La Crescent-Hokah Public Schools -

Attention Parents & Guardians: The back-to-school registration for the 2021/22 school year is not open at this time. Please wait for communications to complete the registration. If you complete a registration now, it is for a new student registration only. If your student is a current ISD 300 student, the registration application will be denied. We apologize for the inconvenience.

FIRST Lego League -Challenge: Cargo Connect Season 2021 (Gr. 4-6) We’re driving FIRST FORWARD: Full Speed Ahead. FIRST® is a robotics community that prepares young people for the future through team-based robotics programs. FIRST merges the rigor of STEM learning with the fun & excitement of a team structure. Whether it’s finding their people or finding their path, students will gain the skills & confidence with FIRST to forge ahead & build their future. Friendly competition is at the heart of Lego League-Challenge, as students engage in research, coding, & engineering - building & programming a LEGO MINDSTORMS® robot that navigates the missions of a robot game. As part of Lego League-Challenge, teams also participate in a research project to identify & solve a relevant real-world problem. Two-part registration process! Step 1: Register with Comm Ed online or 507-895-5150 Step 2: Complete Lego League Participation Survey (link will be emailed after reg.) KICK-OFF Meeting & Team Formation ~ WED. Sept. 22, 6:30-7:30 pm in MS Conference Room 4 TABLE BUILD (optional - just drop in) Fri, Aug. 23, 1:30-3:30pm - Lab 4 Middle School Leaders: Cyndy Reichgelt & Parent Volunteers. Dates & Times: TBD by teams & coaches. One weekday after school & opt. Sat. mornings. $85

Summer ELEVATE Volleyball Camps: Last call to register. Contact Community Education at 507-895-5150 or go online to register. ELEVATE Camps, for grades 7-12, start on August 9. Volleyball Camp, for grades 3-6, starts on August 23! Still time to register.

Join us for a meet & greet with Superintendent Martinez on August 10th!

Come out to Culver's on Mormon Coulee Road in La Crosse, WI, next Tuesday June 22 from 5-7 PM to help out one of our own Lancer families. 10% of all sales during this time will be donated to Schroeder-Peterson family. Culver's is open for dine in and drive thru. Noah Schroeder is a middle school student here in La Crescent. His mother Lauren Peterson has worked for the La Crescent Hokah School District for many years. Noah just completed his 7th round of Chemo at Mayo in Rochester. When Noah has Chemo treatments his parents and younger brother stay in a hotel across the street so they can be close to him. He was in the hospital for 20+ days for this last round of Chemo and recovery. The money raised at this event will help the family with transportation expenses to and from Rochester, medical expenses and other bills they have accumulated. Thanks for your support!!!!

PSA: It’s time to think about Sports Physicals. At Mayo Clinic, we love seeing all of the students/athletes to make sure they are ready for sports and that they are up to date on everything they need to stay healthy. We have some dates/times set aside specifically for students but we will always work with families to schedule a time that works for them. Feel free to share the attached flyer with families and remind them that it’s not too early to be thinking about scheduling an appointment.

COVID-19 Preparedness Plan La Crescent - Hokah Public Schools The following plan must be followed by all learners, workers and visitors at La Crescent - Hokah Public Schools. La Crescent - Hokah Public Schools is committed to providing a safe and healthy workplace for all our workers, students, community members, guests and visitors. To ensure that, we have developed the following Preparedness Plan in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Managers, workers and visitors are all responsible for implementing this plan. Our goal is to mitigate the potential for transmission of COVID-19 in our workplaces, and that requires full cooperation among workers, management and visitors. Only through this cooperative effort can we establish and maintain the safety and health of our workers and visitors in our schools. Please follow this link to view the La Crescent-Hokah COVID Preparedness Plan, which is also available on our website: https://core-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/1334892/La_Crescent_-_Hokah_Covid_Preparedness_plan.pdf COVID Plan Community Input Survey Public Input on Safe Learning Plan: The public may provide input to help us improve our plan and procedures relating to response to COVID-19. We will review our plans periodically. Although the COVID-19 pandemic is greatly improving, we realize that the situation is fluid and ever-evolving. If circumstances change, we may also need to adjust. Please provide us input through this short survey. Our return to school plan will continually evolve as circumstances change and hopefully improve. To access the survey, please follow this link: https://forms.gle/BS6PxJen8BJNTgqPA Please submit responses by Monday, June 21st. La Crescent-Hokah Public Schools

Elementary school supplies lists are available now! You can access the lists by following this link: https://www.isd300.k12.mn.us/o/lchps/browse/158894

The following students were honored by Viterbo University for their commitment to volunteerism and service: Ethan Balacek Mason Bills Megan Bubbers Madeline Danielson Jayden Frederick Nadeen Hill Viterbo put together a short recognition video and can be viewed by following this link https://ensemble.viterbo.edu/Watch/Ny2c7Z9D.

