November 24, 2020

Dear Inter-Lakes Families,

RE    ¨Inter-Lakes School District will be Full Remote from Tuesday, Dec. 1 – Friday,
           Dec. 4Normal school schedule except on Tues., Dec. 1 -the start of the day will begin at 10:30 a.m.
           Plan to return to Full Physically In-Person on Monday, Dec. 7, unless staffing issues arise

I am writing to follow up and share that at this evening’s School Board Meeting, the School Board voted to approve shifting to full remote learning for Tuesday, December 1 – Friday, December 4.  Each day will run as a normal school schedule, however, on Tuesday, December 1, the start of the day will be delayed until 10:30 a.m.  Recall, Monday, November 30 is a Teacher Workshop Day, therefore, students do not have school.

The hope is that this preemptive shift for a short period of time will potentially limit longer term impacts on our Full Physically In-Person tier.  Additionally, it will afford time to assess the wellness of our community following the Thanksgiving Holiday.  If there are no significant impacts to staffing, the plan is to return to our Full Physically In-Person tier on Monday, December 7.

A healthcare worker recently shared, “we are no longer the frontline; you are the frontline”.  It is my hope this resonates with each of us – the choices we each make over the coming weeks will determine if we are able to maintain in-person learning.  Mitigating risk at school and outside of school is critical – wearing masks, physically distancing, washing hands, staying home if ill, limiting one’s circle to reduce vectors – when combined these efforts make a difference, please help us preserve our ability to be physically together for school.  Additionally, I have heard of younger children and adolescents gathering outside of school time in groups without mitigation practices in place.  I am appealing to all parents/guardians to assist in being mindful of behaviors outside of school that ultimately, jeopardize in person learning.  It is no doubt we are heading towards some challenging times, however, by working together and caring for one another, we will get through them.  Thank you in advance for your support.

Our school communities will be stepping away from email this holiday weekend, however, if you have a COVID-19 concern that arises and needs to be communicated to the school, please leave a message at 279-7948 and/or email covid.conversation@interlakes.org.  Both will be checked once in the morning and evening each day throughout the weekend. 

I wish your families well and hope that you have a Happy Thanksgiving.  At this time of gratitude, I wish to express how thankful I am for the individuals and communities which make up Inter-Lakes.  Be well, Inter-Lakes!

 Respectfully,

Mary A, Moriarty

Mary A. Moriarty
Superintendent of Schools

**********         **********          **********          **********          **********          **********

November 23, 2020

Dear Inter-Lakes Families,

Re: Emergency Inter-Lakes School Board Meeting on Tuesday, November 24 at 6:00 p.m. Inter-Lakes Community Auditorium & Live Stream access is https://youtu.be/28sAyBggDPA

Agenda – To vote on the Superintendent’s Proposal to have the School District be:

19. Full Remote Tuesday, December 1 – Friday, December 4
19. Tuesday, Dec. 1 – School will start at 10:30 a.m.;
19. Wednesday, December 2 – Friday, December 4 Normal Schedule
19. Plan to Return to Full Physically In-Person on Monday, December7

As you may be aware, the concept of potentially changing our Full Physically In-Person Model after Thanksgiving has been  previously debated and a School Board vote was taken earlier this month with the decision at the time being to maintain our  current course of Full Physically In-Person tier. This afternoon the COVID-19 Team met (see www.interlakes.org for Team  information); this Team serves in an advisory role and assists me in making decisions as they relate to COVID-19. A review  of our regions current data took place and a long discussion took place regarding the pros and cons of staying at our current  tier or changing the tier to full remote. The consensus of the advice I received, was to make a shift to Full Remote short term following Thanksgiving; this consensus prompts me to seek reconsideration from the School Board.

