Contract Tracing

 Understanding Contact Tracing

This past week, VCS had to shut down face-to-face learning for two weeks due to the Coronavirus and staff needing quarantine.  Naturally, this raised many questions regarding students and how no students were found to be at risk if the staff needed to quarantine.  Understandably, many were concerned about their children and what was occurring.  This is to be expected and completely understandable.  Trying to keep up with all of the Coronavirus information can be challenging, confusing, and overwhelming.  I am not a doctor or medical expert; however, I will try and simplify some of the aspects to help parents better understand the process in this communication. For more detailed information, I would encourage you to visit the Mid-Michigan Health Department website at https://www.mmdhd.org/novel-coronavirus/  or the CDC website https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.  

First, please know that as school districts, we follow the guidance of the local health department.  Every decision is based on their recommendation and their involvement in quarantine and when we need to consider shutting down.  

Definitions

Next, it is important to understand the following terms as defined by the CDC:

Close Contact: Someone who was within 6 feet of an infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period* starting from 2 days before illness onset (or, for asymptomatic patients, 2 days before test specimen collection) until the time the patient is isolated.

Incubations period: Period of time between exposure to an infection and onset of symptoms.  

Confirmed Case:  Someone that has tested positive.

Probable Case: Report of a person meeting clinical AND epidemiologic evidence of COVID-19 without confirmatory laboratory evidence.   Someone that has symptoms and is considered to have the virus but has not tested positive. For purposes of contract tracing, this person is treated the same as a confirmed case.

Quarantine:  The separation of a person or group of people reasonably believed to have been exposed to a communicable disease but not yet symptomatic from others who have not been so exposed to prevent the possible spread of communicable disease. Quarantine may be voluntary or compelled by federal, state, or local public health orders.

Confirmed, Probable, and Quarantine

It is important to know that someone can be exposed to a person with the virus but not be considered a close contact because the exposure or contact does not meet the definition of a close contact due to several factors.  The contact may have been too brief or occurred outside with well over 6ft of social distancing while wearing a mask.  A person that is not deemed a close contact is considered low risk and does not have to quarantine. This determination is made by the Health Department, not the school district. A person determined to be a close contact of a confirmed or probable case will be required to quarantine.  This does not mean they have the virus but rather that they are at a higher risk of contracting the virus.  Thus, their contacts do not have to quarantine and are considered low risk.   If they test positive or become symptomatic during their quarantine, it then requires further contract tracing for their contacts, and their close contacts will then have to quarantine.  Furthermore, there is a two-day window before when they tested positive or show symptoms that they are considered to transmit the virus.  

Recent VCS Case

In the recent case at VCS, a staff member tested positive, and then before knowing they had contracted the virus, they met with several other staff members.  These staff members had to quarantine; however because they were not confirmed or probable cases, their contacts did not have to quarantine. No students were close contacts to the confirmed case and were not considered at-risk.  As a result of this one positive case, we had to quarantine several staff members and, thus, could not provide all of the services required for face-to-face instruction.  Furthermore, it is important to know that things can change in all of these situations at any time.  If someone in quarantine becomes a confirmed or probable case, further contact tracing will occur, and more individuals may be required to quarantine.  Every case is fluid and can change when the circumstances or information available change.  School districts are required to notify those that are close contacts individually within 24hrs.  Thus, if you or your child are not contacted, they have not deemed a close contact and are considered low risk based on the available information and contact tracking.

As a school district, please know that we work very closely with the Health Department, and we are committed to being as transparent as possible.  However, we do have some limitations on what we can share regarding individuals' health status. Everyone can be assured that we will try to err on the side of safety for our students at all times.  

