Thursday, August 13, 2020

What to Know for the First Week of School

District Holmes Junior High

What to Know for the First Week of School - 2020

The first week of school is just around the corner and some things will be looking different than normal due to COVID-19. What follows is a breakdown of some new policies and procedures for in-person learning at Holmes Jr. High.

Staggered Start -  Cedar Falls Schools has opted to have a staggered start for each grade in order to control the number of students in the building at once, while students learn expectations for attending school in the wake of COVID-19, which will include how to walk the building with social distancing in mind, lunch procedures, and how to sanitize throughout the day, in addition to learning about their academics for the semester. This staggered start will only be for the three secondary buildings: Holmes and Peet Jr. Highs, and Cedar Falls High School. All elementary students, K-6, will attend their first day of school as normal. 

Seventh Graders - The first day of school for all 7th Graders will be Monday, August 24th at 8:00 AM, no late start. Only 7th graders will attend school on this day.

Eighth Graders - The first day of school for all 8th Graders will be Tuesday, August 25th at the normal start time. Only 8th graders will attend school on this day.

Ninth Graders - The first day of school for all 9th Graders will be Wednesday, August 26th at the normal start time. Only 9th graders will attend school on this day.

Thursday, August 27th will be the firts day of the school year in which students of all grades will be in the building at the same time. 

Backpack Policy - In order to minimize the amount of times students need to stop at their lockers and interact with their locker partners, Holmes Jr. High will allow students to carry a backpack with them during school hours. Students may carry their backpack with them from class to class, and may carry their books, chromebooks, trapperkeepers, and other school supplies with them during school hours. All students will still have a locker at their disposal for use during the day to stow any items they may need. 

Schedule Changes - Due to some students transitioning to an Online-only model of learning, the master schedule of classes is currently being changed in order to accomodate these students, which entails moving sections and teachers to support that online model. This may cause some changes in the schedules of some students. Any changes will only be in the order of classes or the assigned teacher and not in the courses themselves. Students will have their schedules ready for the first day of classes.

Backpack Night - The traditional Backpack Night in which students can come to orgnize and decorate their locker has been cancelled due to the influx of people this normally brings into the building. 

Athletics Practices  - All athetics practices will begin on August 31. Students must have their updated physical forms into the main office prior to this date in order to partake in any practices. An email was sent out to families from Eric Rosburg with more information. Parents can reach out to coaches for more information on practice schedules.