The reality is that locally our COVID-19 data is escalating and there is no reason to believe after four (4) days of Full  Remote following Thanksgiving, that the data will have improved, quite the contrary, it will most likely be worse. So, one  may ask why propose going full remote for the four (4) days? It is hoped that this will provide a bit of time between the Thanksgiving Holiday and returning to Full Physically In-Person, which will allow for issues related to COVID-19 to  surface, which includes illness within our school communities as well as potential staffing shortages; additionally, it will  allow time for quarantining if individuals have traveled. The new travel guidance from the State of New Hampshire allows individuals who have traveled outside of New England to quarantine for seven (7) days upon return and on the seventh (7^th)  day to have a PCR test for COVID-19; if results are negative, the individual no longer needs to quarantine. A full fourteen  (14) days quarantining outside of New England is required if one does not seek PCR testing on day seven (7) upon return.  The Full Remote status will afford time for individuals who may have traveled to possibly avail themselves of seven (7)  days of quarantining followed by testing.

If there are no staffing shortages, the proposed plan includes returning to Full Physical In-Person on Monday, December 7.  Certainly, such a proposal around Thanksgiving makes one wonder again about the time following our December break.  What we learn following Thanksgiving will help to inform whether any adjustment needs to be reconsidered for this period.  There is a School Board meeting on December 8, which will provide an opportunity for that topic to be discussed and if needed, a decision made at that time.

It is not lost on me how difficult a change from Full Physically In-Person is for families. It is my hope that if this proposal is supported by the School Board that the four (4) days of change to Full Remote will provide some level of predictability  to families and may possibly limit longer interruptions to our in-person model in the longer run. 

This is a School Board decision and public comments are always welcomed. The meeting is at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday night in the Inter-Lakes Community Auditorium (ILM/HS); it will be live streamed and those attending virtually  will be able to share comments as well. The live stream information is posted above.

Respectfully,

Mary A. Moriarty

Mary A. Moriarty
Superintendent of Schools
 

**********         **********          **********          **********          **********          **********

November 22, 2020

Dear Inter-Lakes Families,

Re: Confirmed Case of COVID-19 ILM/HS and Confirmed Case of COVID-19 SAU Office

I am writing to share some information about a confirmed case of COVID-19 at Inter-Lakes Middle/High School and a confirmed case at the SAU office. Our thoughts and concerns are with these two members of our greater school community and their families.

ILM/HS Confirmed Case
The individual at ILM/HS was last in the school building on Friday and had no close contacts as defined by the Department of Health and Human Services. Additionally, this individual does not utilize school transportation. Mr. Currier has communicated with individuals, who are not considered close contacts, however, were in the same space at the end of last week with the individual diagnosed with COVID-19; all of these calls have been made, so no one should be anticipating a call. The COVID-19 Dashboard found on our website (interlakes.org) will be updated later today to read 2 Active Cases at ILM/HS (one was announced previously and the one being communicated now) and a total of 7 Cumulative Cases at ILM/HS.

SAU Confirmed Case
The individual from the SAU office does not interact through their work with members of the school communities; close contacts have been identified in this case and are following quarantining procedures.

Remaining Full Physically In-Person Tier
Due to the weekend timing and “footprint” of the cases, there is no need to adjust our tier and schools will have their normal schedule tomorrow.

Other Steps
Additionally, the following steps are also underway:

• Contact with the Department of Health and Human Services; and
• Further cleaning of the spaces impacted.

Symptoms of COVID-19
If you have health concerns or symptoms of COVID-19, which are outlined below, please contact your healthcare provider. Symptoms of COVID-19 can include: fever, or feeling feverish; respiratory symptoms such as runny nose, nasal congestion, sore throat, cough, or shortness of breath; general body symptoms such as headache, muscle aches, chills, and severe fatigue; gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea, and changes in a person’s sense of taste or smell.

Please remain vigilant about mitigating risks of contracting/spreading COVID-19 – stay home if ill, wear a mask, physically distance self from others, frequently wash your hands, and complete the health screener prior to leaving for school. It is critical we continue to persevere with mitigation strategies, be patient with one other and work as a community to get through this difficult time. Be well, Inter-Lakes,

Respectfully,

Mary A. Moriarty
Superintendent of Schools

**Wellness Screening Parent Letter 9/25/20**