Athletics

We realize that sometimes it can be confusing and hard to understand why we may close down our face to face learning but allow certain athletics to continue.  Contrary to common perceptions, we do not prioritize athletics over academics in any way, shape, or form.  If given a district choice, we would suspend athletics to keep our face-to-face learning in place.  However, that is not how it works, and the two are not always related.  The circumstances are very different, and one may not impact the other.  Athletics play a big role in many of our students' education, and our student-athletes work hard at their chosen activities.  Thus, it does not make sense to take that opportunity away from these individuals and teams just because we have to cancel something else.  It is no different than quarantining a grade level but potentially letting others continue face-to-face learning.  It all depends on the situation and the circumstances of the case.  Our goal is for our students to have as many experiences as possible as long as it is deemed safe.  Again, the Health Department is consulted in all of these decisions. We are following their recommendations and the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) guidelines created by health experts.

Preparedness

As a school district, we understand the importance of providing as much notice as possible for parents and students.  We know how hard it is to make the necessary arrangements for child care and distance learning.  However, we do not have control over when a case occurs or when we get the notice.  Our goal is to react and make decisions as fast as possible to provide as much notice and support as possible.  This is why it is so important that everyone, staff, students, and parents are prepared as much as possible to implement distance learning.  Students must take home their Chromebooks and materials every day to be ready if face to face learning must be suspended.

Lastly, please know that we are all in this together, and we will do our best to support our students and our families.  These are tough times for everyone.  As a district, we prefer to have students who wish to attend in person in our building.  Having to suspend face-to-face learning and shut down the building is our last resort and is not something that we ever want to do as it causes everyone stress, confusion, and, quite frankly, more work. 

WE ARE VESTABURG!  Think positive and test negative!

Return to Face to Face Instruction and Loss MIndset

It has been a while since my last post, in part because of all of the different changes and circumstances that have presented themselves the last several months and because I have been trying to keep everyone updated via Facebook Live Updates.  I know that not everyone can access or likes to get things via social media, and with the return to face to face instruction and Homecoming taking place, it feels like a good time to post.

We have just finished our 2nd week of face to face instruction, with approximately 60-65% of our students choosing to return. It has been great to see many of our students! I am very proud of how everyone has come together to help make this transition as smooth as possible.  Thank you to our staff for all of their work and for their ability to adjust to new practices and policies.  All of our staff members have stepped up and have joined in to help, and it has made a huge difference.  Also, I want to thank our parents for their patience and cooperation.  I realize that not all of the new policies and practices are convenient and, in some cases, may go against your personal beliefs; however, everyone has been extremely understanding and cooperative.  Everyone's cooperation has made the first two weeks of face to face instruction very smooth and productive.  Thank you!

To add to all of the changes and challenges, this week, we are celebrating Homecoming.  As you can imagine, this year is quite different than any year in memory.   It has taken many adjustments and creativity to try and make it as great as it can be for our students.  Restrictions have limited the large gatherings and activities that we typically associate with Homecoming.  However, whether it has been the celebration of the Homecoming Court or the fun dress-up days, there have still been many activities and experiences that have made this a memorable experience for our students.  After all, isn't that who it is all about?  

This leads me to my next point, observation.  I recently read a post by a friend that discussed the importance of our mindset as adults.  As the post stated, over the past few months, we have all heard, "the kids have already lost so much."  The past few months have been challenging in many ways, and we must be all able to express our feelings and talk about the struggles that we have faced.  However, we need to ask ourselves this question,  "is it really the kids that feel this way," or is it the adults perpetuating a victim/loss mindset because it is different than what they knew.  Think about some of the things that we have a sense of loss over.  Many of these things were never even thought about or occurred when our grandparents were growing up.  In my experiences, kids typically are very resilient and handle change much better than most adults.  As adults, we need to let them feel for themselves and not try to assign how they should feel.  As adults, we need to teach our children about perspective, grit and overcoming challenges.  In every challenge, there is an opportunity.  We just have to train ourselves to look for it.  We need to look for and celebrate the opportunities.  For example, instead of being upset about trick or treating, plan a Halloween activity and meal for the family.  Make it special in a different way. Opportunities are everywhere. For more quality time. For more exploring. For more conversations. For slowing down. These are tough times, and having feelings of sadness or disappointment is completely natural, and we need to allow everyone to work through these feelings. We also all need to continue to adjust our mindset, mindset matters. Remember, we are setting the stage for the next generation.

