Previous COVID Updates – St. Paul Lutheran School

St. Paul’s Lutheran School Update (05/10/2021)

New Guidelines – Governor Walz announced the plan to end COVID restrictions in Minnesota. He identified three important dates.

Step one took place at noon on May 7. It includes initial steps to relax some restrictions, primarily in outdoor settings.
The second step begins on May 28. Remaining capacity and distancing limits will come to an end, including for indoor events and gatherings. ~~The requirements that will remain include: Face coverings indoors and for outdoor events that exceed 500 people.~~ Gov Walz announced on Thursday, May 13 that he is officially ending the Mask Mandate. Friday, May 14 he signed his executive order officially ending the mask mandate. Unvaccinated people are still encouraged to wear a mask where there are large groups of people. Fully vaccinated people do not need to wear a mask at all, unless they are in certain locations like a nursing home.
The third step takes place once 70 percent of Minnesotans age 16 years and older – 3,087,404 Minnesotans – get at least one dose of the vaccine, but no later than July 1.

Finally, he announced, “Because the youngest Minnesotans are not yet eligible for the vaccine, the Safe Learning Plan for schools will continue until the end of the school year to protect students, teachers, and staff in schools”

St. Paul’s Lutheran School Update (05/03/2021)

Graduation Service – We are planning a graduation service similar to the confirmation services for our 8th grade students. The service is being planned for May 26 at 6:30 pm. The guest preacher will be Pastor Cordes from St. John’s, Sleepy Eye. Families of graduates will be invited to attend – others are welcome to watch the graduation service through our online stream. Seats will be assigned for the families. More information will be provided.

School Closing Service – Due to COVID restrictions we will not be having our all school closing service this year.

St. Paul’s Lutheran School Update (04/26/2021)

COVID Reminders – There have not been many changes or updates in the last few weeks that apply to us. We are looking forward to a graduation service for our 8th grade students that is similar to the confirmation services.

Use the National Association of School Nurses Heath Flow chart when experiencing symptoms at home.
- You could follow this cool interactive website: Can I Send my Student to School? – COVID-19 Reference (nasn.org)
- Call school if you have questions.
Share the negative and positive test results with the school.
We follow Executive Orders, and MDH provides us with guidance for safe learning.

St. Paul’s Lutheran School Update (04/19/2021)

Support Day – We have one scheduled support day left: April 23. Our Teacher and Student Support Days are meant for both the students and teachers. If you have questions about services your child’s teacher may be able to provide on Friday, please contact him/her. This day also provides an opportunity for children who have fallen behind to catch up on their work.

Serving Christ,
Mr. Pete Markgraf

St. Paul’s Lutheran School Update (04/12/2021)

Support Days – We have two support days left this year. April 16 and April 23. Our Teacher and Student Support Days are meant for both the students and teachers. If you have questions about services your child’s teacher may be able to provide on Friday, please contact him/her. This day also provides an opportunity for children who have fallen behind to catch up on their work.

County COVID Numbers are Up – Our school numbers remain low this week, although Brown County’s COVID number is the third highest county in the state the past two weeks, while the other local New Ulm schools have experienced several positive cases of COVID. Thank you and be aware that our county numbers are high. Our goal is to finish strong with 5 day weeks starting at the end of April. With your help, we can make that happen.

Public School No Bussing – The New Ulm Public school updated their calendar and will not provide bussing on the following days.

Fridays
- April 30
- May 7, 14, 21

Serving Christ,
Mr. Pete Markgraf

St. Paul’s Lutheran School Update (04/08/2021)

Public School No Bussing – The New Ulm Public school updated their calendar and will not provide bussing on the following days.

Fridays
- April 16, 23, 30
- May 7, 14, 21

Serving Christ,
Mr. Pete Markgraf

St. Paul’s Lutheran School Update (03/29/2021)

Good Friday Early Dismissal– On Good Friday (April 2), we will have staggered dismissal like we have had all year. Staggered dismissal that day begins at 11:20am and finishes at 11:40am. Please contact your child’s teacher if you have any questions.