🎉Congratulations to these staff members for their years of service!!!💚

For Kindergarten registration, please follow this link! https://www.isd300.k12.mn.us/o/lchps/page/kindergarten-registration--118 Be sure to check out our welcome video from Mr. Copp!!

Bike to school day was a success!

La Crescent - Hokah Public Schools - COVID 19 Update Learning Model Changes for Grades 5-12 May 6, 2021 Dear Parents and Students, This letter is to let you know that after taking a 14-day pause from in-person learning, we are planning to restart in-person learning next Tuesday, May 11th. While the spread of COVID-19 between our students has not stopped, it has slowed. It will be important for all students, families, and staff to follow safety protocols to minimize the spread and to allow us to stay open until the end of this school year. Our COVID-19 response team will continue to be in consultation with the MN Department of Health and Houston County Public Health to monitor COVID-19 spread and our ability to stay open. Elementary students will continue their current learning model of in-person learning, which is subject to change at any time. If a student is in the middle of quarantine, they must fulfill the quarantine before coming back to school. Please work with our school nurse if you have questions on quarantine expectations. Middle and high school students (5-12) will return to in-person learning starting Tuesday, May 11th. Wednesdays will be a distance learning for all students, grades 5 - 12. The Seniors’ last day of school is Friday, May 21st. All activities may resume practice on Monday, May 10th, after school. Competitions may resume on May 11th. It is important for families to know that if your child feels any symptoms of being unwell, please keep your child home and consider having a COVID test. It is important to continue to practice physical distancing, wearing masks, staying home if you feel ill, and avoiding large gatherings of any kind to help control the spread. Help us to allow for the school to be concluded in this way. If you have concerns about your child attending school in person for fear of getting COVID for the remainder of the school year, please contact your child’s grade level office to choose the option of doing distance learning. Nutrition Department Update: The Nutrition Department will be sending a new sign-up link to follow for meals for distance learning. Please watch for that email if you’d like to order meals. If you have any questions, you can contact any of the administrators below to help you find answers to your questions. Sincerely, Kevin Cardille - Superintendent Steve Smith - Secondary Principal Josh Mallicoat - Assistant Principal / Activities Director Jeff Copp - Elementary Principal Lauren Dodson - School Nurse/Covid Director Beth Theede - Community Education Director

Thank you, Teachers, for all that you do!

The La Crescent Concert choir is proud to announce that half of the entrees into solo/ensemble contest achieved a superior ranking. Four other entries received high excellent rankings. In this year of covid restrictions, it was wonderful to sing once again and achieve such great results. Pictured below are the participants. Front row: Leo Delong, Abbey Spagl, Stephanie Le Seure, Dusty Grattan Back row: Kinlee Grattan, Allison Stotts, Nadeen Hill, Lillian Picha, Marlie Heichel, Eli McCool, Hayden Stegen NOT PICURED Mya Colbert, Jayden Giertych

La Crescent - Hokah Public Schools - COVID 19 Update Learning Model Changes for Grades 5-12 April 26, 2021 Dear Parents and Students, This letter is to inform you that the spread of COVID-19 is continuing through the high school and now the middle school. As a result, all 5th-12th graders will go to distance learning effective tomorrow, Tuesday, April 27, through at least Monday, May 10. All activities K - 12 are also closed during this time period. Activities and events scheduled for tonight, April 26, will still take place. Our COVID-19 response team will continue to be in consultation with the MN Department of Health and Houston County Public Health to identify a date to return to in-person and/or hybrid learning. We are hopeful this total pause will help to stop the spread so that we can finish out the school year either in person or hybrid and also be able to complete the spring sports season. Elementary students will continue their current learning model of in-person learning, which is subject to change at any time. Middle and high school students (5-12) will continue in distance learning through May 10. What will happen on May 11 will be determined and will be shared by Friday, May 7. We urge all families, as well as community members, to practice physical distancing, wearing masks, staying home if you feel ill, and avoiding large gatherings of any kind to help control the spread. Nutrition Department Update: The Nutrition Department will be sending a new sign-up link to follow for meals for distance learning. Please watch for that email if you’d like to order meals. If you have any questions, you can contact any of the administrators below to help you find answers to your questions. Sincerely, Kevin Cardille - Superintendent Steve Smith - Secondary Principal Josh Mallicoat - Assistant Principal / Activities Director Jeff Copp - Elementary Principal Lauren Dodson - School Nurse/Covid Director Beth Theede - Community Education Director