Think positive, test negative!  We ARE Vestaburg!

Thankfulness

The holiday season is upon us.  This season is a time of family, friends, and giving thanks.   It is in this vein that I want to give thanks to our community for their continued support as we have many things to be proud of and thankful for this year.  First, we are continuing to add features and updates to our security system. We are in the process of getting the full SmartBoot system with the Bluetooth notification program up and running. To see a quick demo please visit our Facebook page at Vestaburg Community School or our web-page at www.vcs-k12.net. We are extremely proud of our advancements, as we are one of only a few schools in the State of Michigan and even the nation with this system; this makes us a national example. While we can never 100% predict the future, please know that we are doing everything possible to keep our students and children safe! 

In addition, we have been able to expand our one to one technology initiative to include grades 3-12 with each student assigned a Chromebook for the year. We continue to expand our services to at-risk students, approximately 1800 students, are participating in our virtual program throughout the state of Michigan. Once again, we at Vestaburg are one of the few schools offering this type of program.  While this program is not for everyone and is designed as an alternative program, I am very proud to say that over 150 students that were behind and not going to be able to graduate on time had the opportunity to graduate in the spring of 2019. This program has increased the workload of many in our system, however, I am very proud and grateful of the staff that has taken on this work and make it successful.  This program changes the lives of the students we serve and also generates additional revenue for our school district.

I am also very thankful for the passing of the Bond last Spring.  As a result, we have been able to purchase four (4) new school buses.  We will also be having the new bleachers installed in the high school gym over our winter break.  We are currently in the process of accepting bids for our roofing renovation and installation and will be ready to break ground on the project this coming spring.  Finally, as we finalize the roofing bids we are going to be accepting bids for the additional renovation work in January. The scope of this work depends on the remaining funds after the first three projects are finalized.  This work could include some upgrades to bathrooms and classrooms in the middle school and elementary areas.

In addition, I am thankful for a great staff that works hard every day to take care of and educate the students of this community.  While things may not always work how we want them to, I witness each and every day the love and dedication our staff has for our students. Lastly, I and every other staff member at Vestaburg Community School is grateful for each and every student that we are blessed to work with each day.  Thank you for allowing us to share in the lives of your children.   

On behalf of Vestaburg Community Schools, I want to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season!

Welcome Back 2019-2020

August is a unique time of year.  On one hand, the "summer" is winding down and with that, there is always some sadness.  However, on the other hand, there are still some fun family time and vacations planned. Lastly, it is filled with the excitement of school clothes shopping, seeing friends and classmates, and of course all of the outstanding learning opportunities that come with a new school year.  For educators, it is the opportunity to get back to doing what we love and that is working with and educating our children. Although for many, students and staff alike, the alarm clock starts going off at what seems like an impossibly early time, this is one of the best times of the year.  As with any school year, we assuredly will experience many highs and lows, conflicts, and struggles.  However, as long as we face them with an open mind, respect for all involved, and as a team, there is nothing that we will not overcome.   WE ARE VESTABURG!

This past year the district was able to continue to improve our school safety. We are continuing to add features and security updates to our system. We are anticipating the full SmartBoot system with the Bluetooth notification program to be up and running. To see a quick demo please visit our Facebook page at Vestaburg Community School or our webpage at www.vcs-k12.net. We are extremely proud of our advancements. We are one of only a couple of schools in the State of Michigan with this system and we are a national example. While we can never 100% predict the future, please know that we are doing everything possible to keep our students and children safe!

