Coronavirus Information and Resources

Updates to this page will be made as needed and as new information is released. This page was last updated on May 22, 2020.

State orders closure

Monona Grove schools are closed effective immediately.

This closure will continue through the 2019-20 school year (June 30, 2020). Please see the message archive to the right for more information. The recent Supreme Court ruling does not affect school closures. 

We have restricted access to our buildings as of the evening of Tuesday, March 17. If you anticipate needing access to the building, please call the main office of your child's school.

Virtual Learning Opportunities

Since the Governor's original closure order on March 12, our administrators, teachers, and staff have been preparing for the possibility of an indefinite school closure. We know many of you are feeling unsettled and overwhelmed. We want to emphasize that you are not in this alone; we are here to support you and your families, and we will continue to serve you in every way that we can.

Participation and engagement in tasks assigned by teachers is expected. If teachers are noticing lack of or nonparticipation, the teachers and principal will reach out to explore the circumstances and problem solve barriers. Students will show ‘proof of learning’ through their work product, not how many hours or minutes they sat in front of their device.

We will continue to follow our student calendar for school days and no-school days. Our last day of virtual/at-home instruction will be June 5. The week of June 8 will be used for turning in any assignments or exams, virtual meet-ups, check-ins, etc. More information will come directly from your child’s school. Please continue to prioritize the mental health and social-emotional wellness of your family; reach out to your child’s teacher, student services department, or building leadership team if you need support. 

Graduation

Our seniors and their families have worked incredibly hard and have looked forward to graduation for a long time. It is a major milestone, and one that we are used to sharing with extended family and friends. Public Health has already said graduation parades or drive-through graduations constitute a mass gathering and are in violation of the DHS Safer at Home order. As referenced above, school districts are closed through the end of the school year, June 30. Absent any further orders, this means school facilities are closed through June 30 for instruction or other purposes except for the essential functions laid out in the order. Because of these orders and local guidance, this year’s MGHS and MG21 graduation ceremonies will be virtual. Students, teachers, and school administrators have planned these virtual graduations as an opportunity to celebrate and are working hard to make it meaningful for students and families.

• MG21: The ceremony will be streamed on our community media YouTube channel at 7 p.m. on June 4. More details will be available soon.

• MGHS: The ceremony will be streamed on our community media YouTube channel at 1 p.m. on June 7. More details have been sent to seniors and their families.

It is not the outcome any of us have hoped for and we understand this will cause disappointment. While we considered postponing until later in the summer when we might know more, officials have expressed that given the number of milestones or benchmarks the state has yet to meet, it is likely that gatherings will be limited to 10 or fewer people throughout much of the summer. At this time we are not permitted to have seniors and parents come to campus; even in small groups. This applies to outside on the athletic fields or in our auditorium. Should the directions from state officials change, we will make adjustments in our graduation plans accordingly. On May 7, the Department of Health Services issued additional guidance that aligns with our current plan.   

Summer School

Since schools were notified that in-person summer school was not possible, our team of summer school coordinators has been busy thinking about and planning for a new version of summer school that will offer engaging programming for students safely through virtual learning.  MGSD is still committed to offering summer school programming, beginning on June 22 through July 17 (no class on July 3).  This programming will be for students currently in grades K-8. 
 

Our summer program this year provides one interdisciplinary, thematic course for each grade level K-8.  The course will involve a mix of reading, writing, problem solving, creativity, physical activity/wellbeing, and mathematical thinking tasks and activities all interwoven around a theme (themes may change weekly).  All content will be based on grade-level appropriate standards and will reinforce many of the essential skills addressed throughout the school year, using interesting topics and themes to engage learners. There is only one option per grade level K-8. 

All K-8 course content will be delivered virtually, using either SeeSaw or Google Classroom.  Summer school teachers will have options for students to engage “live” during class daily.  Activities and tasks can be completed “off-line” as necessary.  The learning expectation for daily class is two hours of time.  Teachers will be available daily for small group and individual support with students as necessary for an additional 30 minutes each day.  

There is an expectation that students will “attend” virtually for some part of each day during the 19 days of summer school.  Attendance will be taken by either check in with the teachers or by completed assignments. Similar to in person summer school you will just have to let your teacher know if your child will be absent or not participating in that day’s lesson.  Check our summer school website for a sample of what a summer school day may look like.

Even if you previously registered for summer school, you must register for virtual summer school here. Registration for this new version of summer school must be completed by May 29, 2020.  If you are not interested that is ok, your child will not be behind if you choose not to participate. You do NOT need to decline or fill out the survey if you are not going to participate. If you are a resident in the Monona Grove School District but do not currently attend a school in the district and would like to participate, please fill out the survey to sign up for summer school by May 29, 2020.

On June 22-July 17, 2020 (no school held on July 3 in observance of 4th of July) virtual summer school will also take place for grades 9-12. Monona Grove High School provides summer school for additional academic support for students who did not pass a specific course and need credit remediation. Registration for the credit recovery classes at MGHS summer school will continue to be done through our MGHS counselors in Student Services. Parents will receive communication from the student services department stating that your child needs to sign up for summer school and how to register.

