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New Ulm schools adapt programs to COVID-19 era

NEW ULM — The District 88 School is nearing the end of its third week of distance learning and it has been a learning experience for students and staff.

The New Ulm school district only had a few days to develop a plan for something that they never needed before. Fortunately the district was able to take advantage of new technology.

“It was a blessing for the district to move to a 5-12th grade one-to-one program in the fall,” Superintendent Jeff Bertrang said. This gave every student in those grades a Chromebook.

This allows teachers to continue engaging with students through Google Classroom and Zoom conferences for discussion. Students with limited or no internet were provided with a flash drive with all the necessary information.

In the elementary buildings packets were given to parents to cover the first week and a half. Teachers have been in contact with parents for review of work completed. This work is later dropped off at the school.

Twice a week instructional materials are delivered and picked up in Hanska, Courtland, Lafayette and Searles to avoid having parents in these communities travel.

Food services still prepare meals on site for pickup. Some of the meals are delivered to those unable to reach the pickup sites. On Wednesday 888 meals were served.

Para-professionals are helping teachers remotely at school and at the daycare program. The daycare program is for tier 1 workers and currently has 50 kids.

Bertrang said even with distance learning in effect, the school maintains over 90% student engagement. This means students are contacting their teachers and doing the work.

“Overall I think the teachers are doing the right thing,” Bertrang said. “They are trying to balance the amount of work.”

The school is aware this is a stressful time for parents. In addition to concerns about the virus parents have one or more kids trying to get work done while everyone is prevented from leaving home.

Teachers are making an effort to reach out and connect with families. Bertrang said there is a system of support for families who are struggling. Counselors reach out to them. The kids at risk for not completing the work also receive outreach support.

With the end of the school year less than two months away, there are questions of how graduation will be handled. The stay at home orders are in place for the middle of May, but could be extended further.

Bertrang said students, teachers and parents have a lot of invested time in this education system and everyone needs closure.

High school staff, the student body and student council are working together to develop a plan for graduation. He said that ultimately graduation is about the students and needs their voice behind it, but nothing definitive has been decided.

The COVID-19 pandemic was an unexpected twist on the school year. Bertrang said the school did not expect this dramatic of a change in February, but they are adapting. The distance learning plan will be available for future use or modification if needed.

Going forwardn distance learning does offer additional opportunities. Bertrang said it has allowed for more flexible learning hours. This flexibility could be further adapted.

Distance learning has also resulted in increased connection with parents. The school has always tried to foster a connection with parents, but the pandemic has made this connection even more necessary. Bertrang is optimistic this connection will carry over into future school years.

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