MCCSC-Back to School Information

As we prepare to welcome students back to school on July 31st, we would like to review some changes in school procedures in response to guidelines from health officials. We have met and discussed agreed upon precautions as a county-wide group, and also have the approval of the Hendricks County Health Officer. While this addresses a unified effort, we will continue to work closely with our own Corp Nurse and Hendricks Co Health Department for handling outbreaks locally. Please find several details regarding our return plans throughout this newsletter.

CLICK HERE to view our joint Hendricks County School Corporations message.

While you have likely received a lot of information from us here at MCCSC, this provides you a more detailed description of available options. Please know that we truly believe the best option for our students is to be in-person with our wonderfully dedicated educators, but we also understand the health/wellness concerns weighing heavily on many families as well. With that in mind we are planning to offer two options: in-person with safety precautions or a virtual/Home Learning option.

For the 2020-21 school year, we will open the doors to our returning students on July 31st, with the exception of the Little Cadets PreK, which begins August 3rd. NOTE: We are assuming your child will return as normal unless you complete the HOME LEARNING request form by July 10, 2020.

We will follow our regular school calendar and schedule where additional safety protocols will be followed. Staff and students will be required to wear a mask at various times throughout the school day to minimize exposure for all. Please feel free to review this site to see what steps we have and will be taking to prepare for return and ongoing operations.

Below are district-wide necessary precautions. Several others are being considered and some may by building or event specific.

• Masks will be worn on buses, upon entry/exit of buildings, during transitions/passing periods, clinics, small group work, speech/therapy, etc. (More will likely be added as we plan forward.)
• Cleaning procedures have been enhanced since March and will continue.
• Additional hand sanitizer stations will be available.
• Shared school supplies will be very limited, and only shared if proper cleaning/sanitation can occur beforehand (e.g art supplies, manipulatives, sensory fidgets, tools, etc).
• Classrooms will be reorganized to maximize space(reduction of small group seating, carpet time, couches, etc.)
• Lunch time will likely look different for all buildings.
• Special classes/electives will still be a part of your child's day.
• Elementary schools will have recess in zones to allow for cleaning between grade levels.
• Schedules may be adjusted to accommodate transitions to minimize exposure.
• Visitors in our schools will be very limited.
• All schools will have two clinics (symptomatic/asymptomatic).
• Students/staff who are sick must be fever free for 72 hours without fever-reducing medication.

Cascade High School:

• Freshman Cadet Kickoff is set for July 28th from 7:00 - 8:00PM. This a student only event and parent information will be shared in digital format and placed on HS wesbsite. Masks may be required for certain activities during orientation, so students should bring their own.
• New student tour/registration is scheduled by appointment only July 27-29. Masks must be worn by students and parents during the tours.
• Student schedules will be available in Powerschool on July 24th. Any class changes should be requested via email prior to start date.
• Drive-Thru Chromebook Roll Out is scheduled for students on July 22 & 23. Online Registration must be completed to obtain devices.
• Students returning to in-person learning will begin on July 31, 2020 at 7:55AM.

Cascade Middle School:

• 6th Grade Orientation is set for July 27, beginning at 10:00AM in small groups. This is a student only event, where students will be scheduled to attend in groups of 20. Students will meet with the 6th grade teaching team and receive a building tour in 30-min sessions. Masks will be required for this event. No meal will be served.
• New student tour/registration is scheduled by appointment only on July 27. Masks must be worn by students and parents during the tours.
• Students schedules will be available in Powerschool on July 24th.
• Drive-Thru Chromebook Roll Out is scheduled for students on July 22 & 23. Online Registration must be completed to obtain devices.
• Students returning to in-person learning will begin on July 31, 2020 at 7:55AM.

Mill Creek East/West Elementary Schools:

• Kindergarten round-up will be held in person with social distancing and extra cleaning measures in place on July 15th (East) & 16th (West). Students are encouraged to attend with up to two adults. Masks must be worn by students and parents.
  
• Class lists will be posted in the parent portal on Powerschool on Friday, July 24th.
• Meet the Teacher/Back to School nights will be done virtually on July 28th and 29th. Google invites will be shared with you by your child's classroom teacher.
• New student tour/registration is scheduled by appointment only on July 27, 2020. Masks must be worn by students and parents during the tours.
• Drive-Thru Chromebook Roll Out is scheduled for students on July 22 & 23. Online Registration must be completed to obtain devices.
• Students returning to in-person learning will begin on July 31, 2020 at 9:00AM.

Little Cadets Preschool:

• Registration closes on July 10, 2020.
• Preschool teachers will reach out about Meet the Teacher/Back to School night protocols.
• Students returning to in-person learning will begin on August 3, 2020 at 9:00AM.
• Enrollment Packet for Little Cadets: Complete both Registration and Enrollment documents.

It is imperative that families submit the HOME LEARNING REQUEST FORM to affirm the desire for their child to be scheduled in our Home Learning program. This is important for us to be able to allocate teachers/support staff to assist with our home learning planning per grade level/content. If choosing this option, families must commit for an entire semester. We will contact you to determine wishes for the second semester.

Cascade High School: Students will receive classes available through Mill Creek's subscription of courses and possibly some via the Canvas platform. Students will be assigned to grade level team for communication, support, and/or tutoring. Grades will be given for activites, assignments, and assessments.

Cascade Middle School: Students will receive instruction via Canvas with a blend of recorded instructional lessons, and course work through Exact Path or Plato, and Google Meet opportunities for tutoring/resource help. Assessments will also be delivered in the Canvas or Edmentum platform. Students will have teacher(s) assigned for the content courses: ELA, math, science, and social studies. Teachers and students will have capability to converse through Canvas/Gmail. Grades will be given for activites, assignments, and assessments.

Mill Creek East/West Elementary Schools: Students will receive instruction in reading, math and writing. Instruction will be provided through recorded teacher lessons and one day of assessment and/or project-based activity for each of the subjects. The recorded lesson will be taught by a licensed elementary teacher. Students will also receive supplemental materials covering social/emotional, science, and social studies. Students will also be assigned to a grade level classroom/homeroom teacher. (If your child returns for the second semester, he/she will be assigned to the same homeroom teacher.) Students will be assigned grades for various assignments, projects/activities, and assessments.

Little Cadets PreK: Students will not be granted option B unless they're in-person and we have to return to Home Learning as mandated due to a second wave of COVID-19.

In the unfortunate event that COVID-19 causes local or state authorities to determine that we return to extended Home Learning. We will resume our Home Learning format under more specific guidelines than we had in Spring 2020. Our Canvas platform will continue to be our learning management platform. As you know, these plans are fluid. The framework below will serve as our proposal. We will work through more details as we meet with teachers for our professional development on July 28-30.

Click here to view the current Second Wave COVID-19 Plan proposal.

We are small schools...BIG OPPORTUNITIES! #SSBO

We are grateful for the all of the time, effort, and input from our task force and committee members (50+ stakeholders encompassing school board members, administrators, directors, teachers, staff, & parents) for the creation of our Grand Reopening Plan. We will continue to adapt our personal behaviors, respect inconveniences, and demonstrate flexibility throughout this fluid situation. We will continue to provide the outstanding education our school community expects in a safe environment!

Thanks for all you do to provide support, insistence, and high expectations!

Jim Diagostino

Superintendent