In addition to credit recovery classes, MGHS will offer an ACT prep class. Registration for this course will occur through our Student Services department, please email michelle.boyde@mgschools.net to register.

Items Under Consideration

With school buildings closed through the rest of 2019-20 school year, there are just a few items remaining under consideration. As with other cancellations and closures this spring, we are bound by orders from the State of Wisconsin. For these remaining--and related future--decisions, we are following guidelines and orders from the Department of Health Services, Department of Public Instruction, and other agencies. We acknowledge that the continuous and ongoing closures and cancellations are weighing on families and students as well as teachers and staff; we are taking steps when possible to limit that burden as much as we can. 

• Jumpstart at MGHS and other building transitions for other grade levels
• Fall 2020 (Please see the May 21 update in the message archive for more information). 

We are constantly evaluating current state as well as trying our best to predict how events may unfold. No decisions on these topics have been finalized, although conversations and contingency planning are continuing. Keep an eye on this page for more information--as we learn more and are better able to make decisions, we will keep families informed. 

Student Services Request for Assistance Form

If you would like to consult with a Student Services team member regarding your child's social-emotional wellbeing, a mental health issue or any challenge you're experiencing during the school closure, please complete this brief form and a School Counselor, Psychologist, Social Worker or Nurse from your child's school will respond to you within 1-3 days.

Food Service Available During Closure

The Monona Grove School District School Nutrition Department will be providing FREE pre-packaged, grab-and-go Breakfast and Lunch to any child age 18 and under. 

School Nutrition staff will prepare and along with Nelson's Bus Service deliver meals to each of the identified sites at the time published on a daily basis (Monday thru Friday). Each day children ages 18 and under will receive two (2) pre-packaged meals (lunch for the day of and breakfast for the following day) FREE. 

• Children do not need to be present at the time of pick up/delivery
• This is open to children 18 years and younger; children do not need to be school age nor attending the Monona Grove School District to qualify
• Everyone is welcome to participate; there is no income limit

We have experienced fluctuations in the numbers of meals requested; in order to adjust to that, we will increase the number of meals prepared add provide an additional buffer too, for Monday's meals. We had been trying to minimize how many extras we had in order to provide some diversity of meals provided and to produce less waste, but we're going to adjust that starting next week. We'll focus on making sure we have enough meals for everyone, then start to provide different meals as it levels off again. 

A few more updates: 

• Beginning the week of April 6th, a weekly reminder will be sent out to families. Only individuals requesting deliveries will need to sign up. As we transition to not requiring a sign up, please be patient as we adjust our daily counts. 
• Winnequah School Site pick up time has changed. The new time is from 11:00 am to 11:20 am
• Students no longer need to be present to receive food. 
   

Pick up Sites and Times:
 
Monona

• Monona Grove High School (Front Circle by Main Office Entrance) 10:30 am to 10:45 am
• Winnequah School 11:00 am to 11:20 am

Cottage Grove:

• Glacial Drumlin School 11:00 am to 11:15 am
• Taylor Prairie 11:20 am to 11:35 am
• Cottage Grove School  11:45 am to 12:00 pm 

Please note: Providing meals for our families is an incredibly important service during this closure. We will be sending weekly email and SMS/text reminders to sign up for the free breakfast and lunch to all families. If you do not need the information in this message, please ignore/delete. 

Meal Order Form

The last day for food service will be June 11. We care deeply about the burden this places on our families and are working on other ways to support you. Please fill out this brief form from our student services department if you need any assistance with meals or other challenges. 

Looking to Help?

The student services team is working hard to support all our families during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our MG community is filled with generosity and we have had several individuals reach out, inquiring about ways to support those in need. If you find yourself in a position to offer assistance, donations of gift cards are the biggest need. Please contact kelsy.dieckhoff@mgschools.net (Cottage Grove) or leah.kutschke@mgschools.net (Monona) if you would like more information on how to donate.

Talking to Your Family About Coronavirus

Some schools are reporting an increase of student anxiety related to illness and pandemic planning. Consider talking with your student(s) as a family. Some suggestions include:

• Stick to the facts. It can be scary to hear about a disease outbreak, but learning the facts can help ease your mind.

• Help your student remain calm, and assure them their risk is low. 

• Remind your family that when we are prepared for difficult situations, we make informed decisions and have more control.

• It's important that we avoid assumptions or stereotypes about who you think may be sick. Viruses cannot target people from specific populations, ethnicities, or racial backgrounds. A person’s race does not make them more or less likely to be sick or to get sick. 

Additional resources for talking with your family:

• Brainpop video aimed at kids that explains coronavirus
• Webcomic and 3-minute audio story aimed at kids on coronavirus
• How to Talk to Your Kids about coronavirus (PBS/Daniel Tiger - for young children)
• Article and podcast on "What to Say to Kids When the News is Scary"
• "Talking to Teens and Tweens About Coronavirus"
• The National Association of School Psychologists have an entire page of resources on this topic here. 

Additional Resources

The coronavirus situation changes virtually every day. For the most up-to-date information, visit the pages below. 

• Public Health Madison and Dane County page on COVID-19

• Wisconsin Department of Health Services page on COVID-19

• Centers for Disease Control page on COVID-19