Sophomores, don't forget to order your class ring tomorrow morning! Be sure to bring your deposit.
We are having to cancel tonight's basketball game against Manchester due to a possible exposure to Covid-19. We need more time to do some extensive contact tracing. This puts the boys game against Schley County on Friday in jeopardy as well. We will keep everyone updated as soon as we know more about the situation. Thanks for understanding.
We will reopen L.K. Moss to students on Monday. We are sorry for any inconvenience, but we are very fortunate that this was only a four-day closure. Although we are opening on Monday, there are a lot of kids who are under quarantine for contact. Those students SHOULD NOT return until their quarantine expires. Over the past week or two, we have had several instances where students came to school sick and had to be pulled from class. These students subsequently tested positive for COVID. PLEASE keep your children home if they show any signs of sickness; call Nurse Tiffany at the high school and discuss your situation (229) 649-7520. Remember, the best things we can do are: distance as much as possible, use a mask when appropriate, and keep hands washed or sanitized.
We have identified two cases of COVID in our middle school. If your child was directly affected, you have been or will be notified this afternoon.
Typically, a school closure is around 2 weeks; however, as we have gotten better at managing COVID situations and have become more aggressive with our quarantine, our hope is that our closures will possibly be shorter in nature. We are hoping this one will follow suit. We said that we would let you know about the opening today, but there are a couple of COVID tests pending results that are very important to our reopening. I plan to let you know by lunch tomorrow; our goal is to open very early next week.
The Board Office will be closed to the public after lunch each day this week. You should be able to reach the Board Office by phone; both schools are also available by phone. This is a COVID-related situation that we are having to cover. Thank you for understanding!
There is a link to a COVID-19 self-reporting form in the news section that you can use if you or a family member displays any symptoms of the virus. Once submitted, the form will go directly to Nurse Tiffany Wodzinski. If you feel more comfortable calling the school, that option is still available; this is just another avenue for reporting. We will use the information to assist with contact tracing in our schools, and your information will remain safe and secure. Thank you for assisting us with this important task!
LK Parents, Students and Families,
First, let me thank you for your support and understanding as we, as a nation and community, respond once again to the unexpected effects of COVID-19 in Marion County. I am always very proud of the way our school system handles the demands we are faced with to protect everyone as we continue to educate and feed our students during the most unusual of circumstances.
As you know, LK Moss will be closed during the week of January 18 due to employee positive COVID cases at school, and a large number of employees and students being quarantined. This situation has left us with too few employees to serve our students “in house”. While we are in the business of educating, our first priority is the safety of our students and our employees. Be assured, we have been working diligently to continue to serve all students in the most effective capacity possible, and it is the desire of all of our employees to have students at school for face-to-face instruction. Unfortunately, circumstances arise that cause us to resort to an alternative.
For the upcoming week, lessons will be guided through TEAMS sessions, and online instruction. Your child’s teacher will make contact on Tuesday morning or before, to inform you of how this instruction will continue for the upcoming week. Since a large number of our teachers are quarantined and may not re-enter the building, we are unable to prepare packets for home use at this time. We are anticipating this to be a short closure; however, in the event it is extended, we will send packets as soon as we have ample staff to create these and get them out.
Everyone must understand there is no way for us to please all as we make these decisions. Our priority is to keep everyone safe while still serving our students in the most productive and effective way possible under the circumstances.
Thank you for your continued support and positivity as we strive to do what is best for ALL of our students and employees during these challenging times.
LK MOSS will be closed all next week. Multiple positive COVID results were reported today. On Wednesday, we will confirm the reopening date and will provide that information. Lunches will be delivered on Tuesday and Thursday for those who previously signed up. If you need to sign up, contact LK Moss on Tuesday morning. We apologize for any inconvenience and want to keep our students safe.
An employee at L.K. Moss tested positive for COVID-19 today. Parents/guardians of affected students have been notified. Please continue to monitor your children and report any changes in symptoms to the school.
COVID-19 numbers are still rising in our county, and I encourage you to be careful in your interactions with others. Inside the school buildings, we are still able to maintain in-person instruction; we are grateful to parents and guardians for communicating with us openly to help us be successful in these endeavors. Remember that Friday and Monday are a scheduled semester break. Employees will be working remotely on Friday, but the buildings will be closed to the public during this time so that we can thoroughly disinfect. Monday is Martin Luther King, Jr., Day. We will begin the 2nd semester on Tuesday, January 19th.
