidik melele ko emoj ad tobari jotinin ikijen wewen in enana, ilo tore kein rej jab pidodo jemaron jiron kom ke jenaj ben im kajur wot ilo ad jerbal nan rijikuul ro im baamle ko aer kab rijerbal ro kin ijo emman tata jomarone.

Nan kakememej, jej lomnak bwe jen karon waj baamle ko im rijerbal ro ikijen enaan ko rokaal tata kajojo ran ilo 3 awa elkin raelep. (ne erumuj) ak naj door melele ko rokaal tata ilo website in ad ilo www.dbqschools.org/melele-ko-ikijen-coronavirus.

Kom emmol ilo ami jutak wot ibam im jiban kim.

Tonight, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds announced that she is recommending that all Iowa schools close for four weeks to assist in reducing the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).

The district learned of this unprecedented move as the general public did, and we realize that you are likely to have questions. We share in many of those same questions and expect more details to be available tomorrow and over the next number of days.

Schools in the district will remain closed until April 13. Knowing that this decision was a possibility, our leadership team has been working diligently to prepare. We are finalizing our plans for this closure, which for the district begins impacting us next week following spring break. Throughout this situation, we will work hard to provide you with the most accurate, up-to-date information possible.

While we have few details tonight about the implications of this closure, in these challenging times we can tell you that we will remain committed to serving our students, families and staff to the best of our ability.

As a reminder, we will plan to send an update to families and staff each day this week at 3 p.m. (at a minimum) and will post the most up-to-date information on our website at www.dbqschools.org/coronavirus.

Thank you for your continued support.

Ritel ro ilon ilo jikuul kein rej wonmanlok wot im kwelok aolep raan nan lale tok jokjokin naninmej in im konono kin wewen ko ikijen coronavirus in ilo an bedejake aolepen Amedka in im naj wonmanlok wot ilowan wiik in kakkuje in ilo spring. Ejab jomlok ad eoron tok enaan ipen Ra eo an Jikin Ejmuur ilo Iowa in im Ra eo an Ejmuur ilo Bukon in Dubuque in im ilo tore in jej lewaj enaan in ekaal tata, ejanin wor case in coronavirus en nanin kabene ilo Dubuque in.

Ewor jet enaan ko rokaal nan kojelaik kom kaki ilo rainin, Friday, Maaj 13:

• Trip in kojanjan eo an Hemstead High School lok nan Florida emoj an kio likkuun bojrak iben an bareinwot bojrak trip eo lok nan Walt Disney World.
• Ilo an likkuun lon kain im obrak makutkut ko ipelakin jukjukinped in, district in enaj ja kabojrak an elewaj enaan ikijen makutkut ko ekka aer iwoj ilo email kajojo wiik. Kajitok ko kake makutkut kein rej diwoj waj naj aikuj kajitok lok ipen doulul eo ej lolorjaki.

Elkin enaan in district in enaj bar karon waj kom enaan ilo Mande, Maaj 16, iturin lok 3 awa elkin raelep. Ak elane enaj wor enaan edin im eaorok mokta jen tore en, jenaj mokaj im lito-litak.

The district’s executive team continues to meet daily to monitor and discuss the latest developments in the coronavirus situation across the nation and will continue to do so during spring break. We continue to be in regular communication with the Iowa Department of Public Health and the Dubuque County Health Department and at time of this update, there are currently no confirmed cases of coronavirus in Dubuque County.

There are a few updates to share today, Friday, March 13:

• The Hempstead High School music program trip to Florida has officially been cancelled in conjunction with the closing of Walt Disney World.
• With a large number of events in flux throughout the community, the district is suspending the weekly Digital Backpack email at this time. Questions about events posted on the backpack should be directed to the hosting organization.

The next update from the district is scheduled for Monday, March 16, at approximately 3 p.m. Should there be important developments prior to that time, we will share them as soon as possible.

As a district, we continue to work with state, county and local officials to monitor the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) in our state. Our executive leadership team is meeting daily at a minimum (including during spring break) to monitor the situation and is receiving numerous updates throughout the day.

As this constantly evolving situation continues to unfold, we will share regular updates with families and staff. Starting tomorrow, we plan to share daily updates with families at approximately 3 p.m. each weekday with the latest information we have. Additional time-sensitive updates will continue to be sent as needed regardless of the time or day. We have also established a page on our website (www.dbqschools.org/coronavirus) that will be a central point to find updates from the district.

At this time, there has been no decision to make adjustments to the school schedule. We will be closely monitoring the situation over the next number of days and any decision to modify school calendars would be made in conjunction with the Iowa Department of Public Health and the Dubuque County Health Department.

Here is the latest:

PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES

Beginning earlier this week and into the future, a number of additional precautionary measures have been or are being put in place across the district:

• • • We continue to reinforce with students the importance of preventive measures, in particular hand washing and covering coughs/sneezes with their sleeves.
    • We will indefinitely discontinue the practice of students serving themselves at meal time and will instead have all food plated by school staff.
    • We have placed additional hand sanitizer stations throughout our schools, particularly near the beginning of lunch lines. The sanitizer meets the alcohol content recommendations of the CDC.
    • We will add more frequent table cleanings between lunch shifts.
    • All buildings will discontinue the use of attendance incentives for students and instead focus on promoting that students and staff should remain home if they are ill.
    • We continue to sanitize commonly touched surfaces with hospital-grade disinfectant and will conduct a deep-clean of buildings over spring break.
    • We will review upcoming events scheduled in our facilities, both internal and external, in upcoming days to determine next steps.

