The last four months have brought many unexpected challenges to Oconomowoc Area School District (OASD) families and staff. District closures in March were unprecedented, and the OASD administrative team, staff, and families persevered through the difficulty of moving instruction to a remote learning environment. While students and staff were adapting to remote learning in Spring, the OASD Administrative team and School Board were working and planning for Fall return to school.
At their June 30 School Board meeting, the OASD School Board approved three learning options for Fall, asking families to select the option they prefer for their children. Those models are:
- Face-to-face learning in the traditional school environments for grades 4K-12 with mitigation measures in place for the safety of students and staff.
- Ocon Virtual Learning Community, a fully online virtual learning option that families can select for grades 4K-12 instead of returning to the school environment.
- A physically distanced learning format for grades 5K-6 that provides more social distancing but requires additional parent support for students, and will be offered if there is enough interest per grade level.
The District provided a significant amount of information to OASD families over the last four months, via email, on the OASD website, on the Updates from the OHS blog, within virtual learning platforms, and on OASD social media pages. The District will continue to provide an abundance of information so that families and staff are informed of the District's work and the decision-making that affects all of you.
Superintendent Dr. Roger Rindo stated, "Our reopening plans were made with a high degree of family input and were designed to provide families flexibility in making their decisions for the fall. Our plans are also agile enough to adjust based on changing local health conditions as seamlessly as possible. We continue to monitor those local health conditions, which are currently trending in the wrong direction, and will be prepared to make those adjustments to our plans if necessary."
Oconomowoc Area School District School Board President Rick Grothaus added, "The Oconomowoc School Board and administration are working together diligently to open our schools in the safest way possible for our students, staff, and community. We cannot do it alone. We need the whole community to work together to be safe so our schools can be open. Balancing the evolving information about Covid-19 with the various understandings, beliefs, and needs people hold is challenging to say the least. What the administration is working to do is increase the district's ability to adapt and respond to changing conditions. We need people to pull together to respond productively to the social health crisis before us."
OASD Fall 2020 Return to School Plan
On Friday, July 17, the OASD shared the first edition of a comprehensive Fall 2020 Return to School Plan. This document will be continually updated as the District navigates the return to school. Many factors are out of the OASD's control and will remain that way for the 2020-21 school year. The District will continue to work with State, County, and local agencies to adapt plans to the changing COVID-19 pandemic.
New editions of this booklet will be posted at www.oasd.org/LearningHub.
If parents were unable to attend an in-person presentation or an online presentation, they are invited to watch the OASD Fall Reopening Plan Presentation.
Online Registration for the 2020-21 School Year
OASD online registration will be open from July 20-August 6, 2020, and all OASD families are required to complete this process for each child. The District will ask families for their final learning scenario selections, per child, during this registration process.
Online Registration information can also be found at www.oasd.org/SchoolRegistration.
