By DR. DEREK ARROWOOD
Hamilton Heights Superintendent
Update #67 from Dr. Derek Arrowood, Superintendent, Hamilton Heights School Corporation.
This Friday is the first of four (9/3/21, 11/5/21, 2/7/22, and 5/20/22) scheduled E-Learning days built into this year’s calendar. For students, these E-Learning days will serve as a continuation of the previous day’s instruction, provide continuity to the current course of study, and help prepare them for unplanned school closures that may arise due to weather or other events in the future. For staff, it provides an invaluable opportunity to develop their professional learning communities, sharpen teaching practices, and enhance their knowledge and skills to improve student outcomes.
Despite our positive start to the school year, we are reminded daily that our students are attending school during a pandemic. As we have shared in the past, we will need to adapt and adjust to meet the demands of these unique times and are prepared to do so. Please take a moment to review the change, effective immediately, to our safety protocols on Page 5, the second bulleted item under “What quarantine guidelines will HHSC follow this year?” italicized below. We appreciate everyone being mindful and vigilant in helping to reduce the spread and transmission of the COVID-19 virus.
Due to reports of siblings and family members developing COVID-19 in the same household, we are implementing a quarantine requirement when a member of a household is positive for COVID-19. When someone in a family’s household tests positive for COVID-19, the unvaccinated students and staff in the home must quarantine for 7 days after the date of the close contact. Unvaccinated students and staff may return to school on day 14 without a negative test, or day 8 with a confirmed negative test taken on days 5, 6, or 7 after the student/staff was in close contact (within 6 feet for 15 minutes) of the family member who tested positive for COVID-19.
Beginning next Tuesday, Sept. 7, we will have a full slate of festivities for this year’s Fall Homecoming including spirit days, homecoming parade, and dance. I want to give a shout out to Lori Hippensteel and the members of the high school Honor Society and Student Government organizations for their efforts in bringing a week of celebration and spirit leading up to the football game on Friday, September 10 between the Hamilton Heights Huskies and the Northwestern Tigers. Follow our Facebook page and subscribe to our YouTube channel for the most up-to-date information on the Hamilton Heights Huskies. Go Huskies!
We published our newest HHSC Monthly Update, Volume #70 to our website on Monday. Filmed on Aug. 18, it highlights two high school students who rocked the 4-H Fair, introduces the newest members of our Athletic Hall of Fame, as well as two guys who did heroic work this summer in our Transportation Department.
On Saturday, Sept. 11, we will be inducting our second class to the Hamilton Heights Athletic Hall of Fame beginning at 1 p.m. Tickets for the ceremony and lunch are $10 and available through Friday. Contact Mitch Street for more information and/or tickets.
I remain both encouraged and grateful to our families who reach out with questions, concerns, and support that help us take pause, review, and at times, adjust. Have a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend.
#WeAreHuskies