SPRING BREAK TRAVEL

We realize that many families and staff have planned trips over spring break both domestically and internationally. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have identified travel advisories for high-risk areas. Please follow this growing list throughout spring break.

In next week’s updates, we will include the current list of travel advisories and at-risk areas. We expect that individuals traveling from these areas follow the public health guidelines for self-quarantine upon return.

TALKING TO STUDENTS ABOUT COVID-19

We realize that there is a non-stop flood of information regarding coronavirus and that it can leave both adults and particularly students feeling anxious and uncertain. The Child Mind Institute has developed a resource called Talking to Kids About Coronavirus recommended by the American School Counseling Association. The Iowa Department of Public Health has also shared a resource called Tips for Talking to Children about COVID-19. We invite you to use these resources as a guide to help support conversations with your students.

We encourage you to stay up-to-date on the latest coronavirus developments by using reliable sources of information, in particular the Iowa Department of Public Health Coronavirus Webpage and the CDC Coronavirus Webpage. Both provide the most current, factual information regarding coronavirus.

As you know, there has been increasing attention and media coverage regarding the coronavirus (specifically the COVID-19 strain of the virus). This new strain of coronavirus is believed to spread mainly via respiratory droplets produced when an infected person sneezes or coughs.

As a district, we are operating in a state of preparedness and are in regular communication with the Iowa Department of Public Health, as well as Dubuque County and City of Dubuque Health officials to be sure we are informed on the latest developments.

Moving forward we will continue to partner with and follow the guidance of these agencies. The most up-to-date state information about the coronavirus can be found on the Iowa Department of Public Health Coronavirus Webpage and on the Centers for Disease Control Coronavirus Webpage.

It is also important to note the following:

• The district uses hospital-grade disinfectants to disinfect commonly touched surfaces in all district buildings.
• As is always the case, the best preventative measures are those normally associated with minimizing the spread of common illnesses, including:
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. (Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available.)
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
  • Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
  • Stay home when you are sick.
  • Cover your mouth with your upper arm or tissue when coughing or sneezing.
• It is important for staff as well as students to stay home if they are ill, including any of the following symptoms:
  • Fever at or above 100* (*updated to 100, rather than 100.4, on March 13, 2020 per updated CDC guidelines)
  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • NOTE: Do not return to school or work until being free of any of these symptoms without the use of medication for 24 hours.

Again, at this time, we are working as a district to be proactive and preventative. We will provide additional information as it becomes available and appreciate your ongoing assistance in promoting good preventative measures in our schools.

The new Dubuque Community School District Aquatic Center is already making a splash across the district and community! Check out the recap of the grand opening and dedication for this amazing facility:

The Iowa Department of Education recently released the 2019 Iowa School Performance Profiles, which is the statewide school accountability system. Based on the results of this year’s release, the Dubuque Community School District is pleased to see a great deal of growth and progress in this year’s results.

“We know that no accountability system can show the entire picture of a school’s culture, accomplishments and success,” said Superintendent of Schools Stan Rheingans. “At the same time, we are encouraged by our results on this year’s report and we are thankful to our staff, families and the many community partners who work tirelessly on behalf of our students and their success.”

The performance profiles include a complex set of data to provide a measurement of school performance. An overview of the total score and the overall designation for each school in the district is below.

VIEW COMPLETE DATA ON THE IOWA SCHOOL PERFORMANCE PROFILES WEBSITE

** Designations levels (from lowest to highest) include: Priority, Needs Improvement, Acceptable, Commendable, High Performing, Exceptional Based on last year, the first year of the performance profiles, a number of district schools were considered targeted for support in meeting the goals for a variety of student subgroups.

This year’s report indicated that the following schools MET THEIR GOALS in identified 2018 targeted areas:

• Eisenhower Elementary School met its goal for the targeted area of Low Socio-Economic Status (FRL)
• Irving Elementary School met its goal for the targeted area of Students with Disabilities (IEP)
• Prescott Elementary School met its goal for the targeted area of Low Socio-Economic Status (FRL)
• Table Mound Elementary School met its goal for the targeted area of Students with Disabilities (IEP)
• Roosevelt Middle School met its goal for the targeted areas of Black/African American and Students with Disabilities (IEP)
• Washington Middle School met its goal for the targeted area of Black/African American
• Jefferson Middle School met its goal for the targeted areas of Black/African American, English Learners (EL), Low Socio-Economic Status (FRL), Hispanic, Students with Disabilities (IEP) and Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

This year, the following schools received new targeted designations. As part of the district’s ongoing school and district planning process, schools will develop and implement plans working toward meeting the goals in these areas:

• Eisenhower Elementary School is now targeted for Students with Disabilities (IEP)
• Prescott Elementary School is now targeted for Students with Disabilities (IEP)
• Dubuque Senior High School is now targeted for Students with Disabilities (IEP)
• Washington Middle School is now targeted for Students with Disabilities (IEP)
• Hempstead High School is now targeted for Low Socio-Economic Status (FRL) and Students with Disabilities (IEP)

“As a district, we will continue to analyze this data and many other data sources in the district as we work to reduce barriers and bolster opportunities for each and every student we serve,” said Rheingans. “We have much work to do, but we will do so purposefully and strategically together – and always with the best interest of students in mind.”