Fall, 2020 Letter to the Community The Blair-Taylor family has always been there to support our students’ and staff’s needs, and this year is no exception. Our Blair-Taylor staff thank you for the overwhelming support to help us to create a safe and healthy learning environment for everyone, and in turn, helping us get back in school. As you know, we are in this together. Physical distancing, masks, washing our hands, and using hand sanitizer have become a part of our daily lives. Please continue to help us to reduce the spread of COVID-19, so that we can stay in school and continue to give our students as many positive extra-curricular and co-curricular opportunities as possible. Referendum Our school board takes our mission statement seriously: “To educate all learners to reach their potential as productive citizens.” In addition, our school board understands we are here to serve our Blair-Taylor community. During Fax: 608-989-2451 the 2019-2020 school year, the school board directed the administration to critically look at community needs and educational needs and opportunities. After months of discussion, listening to experts, and reviewing data, the school board approved a referendum question for the November 3, 2020, ballot. We have an incredible opportunity to enhance services and educational opportunities at our United Campus. The question on the ballot is, "Shall the School District of Blair-Taylor, Trempealeau and Jackson Counties, Wisconsin be authorized to issue pursuant to Chapter 67 of the Wisconsin Statutes, general obligation bonds in an amount not to exceed $4,145,000 for the public purpose of paying the cost of a school building and improvement project at the united campus consisting of: construction of additions for a district daycare center and classrooms; renovations, capital maintenance, building infrastructure, safety and site improvements; construction of a baseball field; and acquisition of furnishings, fixtures and equipment?" Included in this newsletter are the fact sheets our referendum committee created. Thank you for taking the time to review the referendum fact sheets. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me. Sincerely, Jeffrey S. Eide Superintendent From the Desk of the Students who have committed to learning in Middle-High School person need to be in person in order to be Principal… considered present. If a student who cannot attend in person due to an illness or other reason called in by a parent chooses to attend remotely, “Life imposes things on he or she will still be considered absent but with a you that you can’t notation of attended remotely. A parent or control, but you still have guardian must call the school regarding a the choice of how you’re student’s absence in order for that absence to be going to live through excused. For consistency of learning and student this.” - Celine Dion planning, we need students to remain committed to their plan of learning in person or learning “Doing the best at this moment puts you in the remotely. best place for the next moment.” - Oprah Winfrey Attendance at Sporting Events and Concerts These two influential women summed up our A great deal of discussion took place around the experience with COVID-19 very well. We cannot option of having fall sports at this time or control everything that happens in our lives, but postponing them until the spring. Dairyland we can do the very best we can to help ensure Conference superintendents, principals, and the outcome we want to achieve. In the middle- athletic directors ultimately opted to have fall high school, we have adjusted the way we do sports in the fall—under several stipulations in business in just about every way: from the way order to mitigate the chance of spreading COVID- we walk in the halls—one way only—to the way 19. Each athlete is allowed to invite only four we eat lunch, and of course, the way we spectators per game, and each spectator must participate in classes—either in person or have a dated ticket to enter the event. Masks are remotely. Students and staff have worked required at all times for indoor sports. Social diligently to wear masks, use hand sanitizer, and distancing is required for seating indoors. Masks social distance when possible. These things do are required outside as spectators enter and not feel natural, but it is what we must do to stay leave the stadium or other areas and any other in school. I am very proud of everyone who is times that social distancing is not possible. accomplishing these things and encourage those Players’ temperatures are checked prior to each who are still struggling to keep working at it. You event, and they are asked a series of questions to can do it! determine their health. Let’s do all we can to follow these guidelines and keep these athletes in Attendance During a Pandemic the game!!! Attendance this year certainly looks different than it has in the past. We are engaging in a style of Parent/Teacher Conferences learning called “synchronous” learning, where all We have yet another challenge due to COVID-19, students, whether they are in the classroom or or as Mrs. Perry would say: “opportunity.” We not, attend their class at the same time. This value the opportunity to meet with our students’ allows everyone to participate in the class and parents and guardians to partner with them to ask questions right away if they have them. maximize their students’ opportunity for success. Attending class may include being physically The Department of Health Services recommends present in the classroom, or it may include that we minimize the number of people who attending remotely through a Google Meet. When gather in school, when possible; therefore, we will learning remotely, cameras need to be on, so that have parent/teacher conferences remotely the teacher can see that students are present, through a video conference. Stay tuned for more and they can respond to any questions students information. Conferences are scheduled for may have. October 7th. ~Dana T. Eide, Middle-High School Principal From the Desk of the Academics Elementary Blair-Taylor Elementary has conducted their first Principal… round of STAR progress monitoring. STAR measures our students in the areas of reading Dear Families, and math. It measures individual student achievement and compares the results with a It’s been an excellent start to the 2020-21 school pool of over eleven million other students across year, especially given the current circumstances. the nation. It also measures the growth of our Our students came back to school with a different students over time compared to other students at set of expectations due to safety guidelines. To the same grade and achievement level. say that our students rose to the challenge of abiding by these new expectations would be an Similar to all school districts across the nation, the understatement. I have never been prouder of academic achievement of our students has our students at Blair-Taylor Elementary! All decreased due to COVID-19 and the inability to students are wearing masks when required and attend school during the spring of the 2019-20 choose to not let this impact their educational school year. In an effort to get our students back experience. Students understand the new ways to where they left off, we need support from each of providing lunch and the new expectations on and every family. the playground. Since the first day of school, our students have made us all proud! One of the easiest ways to build reading skills is through practice. Please read to, or with, your I’m equally proud of our staff for rising to the child every night for at least 20 minutes. This challenge of teaching students face-to-face and simple daily habit will become a life skill and remotely. These new circumstances made an greatly benefit our students now and in the future. already challenging occupation even more difficult, yet equally rewarding. The entire staff The following are some tips from Mr. Nelson, our has exemplified a true learning community by not reading specialist, on how to motivate reluctant only supporting students, but also supporting readers: each other to better their practice, especially in regard to technology. I’ve said it before, and I’ll 1. Provide time for reading. say it again: our entire staff is amazing! 2. Read aloud to your child. Lastly, thank you to all parents for your support. 3. Let your child self-select their It’s obvious that our parents communicated the books. new guidelines with our students prior to the first 4. Ask your child questions about day of school. Our students came to school the book that they are reading. ready to learn in a new way. The beginning of the school year would not have gone nearly as 5. Try an audio book. smoothly without the support from our parents. Reading is everywhere. If books don’t interest Thank you! your child, let them read magazines, graphic novels, informative websites, or instruction As we move forward, we will continue to be manuals for their favorite game systems. Be sure diligent regarding guidelines and the health and to check for appropriateness, but you can often safety of our students and staff. Our objective is turn kids on to reading by letting them read to keep students here face-to-face. With your nontraditional forms of literature. Create a continued support and diligence, we can make contract – 10 minutes “screen time” for 10 this happen together.