Furthermore, we are working hard to continue to implement the objectives as set forth by the Strategic Plan that was created last spring.  We will be continuing to expand our one to one technology initiative that will include grades 3-12 with each student assigned a Chromebook for the year.  We are expanding our service to at-risk students, approximately 1500 students, in our virtual program throughout the state of Michigan. Another area of focus continues to be the area of student behavior and discipline processes, as we strive to provide all of our students the best learning environment possible.  As part of this focus, we have added an Elementary Dean of Students and are working to implement the Miblsi literacy and behavior initiative. In addition, we continue welcoming new staff, as well as, having current staff in new positions.  Please stay tuned for more information as the staffing changes and new hires are still taking place.

Lastly, it is a goal of all levels of our school district to invite and participate in meaningful two-way collaboration and communications with all of our stakeholders including, students, parents, staff, and community members and organizations.  Some of you may have heard me say our school is our community and our community is our school.  I truly believe that we need to be a strong team and to support each other in order for both the community and the school to grow and thrive.  Neither one can maximize its potential without the other.  Thus, we will continue to seek input from all and to look for ways to increase opportunities for input and

collaboration.

Here is to a great school year!  I look forward to working with everyone and watching our school continue to grow.  WE ARE VESTABURG!

State of Vestaburg Community School 2019

It is the time of year that our elected officials provide their constituents a State of the Union or State of the State Address, or at least most years anyway!  It is with this in mind that I thought I would try to provide a state of our school update.  However, please know that this is not all inclusive of everything that is taking place at Vestaburg Community School.

For starters, it has been a busy year with many staff changes.  These changes include the addition of Mrs. Jennifer Warner-Leja as the 7-12 Principal; Allyssa Wilson as the Business Manager; Samantha Cashen, Spanish, and Math Teacher; Kate Drury, Therese Hubble, and Tamara White, Second Grade Teachers;  Angela Davis, Preschool Teacher; and Jordan Hessbrook, HS Social Studies and English Teacher.  In addition, we have added several new paraprofessionals that are working hard with students to meet daily needs and provide academic interventions.  In many areas, there are shortages of qualified staff to fill these roles!  Thus, we are very excited to have each of these individuals join the Wolverine family. We are blessed with a very dedicated and caring staff and I am confident that our staff will continue to push our district forward!

This school year, 2018-2019, marks the third straight year that we have seen an increase in our student enrollment.  During this time, we have seen our enrollment increase by approximately 40 students.  We continue to see a positive net gain with school of choice numbers.  Currently, we are running two full preschool classrooms and a three-year-old program.  This has been a priority for our school board to provide our young children with a quality preschool program.  In addition, VCS has been at the forefront in the virtual/alternative education programming.  At this time, we are the authorizer for a charter school that serves approximately 1300 students through ten sites around the state of Michigan.  In addition, this year the district launched a new alternative education program that is serving 150 students through a blended virtual experience.  This has been a deliberate and powerful endeavor for the district and the Board of Education for the purpose of serving students in need and providing diversified programs and revenue for the district.  Through all of these commitments and programs, Vestaburg Community School is serving and changing the lives of over 2000 students in the state of Michigan.

This past fall, the district put a bond issue before the community.  While the issue failed by a close margin, the board did receive considerable positive feedback and has determined that it is important enough to try again with another election in May of 2019. The projects include roofing updates, purchase of school buses, replacement of the high school bleachers, and if funds permit some remodeling of older bathrooms and classrooms.  Each of these issues are considered capital improvements and very costly.  For example, one new school bus is $80,000 - $90,000 and a new roof is over $1,000,000.  While we understand that for many, additional taxes are not a positive thing and may be difficult, we feel our children and our school are worth it!   The decision to ask the community to approve an increase is not taken lightly and the needs are not luxuries, but rather necessities.   If approved it would cost the voters approximately $5.00-$13.00 dollars a month.  School funding can be complicated, and it does not provide for the capital cost and projects.  As you look at public schools across the state, capital projects such as this are funded with bonds and millages.  Furthermore, it is important to note that Vestaburg Schools receives one of the lowest amounts of tax dollars per student in our ISD and ranks in the bottom 5% in the state of Michigan. Lastly, we know that many people may not understand or agree with the decisions that have been made in the past. However, we cannot change the past, but we can ensure the current and future children of our community a great and safe school.  Our kids are worth the investment and we are committed to providing them with the best education possible!

