Update: Weather-Related School Schedule Changes and FAQ

Thank you for your patience and understanding during this unusual stretch of severe winter weather. Keeping our students and staff safe is one of our most important responsibilities. Due to the resulting inclement weather related cancellations, the Howard-Suamico School District must make-up State required instructional minutes for students in grades 4K-12. Different grade levels have different required instructional minutes as set by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

Therefore, the following changes will be in effect for the remainder of the 2018-19 school year:

1. Classes will be held all day for K-12 students Friday, February 22 (formerly a K-12 half day).

2. Classes will be held all day for K-12 students Friday, March 8 (formerly a K-12 early release day).

3. Classes will be held all day for K-12 students Monday, April 22 (formerly a staff professional development day).

4. Beginning Monday, February 25, the school day will be extended:

   • Bay Port will extend 10 minutes to a 7:25 a.m.-2:45 p.m. school day (formerly 7:30 a.m.-2:40 p.m.).

   • Bay View will extend 10 minutes to a 7:25 a.m.-2:45 p.m. school day (formerly 7:30 a.m.-2:40 p.m.).

   • Elementary schools will extend 15 minutes to an 8:30 a.m.-3:25 p.m. school day (formerly 8:45 a.m- 3:25 p.m.).

   • No changes to Lineville or 4K school day length.

5. Beginning Tuesday, February 26, late starts at Bay View and Bay Port Tuesday mornings are cancelled and PLC meetings for staff at those buildings will be shortened accordingly. Bay View and Bay Port students should report at 7:25 a.m. on the remaining Tuesdays beginning February 26.

6. A plan for making up required 4K minutes is in development and will be communicated directly with 4K families and staff when complete.

Spring Break March 25-29 remains the same for all students and staff. Also, Friday, April 19 and Monday, May 27 remain days off for all students and staff.  There are no changes with regard to the end-of-year schedule for seniors or the June 2 Graduation ceremony.

Please note these changes remedy our current instructional minute deficit. However, any significant additional instructional time loss incurred yet this winter or spring will result in an update to this plan and could include extending the school year beyond our current last day of school, Thursday, June 6.

Again, your ongoing support is appreciated.

Together,

Damian LaCroix
Superintendent
Howard-Suamico School District

—————————————————————————————————————————————–

As a follow-up to the update on weather-related make up schedule changes, we are sharing an FAQ below based on questions we have received. We appreciate your engagement. If you have a question that is not among those listed below, please contact your building Principal.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: HSSD WEATHER-RELATED SCHEDULE CHANGES

How are bus schedules impacted by the schedule changes?

Morning bus pick-ups and school drop-offs will not change. Buses are currently at schools on time for the adjusted schedule. Regarding afternoon bus schedules, due to Bay View and Bay Port school days extending by five (5) minutes, some afternoon bus routes for Elementary students may be delayed by five (5) minutes accordingly. We are working with Lamers to understand which routes will be affected. Regardless, we believe the amount of delay will be minimal.

 

How is breakfast service at school affected by the schedule changes?

Breakfast service at our schools will continue at the normal service times.

 

How is Champions before and after school service at the Elementary schools affected by the schedule changes?

Champions will continue service at normal times. Students will be dismissed from Champions in the morning according to the new start times at the Elementary schools.

 

Is there any chance at all that Spring Break this year will be affected by potential future snow days?

No. As noted in the plan, March 25-29, April 19, and May 27 will remain days off for students and staff regardless of future cancellations or delays.

 

Is there any chance the school year will be extended by potential future snow days?

Yes, there is a chance. Our current plan provides enough additional instructional minutes to address our current deficit and absorb one more late start and one more cancellation without any further changes. Any delays or cancellations beyond one full day and one late start will result in changes to the plan, and could include extending the school year calendar beyond June 6, 2019.

 

Why aren’t all Northeast Wisconsin school districts doing the same thing to address this issue?

The Wisconsin DPI requires school districts to certify instructional minutes, rather than instructional days. Grade levels require different amounts of instructional minutes to meet DPI requirements. School districts have different start and end times at each school and these times vary from district to district. In light of the extreme weather and multiple cancellations this year, some districts have extended school days by 5-to-15 minutes. Others have extended the school year to June 13. Others, like HSSD, have rescheduled time originally dedicated to staff development for the purpose of instructional minutes for students in addition to lengthening the school day. In short: each school district’s schedule is unique, so the solutions have been different.

 

Why do the HSSD extended school days not take effect until the week of February 25?

We have a busy week Feb 18-22 with parent teacher conferences. Starting February 25 gives families and staff some extra time to prepare for the change.

 

Why doesn’t HSSD build in extra time to its annual calendar to proactively plan for extreme weather?

HSSD does schedule more instructional minutes than the minimum required by the DPI. Many Wisconsin districts do the same. Most years this does not result in a need for midyear schedule changes due to extreme weather. This year there has been an unusually large number of weather-related cancellations.

 

Our family has travel plans based on the original calendar. What now?

The weather has certainly been inconvenient relative to personal and professional schedules. With HSSD family and staff schedules in mind, the priorities in developing our weather make-up plan were 1.) to unequivocally protect Spring Break from any changes, and 2.) to avoid adding days to the end of the school year except as a last resort. The other choices, while in some cases not ideal, were viewed as better options. If you have travel plans, please contact the school office for pre-approved absence forms.

 

How will we be notified of any changes to this schedule, if needed?

If there are additional school delays or cancellations this year, HSSD will follow up with an update on the impact to the schedule plan announced February 14, 2019. Notifications will be sent via email and online (www.hssdschools.org; Facebook, Twitter).