Dear Parents and Students, This letter is to inform you of our current COVID-19 status in the school district. As of 9 AM this morning, we have 17 positive COVID-19 cases. All are in grades 9-12, and these cases have been identified in the last four days. We had six confirmed cases this morning, and none of those students were part of the group of students who were quarantined earlier this week due to exposure. At this time, we have no positive cases in the elementary and middle schools. We have been working closely with the Minnesota Department of Health and the School Board regarding what is happening in our area with COVID. We are the hot spot of the County right now and asked for their recommendation as to what to do next for the safety of our students. Their recommendation is to move to distance learning immediately for 14 days in high school. The expectation is that we will stop the spread and be able to bring back students for the last couple of weeks of school. If you have received quarantine instruction from Mrs. Dodson this week, please continue those instructions until May 6th. Elementary and middle school students will continue their current learning model, which is subject to change at any time. High school students (9-12) will change to distance learning starting tomorrow, Friday, April 23, and continue through May 6. Students will come back starting Friday, May 7; likely, we will have students come back in a hybrid model on that day. More information regarding that will come out during the pause. Advanced Placement tests will be rescheduled for those students after the distance learning period. High School MCA Science tests will be rescheduled after the distance learning period. Prom will be rescheduled for May 22nd at the Event Center, and more information will follow. All graduation plans remain in place as is for the May 30th ceremony at this time. All outdoor activities for grades 9-12 will be allowed to continue at this time for students not on quarantine; There will be no open gyms. Teams will be expected to follow safe social distancing guidelines, including wearing masks and not sharing equipment. 7th and 8th-grade activities will still take place as much as possible. Coaches will be communicating with their athletes directly about practices. Nutrition Department Update: The Nutrition Department will offer meals to all distance learners, including 9-12 grade students during the distance learning period. Students/families will have the option to order meals for daily pick up OR a 5-Day meal pack that can be picked up on Friday afternoon. The first 5-day meal pack pick-up will be April 30th. Please look for additional details in the upcoming meal order forms. If you are interested in ordering meals for next week (4/26-4/30), please follow this link to place your order: https://lacrosse.co1.qualtrics.com/.../SV_5gAsYunLI9TaQ2W If you have any questions, you can contact any of the administrators below to help you find answers to your questions. Sincerely, Kevin Cardille, Superintendent Steve Smith, Secondary Principal Josh Mallicoat, Assistant Principal / Activities Director Jeff Copp, Elementary Principal Lauren Dodson, School Nurse/Covid Director

Free Reading & Math Tutoring from Scholar Squad Let’s face it. COVID-19 has made everything challenging this year, especially learning. Reading Corps and Math Corps have launched a new initiative to help! Scholar Squad offers one-on-one, online tutoring for Minnesota students in PreK-8th grade, and it’s easy to get started. Visit ScholarSquad.org to request help for your child. A literacy or math coach will be in touch to set up a time to learn more about your child and conduct a short screening. If the screening shows your child could use extra help to boost their skills, you’ll be matched with a tutor who will provide one-on-one practice and support. Powered by AmeriCorps, tutoring is provided at no cost to families.

ISD 300 GARAGE SALE! 4/8/21 10AM-4PM & 4/9/21 8AM-2PM Elementary School Gym & Secondary School Media Center - or outside, weather permitting. Call 507-895-5051 for additional information. Follow this link to view items for sale: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/18bled3etjK2Mawtjk6jua0EVB_GA69KBlz7W8uvGTYA/edit?usp=sharing On Thursday and Friday, April 8 and 9, La Crescent - Hokah Public School District will have a garage sale of old or outdated school furniture, equipment, and supplies. An incomplete list of items can be found on the District website with prices for the items listed. More may be added up to and on the day of the sale. The sale will take place at both the Elementary site and the Secondary site. All sales will be cash only and items are sold as-is with no expected or implied guarantees.

La Crescent-Hokah School Board Selects Eric Martinez as next Superintendent The La Crescent-Hokah School Board is proud to announce that Mr. Eric Martinez has been selected as the district’s next superintendent effective July 1, 2021. Current Superintendent Kevin Cardille will be retiring on June 30, 2021. “We were pleased to work with the Minnesota School Board Association’s Superintendent Search Program, utilizing their expertise in recruitment that ultimately attracted 15 qualified candidates. Using input from staff, administration, and community members to guide our decision making, the Board interviewed five candidates and then narrowed the field to two candidates. Mr. Eric Martinez emerged as the best fit for our district,” said Board Chair Eric Morken. Chair Morken added, “There were several quotes from Mr. Martinez’s interviews that stood out to me. They included, ‘People don’t perform well if they do not feel safe,’ ‘We need the best version of you,’ and ‘How can we work together to get staff and students where we need and want them to be?’” Mr. Martinez has served as a high school social studies teacher, an assistant high school principal, and has most recently served as the 4th-12th grade principal for Waubun-Ogema-White Earth Community Schools from 2012 until present. Mr. Martinez notes, “I am incredibly excited for this opportunity to grow with the La Crescent-Hokah Lancers. Creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication are very important to me, and I am excited to learn about all of the opportunities for growth in the La Crescent-Hokah Public Schools. I look forward to serving in such a great community.” The La Crescent-Hokah Board of Education approved the contract for Mr. Martinez at the April 6, 2021 special meeting.