The district is also in the process of finalizing the last stage of our security updates.  Over the next few months, we will be installing the latest Smart Boot technology that will make Vestaburg only the second school in Michigan with this technology.  As you may recall, we have been able to implement all of our security updates including the Boot, emergency placards, ballistic shields, and cameras through generous community donations and through lighting upgrades that provide savings to pay for all of these updates.  We remain committed to the security of our buildings and our students!

As previously mentioned, this is not an all-inclusive list, but rather an overview of some of the great things taking place.  While we may be small on the outside, we are making a huge difference for thousands of students and we are leading the way in many areas addressed above.  The Board and the staff are committed to continuing to put our students first, be fiscally responsible, and keep on the front edge of education.  We ARE Vestaburg and our Students are Worth It!

We ARE Vestaburg!!: 2019: Here we Come!

We ARE Vestaburg!!: 2019: Here we Come!: This is an interesting time of the year.  It is the start of a new calendar year, as well as, the start of the governmental year.  It is a t...

2019: Here we Come!

This is an interesting time of the year.  It is the start of a new calendar year, as well as, the start of the governmental year.  It is a time of reflection and a time of looking forward.  It is a time of promises and resolutions to do better.  However, for schools, it is the natural break or midway point in the school year.  While this can be challenging, it is also an opportunity to learn from the first half of the year and to make changes to improve the second half of the year.  So, as we look forward to 2019 it is important that we explore a couple of truths that are evident in order to be successful, morale and hard-work.

No matter how you consume the news,  a common theme is that we need to improve the morale of the people.  As new officials take office it is a common talking point and promise.  Whether in government, business, or life, in general, there is no doubting the impact positive morale can play.  Research in abundant and clear on the power of positive thinking and positive morale.  However, this leads to the question as to whose job is it create a positive moral.  Can any organization really control how an individual feels about something?  The answer to this is that while both parties play a role, it ultimately is up to an individual how they choose to see things, react to things, and whether they chose to be positive or negative.  A successful organization will put into place processes, policies, and strategies that provide a positive structure that will allow its people to be successful and feels appreciated.  A successful organization will even help individuals to focus on the positive aspects rather than dwell in the negative.  However, it is up to each of us as individuals to find the positives and to control our own happiness.  We cannot and should not wait for someone or something else to make us happy!  As has been said many times, we cannot always control what happens but we can control how we react.  In fact, it is often the only thing we can control.  As a staff, students, parents, and citizens we need to help each other see the positives and not get caught up dwelling on the things that we do not like, but rather, look for positive ways to make meaningful change within ourselves.

Furthermore, positive morale and attitude alone are not enough. There is no success without hard work. However, while working hard is a requirement, just working hard is not enough! Working hard provides opportunities, it is not a guarantee that you will be successful.  That is not life and it is not reality. However, you cannot be successful without hard work.  This true for us as adults and educators and it is true for students. It is imperative that we as a school, parents, and a community continue to improve each and every day. Furthermore, it is critical that push ourselves and those around us beyond their comfort zones, progress is not made without a struggle. We need to think and problem-solve, not complain. As parents, we cannot protect and prevent our children from this process and feeling some discomfort. This is what leads to growth and improvement. However, as important as this process is, equally important is how we support them and teach them to overcome the struggle. This is as true for adults as it is for our children. This is where as a community and as partners we need to work together. We do not have to have all the answers, but rather let our children and fellow citizens know you care and are there to help them find the answer. Let them know you are there to help and empower them to think, learn, and overcome.  

So as we move into the new year, let's make it the best year yet. Let's work together to ensure that we are growing as a community, a school, and as individuals. Through hard work and positive thinking we will make 2019 a year to remember and in doing so, help set up our future generations for success. We Are Vestaburg!