Over the weekend, community COVID-19 numbers have become concerning in our county. Although part of the increase in numbers may be attributed to delayed results on the Department of Health website from earlier in the week, Marion COVID-19 cases are steadily increasing. At this time, we are not experiencing high impact inside of our schools. Of course, this could change at any time. We ask that you help us by keeping us informed regarding symptom reporting. Please continue to keep children home if they are sick and to notify the school promptly so that we can begin contact tracing. Anytime we can prevent a particularly hazardous situation, it enables us to remain open for in-person learning.
Remember that this Friday is the end-of-semester workday, which is a student holiday. Students will return to school on January 19th, after the Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday. On this day, high school students will begin new classes. Students who have outstanding work for this semester must finish by Thursday, January 14th.
We currently have two middle school students who have tested positive for COVID-19. Parents/guardians of children in direct contact with those students have been notified. Students who were not directly exposed will continue with school as scheduled. Please continue to monitor your children and report any issues to the school.
Recently, the Marion County girls' and boys' varsity basketball teams, like many other sports programs, have been affected by COVID-19. At Marion County High School, we want to be extremely cautious when it comes to the health and safety of our school and community (as well as that of our opponents); therefore, we have made the difficult decision to suspend our varsity basketball program temporarily. We hope to be able to return to competition on January 22nd and apologize for any inconvenience. Please work with us to reschedule the affected games.
Happy New Year, everyone! Here is some information regarding our return to school on January 5. This will be a phased reopening.
The number of positive COVID-19 cases in our county has increased this week. Because of this, Marion County Schools will follow a phased reopening plan. Because the current level of spread is high, we will continue to monitor the situation and may face further changes.
All elementary students and students in grades 6-8 will return as scheduled on Tuesday, January 5. ALSO, high school students who are participating in EOC testing should return on Tuesday, 1/5. Tuesday’s EOC tests are Algebra I and ELA makeups. Wednesday’s tests include Biology and US History. Buses will run as scheduled but may arrive a few minutes early.
All high school students (9-12) will return to class on Monday, January 11. (High school students are in their last few days of the semester, ending January 14. They also have greater class-to-classs movement than the younger groups.) Information regarding upcoming semester exams for students in grades 9-12 will be posted soon by individual teachers. Students, please check your Teams account and teacher web pages later this week.
There will be no food delivery this week, but food pick-up is available. Further information will follow regarding semester exams and the finishing of fall courses.
Please remember the following safety guidelines:
Do not return if you have had direct contact with an infected person.
Face masks are required on all buses and are encouraged inside the buildings.
Please let the school nurse know if you have tested positive, are experiencing symptoms, or have been exposed.
Reminder!
You may pick up meals at LK Moss TUESDAY (today) and THURSDAY between the hours of 11:00 - 1:00. Buses will also run their afternoon scheduled routes on TUESDAY (today) and THURSDAY to deliver meals for LK Moss students.
We have had another middle school student and staff member test positive for COVID-19 this afternoon. Please continue to monitor and report any issues with your children.
Since the previous announcement, new cases have arisen at the Middle/High School. With movement and mixing of kids at that level, it is difficult to contact trace all situations. Please monitor your kids closely over the next few days; report any developments to Nurse Tiffany.
Both LK Moss and the Middle/High School will be closed to students this week. Over the weekend there was a situation not related to school that caused some LK Moss personnel to quarantine. At the middle/high level, one student and one faculty member have tested positive, in addition to the positive test from last week. This has left us with so few staff members that we will not be able to provide services. All employees who are not quarantined should report to work as scheduled tomorrow. If you have been exposed, you have been or will be directly contacted. Teachers will make every effort to contact students tomorrow; please let them know if you would like lunch delivered. A bus will run on Tuesday and Thursday of this week to deliver meals for LK Moss students and on Wednesday for middle/high. There will be no meal service during the regularly scheduled holiday break. We apologize for any inconvenience and wish you a safe and happy holiday!
Attention L.K. Moss Parents: Please note that Friday, December 18 is an EARLY RELEASE DAY. Students will begin to load buses at 11:45 am. Students will arrive home approximately 3 HOURS EARLY. Car riders will begin loading at 11:45 am. Please plan early to provide supervision for your children on that day. Christmas Holidays are Dec.21-Jan.4, 2021. Have a safe and wonderful break. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!!!!!!