Dear Parent or Guardian:
Haƞ Mitakuyapi, I am writing to update you on the school’s and community’s preparedness in response to the coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19). To continue our mission at C̣aƞṡayapi Waḳaƞyeża Owayawa Oṭi, we have a goal of continuing to keep our families and staff healthy and able to learn and work.
Ensuring health and safety has been our top priority when discussing this 2020-2021 School Year. With our Public Health Authority, the Emergency Operations Center, and the Tribal Council, we have intentionally reviewed the area data, preparedness plan documents, ability to safely and continuously operate, and our childcare assistance ability, and have come to the decision to continue Distance Learning for 2020 with reopening in January 2021 tentatively.
During this time,
- We provide monthly family updates of the Distance Learning schedule and will continue to reach out to families by either text or phone call.
- If you are in need of assistance with finding childcare or payment, please contact your family advocate or your child’s teacher. We are here to help with any needs.
- We will conduct weekly Televisits. Your teachers will give you a call on October 13th to schedule and make it work around your time.
- We will continue bi-weekly Distance Learning Packages with food, diapers, wet wipes, and Early Education and Dakota Language Lessons.
- Dakota Language:
- We will text out on ThinkSmall and upload on our Facebook and LSCWOO.com Dakota Language videos every Tuesday. Sign-up by texting TSDAK to 70138 and enter 1 child’s birthday and start receiving fact/tip/growth texts weekly.
- We will have Parent, Family, and Community Dakota Language classes every Monday and Wednesday from 5-6 pm on Zoom. Link to enter is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3233426882
- We will be hosting a Halloween Car Parade on Friday October 30th starting at 5 PM where we will stop by each of our families’ houses to deliver them a safely put together Halloween package! Feel free to let the children dress up as our staff will be dressing up as well!
All updates will be announced through the school’s ChildPlus text system. They are also communicated on the school’s Facebook page at: Lower Sioux Early Head Start and Head Start and on our school’s website LSCWOO.com. Families are asked to look for these updates on these communication methods. The Tribe has declared a State of Emergency and the Federal Nation has declared this a pandemic, please follow the guidance of the CDC to take precaution and mitigate the spread. Any of these precautions or symptoms should be followed for the children, family, staff, and community.
Pidamayayapi,
Vanessa Goodthunder
Director