NCA Families and Students,
I hope this update finds you all healthy and ready for another school year! In my previous email I stated that the school board voted to follow the guidelines released by the Minnesota Department of Health and the Minnesota Department of Education. I indicated to you that these decisions would be based on the case rates for McLeod County and the building capacity.
Each Thursday the Department of Health releases the most current and accurate case rates by county. As of 08/13/2020 the case rate for McLeod County is 13.96 per 10,000. This would mean that NCA would move to a hybrid model to open the school year. There will be one more release of data by MDH this Thursday, August 20th. All indications from the McLeod County COVID task force indicates that the case rates will be even higher. Once this information is released, I will communicate again on the plan to open on Monday, August 24th. This will be the routine as we move through the school year. Data will be released weekly on Thursday and I will communicate the next weeks learning plan by the end of the day on Friday.
New information has become available regarding our ability to operate under a hybrid model. I detailed the hybrid plan in a previous email. Since that communication, I have been in contact with the Department of Health and the State Fire Marshal. I was informed by MDH that if we are already at 50% building occupancy with all of the students in the face2face model, then we could operate face2face even during the hybrid model. I was directed to the state fire marshal’s office to calculate our building occupancy capacity. Based on the information I received from the state fire marshal, New Century Academy is able to operate in a face2face format on every day of the week, even when a hybrid model is indicated. This means that New Century Academy will operate face2face every school day with all of the students who opt in. Families who chose the distance learning option will continue to receive their education in this format.
Our transportation company, Labrataan Bus Company, will be contacting you to indicate your pick up and drop off times. If you are not contacted by the end of the day this Thursday, please reach out to the school office to receive the needed information. We can be reached at 320-234-3660.
We will conduct an open house as scheduled for New Century Academy families this Thursday evening starting at 6 pm until 8 pm. We ask that you please wear a face covering and practice social distancing while in attendance. This will be an opportunity for students to connect with staff, receive and adjust their class schedule and ask any questions they might have about the school year.
We are excited to start the school year! We are so thankful that you continue to choose New Century Academy as your school of choice!
Jason Becker, Director
New Century Academy
