It’s a Great Day to be a TIGER!
COVID-19 Report As of August 31, we have no employees who are positive or quarantined. We have 10 students quarantined. Two of those students have positive test results - one hybrid and one at-home student. Three of the 10 quarantined students are siblings of the students who tested positive. Parents of students who were considered a group contact with the student who tested positive were notified immediately.
All schools in Montgomery County are included in the weekly report from the Mississippi Department of Health so the information above could be slightly different from what you see in the MSDH report. All schools in the state are required to report information to the MSDH each Monday before noon.
Also, please know that district and school administrators and nurses have been working for months to learn all we can about preventing the spread of COVID-19. We have attended numerous and continue to attend weekly webinars with Dr. Dobbs and Dr. Byars from the MS Department of Health to learn about mitigating the spread.
Some things to keep in mind are that COVID-19 information changes all the time, not everyone shares information with the school about positive tests in their household, and students also have all kinds of illnesses that may resemble COVID-19. Every decision made is a group effort and is made using all the information that we have at that time. WMCSD has done a great job of slowing the spread in our schools and community. If you have a question or concern, email us at tigertalk@winonaschools.net or call your child’s school.
Enhanced Hybrid WMCSD will continue to use the HYBRID and AT-HOME LEARNING options through October 9, 2020. Beginning September 14, students will participate in an ENHANCED HYBRID SCHEDULE. The school day will be about an hour longer with start times being the same. On September 9, schedules will be posted on our website and sent home with students the 9th and 10th.
Enhanced Hybrid for ONLY Winona Secondary Students in grades 7-12 will attend every other Friday based on an assigned schedule. For example:
- Week of Sept 14: Monday/Wednesday students will also attend on Friday, Sept 18.
- Week of Sept 21: Tuesday/Thursday students will also attend on Friday, Sept 26.
Again, the goal is to return to a traditional schedule as soon as possible while still being able to maintain the protocols needed to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Labor Day Week Schedule Tuesday - Thursday will follow the regular schedule and Monday classes will be moved to Friday, September 11. At-home learners will not attend on Friday.
The schedule will be as follows:
- Monday Sept 7 Labor Day Holiday- No School for Students or Employees
- Tuesday Sept 8 Tuesday/Thursday Students
- Wednesday Sept 9 Monday/Wednesday Students
- Thursday Sept 10 Tuesday/Thursday Students
- Friday Sept 11 Monday/Wednesday Students. No At-Home Learners.
Labor Day Holiday is Monday, September 7th. WMCSD needs our TIGERS to stay safe and healthy, so we are asking families to help protect children by following state and local mandates and the following guidance from the CDC. We want to be able to continue to come to school, so we hope everyone in our community will follow these guidelines.
Guiding Principles from the CDC
- A gathering refers to a planned or spontaneous event, indoors or outdoors, with a small number of people participating or a large number of people in attendance such as a community event or gathering, concert, festival, conference, parade, wedding, or sporting event.
- The more people an individual interacts with at a gathering and the longer that interaction lasts, the higher the potential risk of becoming infected with COVID-19 and COVID-19 spreading.
- The higher the level of community transmission in the area that the gathering is being held, the higher the risk of COVID-19 spreading during a gathering.
- The size of an event or gathering should be determined based on state, local, territorial or tribal safety laws and regulations.
You can find more information at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/large-events/considerations-for-events-gatherings.html
At-Home Learners Winona Secondary currently has 48 At-Home Learners. Those students must check their school email every morning and afternoon for updates. It is so important that at-home learning students and parents work on their assignments every day. At-Home Learners are required to come to school every Friday at 8:00am whether they have an assigned test or not. Students should bring their own headphones for testing and must check in with Ms. Bishop regarding progress even if they do not have a test to complete.
Child Nutrition Parents, please encourage your child to pick up breakfast and lunch for the next day and bring it home. Our cafeteria staff is working very hard and doing a fantastic job. All WMCSD students receive free breakfast and lunch each day they attend. Students who are attending Hybrid classes are able to pick up a bag with breakfast and lunch for the next day as they leave. At-Home Learning Program students are able to schedule a pick up time for meals. Call Mrs. Forrest at (662) 283-1007 for more information.
Athletics Our Winona Tigers Football Team will play Kosciusko at home Friday night at 7:00pm. Information for purchasing tickets can be found on the district website at winonamontgomerycsd.com. Volleyball continued with a game at Pillow Academy on Tuesday, September 1. The girls have 3 games next week. For game dates and times, go to our website. Cross Country has their first meet at French Camp on September 12.
Tiger Pride Congratulations to WES Teachers Meg Vaughn and Rachel Sturdivant. They were chosen to serve on the MS Teacher Advisory Council. Mrs. Sturdivant was a teacher in Rankin County last year when she applied. We are proud that she will join Mrs. Vaughn in representing WMCSD. On August 26, the MS Department of Education announced the addition of over 100 experienced and highly regarded professionals from across the state to serve on the council which provides feedback to State Superintendent of Education Dr. Carey Wright, the MS State Board of Education, and the MS State Legislature. According to the MDE media release, the group has more than 300 educators representing schools from all over the state in a variety of settings and an array of content areas including general education, arts, special education, and career and technical education. The MTAC aims to empower teachers to discuss topics critical to their success in the classroom and how MDE can assist.
Congratulations to WSS Interim Principal Donna Bishop and WSS Teacher Megan Brock. They were inducted into DKG at the August 27th meeting. Delta Kappa Gamma Society International promotes professional and personal growth of women educators and excellence in education. The local chapter includes educators from Carroll, Grenada, and Montgomery counties.
Stay healthy and choose joy! We are TIGERStrong!