Greetings Royal Families ~
It is officially the time of year when it's dark by 5:00pm and the nights are getting cold! I saw a weather prediction that we may see our first snowflakes this coming weekend. I hope not, but it does mean that winter is on its way. As we prepare for the potential inclement weather that winter brings with it, we want to ensure that all families are aware of our winter weather protocols. The safety of our students and staff is our top priority, and we carefully monitor weather conditions to make the best decisions for the school community. Students should come to school with warm clothes, as our elementary and middle school students will go outside at lunch if the temperatures is "feels like 10" or above (see attached).
Several factors are considered when making the decision to delay or cancel school for the day. We monitor extreme cold, particularly when wind chills reach dangerous levels as this can affect the safety of students waiting at bus stops and/or walking to school. The timing of any snow and ice are taken into account in our decision-making. We also assess road conditions carefully, considering factors like the difficulty of navigating rural routes. Gravel roads, in particular, can be more challenging to clear and drive on safely. Our team works closely with the Road Commissioner from each of our townships to determine travel conditions.
Ultimately, our decisions are made with safety as the top priority. Whenever possible, we will make the decision to cancel or delay school the evening before, allowing families time to prepare. If we are unable to do so, a decision will be made by 6:00 am. Notifications will be sent via text message, phone, and email to ensure you do not miss the alert. Please take a minute to make sure your contact information is correct in Skyward and save noreply@hbr429.org as a contact in your email so our messages don't go to your spam box.
When weather conditions cause a need for a change in school schedule, we will implement one or more of these changes as most appropriate:
Delayed Start
A late arrival day means that school will start later than usual, typically a one hour delay. This option helps us keep students safe during bad weather. When there are extremely cold temperatures or poor road conditions, we may choose a delayed start instead of canceling school for the day. Parents and students will be notified by an automated call if there is a delay. On a late start day, everything, including bus pick-up times, will be delayed by the announced time. Dismissal will happen at the regular time.
Morning IVVC students will not attend IVVC on a late start day. Instead, they should arrive at the high school in time for their 4th-period classes (11:45). After-school activities will continue as planned unless we announce otherwise.
Early Dismissal
An early dismissal may be used when weather conditions suggest that regular dismissal times could make it unsafe for students to get home. We will notify families as soon as possible via text, phone, social media, and email. All after-school activities are canceled.
E-Learning
Royal Remote Learning days may be used instead of using an emergency day. On these e-learning days all students will participate in the instructional day by accessing their classrooms virtually through Google Classroom. The structure of the day will vary depending upon the age and grade level of the students. There will be a mix of synchronous (in live time) and asynchronous (completed at any time) activities. E-learning days often have a delayed start to allow families time to get set up for online learning. If an e-learning day is used, instructions will be sent to parents (K-4) and students (5-12). While these days do not mirror an in-person school day, they do provide valuable learning and should be treated as such. The work assigned will be specific to students, focusing on targeting skill development for our younger learners, or at the upper levels, continuing learning that is happening in the classroom. All after-school activities are canceled.
Snow Day
A snow day is a non-attendance day for students. There is no expectation of outside learning, and the day will be made up before the end of the school year. All after school activities are canceled
~Jessica Sonntag, Superintendent
