by Mitch Wainwright
What a difference a year makes. It feels like my first years of teaching when we started school in August. The other issue that reminds me of those early days in my career – it was always extremely hot and humid. Mother Nature has once again let us know she is in control. The students and staff have done a great job dealing with the conditions, and have persevered to the best of their ability.
As a school district, we continue to monitor the impact of the virus. The school board has created an ad-hoc committee to focus on maximizing learning and safety as we bring students back into school. The committee is made up of a diverse group of people that will help analyze data that is county-wide and more specific to the Mineral Point Unified School District. They will make recommendations to the school board on the next steps for the district in terms of increasing the number of students in the building per day or needing to move to an all-virtual learning plan.
In other news, construction has been happening at the elementary school and the new addition is really taking shape. The construction company will have the building closed in soon and will continue working on the interior during the fall and possibly winter months. Next summer they should move into the renovation portion of the project and are looking to complete the entire project by October 2021.
With all of the changes that have taken place since March, I would like you to understand that there is not one person in the school or serving on the ad-hoc committee that is not looking forward to having all students back in person. We are following the recommendations of the Iowa County Health Department, healthcare professionals, and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI). The school has focused on student safety for a long time. Most often that discussion revolves around a fire or tornado drill, or intruders into the buildings. Now we are trying to maintain the health safety of all our students and staff. Every person that works in the school district wants nothing but the best for their students, your children. If we continue to work together through these difficult times, not only will we grow stronger, we will get better. It is the strength of #PointerNation.