Public School No Bussing – The New Ulm Public school updated their calendar and will not provide bussing on the following days.

Fridays
- April 2, 16, 23, 30
- May 7, 14, 21
Thursday
- April 1

COVID-19 Testing

New Ulm Medical Center: 1324 5 th St North – 507-217-5000
Sleepy Eye Medical Center: 400 4 th Ave NW – 507-794-3571
Springfield Clinic – 625 N Jackson – 507-723-6201
Hy-Vee Pharmacy – 2015 S Broadway Street – 507-354-9833
Free Community Testing in Mankato:
- https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/testsites/community.html
- The free community testing requires those who test to refrain from eating or drinking for at least 30 minutes prior to testing.

Serving Christ,
Mr. Pete Markgraf

St. Paul’s Lutheran School Update (03/22/2021)

Symptoms – We have experienced an uptick in the number of children who are being tested or in quarantine. Please take precautions and keep your child home when a symptom or symptoms require and contact the school office. Every measure we use is to help us remain face to face in every classroom. Thank you, for being prepared each day to handle the unknown! This does not go unnoticed.

Week 3: Face Masks – As many would like to return to normal life without masks, we have some clear guidelines implemented by our governor. While some may disagree with his science and approach, our faith teaches us to obey our government. We also have the opportunity to show our concern for one another as we follow the executive order. So, we continue to follow the order.

Wearing masks is not an issue of a public school versus a parochial school. While our MDH normally includes the word “public” in their statements, the executive order does not. Stated below, you can see that the wording does not include public schools. So, all schools are included in this executive order just as it is written; therefore, the potential does exist for the school to receive a gross misdemeanor and fine.

EO Guidance on Indoor Performances

EO 20-81
- Beginning on Friday, July 24, 2020 at 11:59 p.m., Minnesotans must wear a face covering in indoor businesses and indoor public settings, as described in this order and the related industry guidance, available at the Stay Safe Minnesota website (https://staysafe.mn.gov), as well as any other guidance referenced in this order.
- Kindergarten through grade 12 schools. Kindergarten through grade 12 schools must comply with face covering and face shield guidance available at https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/schools/k12planguide.pdf. The basic requirements for these settings are detailed below, but these schools must consult the guidance for the full list of face covering and face shield requirements, recommendations, and exceptions.
EO 20-11
- Masks and face coverings required. Executive Order 20-81, requiring face coverings in certain settings, remains in full force and effect except as modified by this Executive Order.
- Enforcement. I urge all Minnesotans to voluntarily comply with this Executive Order. Pursuant to Minnesota Statutes 2020, section 12.45, an individual who willfully violates this Executive Order is guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction must be punished by a fine not to exceed $1,000 or by imprisonment for not more than 90 days. Any business owner, manager, or supervisor who requires or encourages any of their employees, contractors, vendors, volunteers, or interns to violate this Executive Order is guilty of a gross misdemeanor and upon conviction must be punished by a fine not to exceed $3,000 or by imprisonment for not more than one year. In addition to those criminal penalties, the Attorney General, as well as city and county attorneys, may investigate and seek any civil relief available pursuant to Minnesota Statutes 2020, section 8.31, for violations or threatened violations of this Executive Order, including but not limited to injunctive relief, civil penalties in an amount to be determined by the court, up to $25,000 per occurrence, costs of investigation and reasonable attorney’s fees and costs, and other equitable relief as determined by the court in accordance with section 8.31.

Scheduled Day Off – Friday, March 26

Public School No Bussing – The New Ulm Public school updated calendar and will not provide bussing on the following days.

Fridays
- April 2, 16, 23, 30
- May 7, 14, 21
Thursday
- April 1

COVID-19 Testing

New Ulm Medical Center: 1324 5 th St North – 507-217-5000
Sleepy Eye Medical Center: 400 4 th Ave NW – 507-794-3571
Springfield Clinic – 625 N Jackson – 507-723-6201
Hy-Vee Pharmacy – 2015 S Broadway Street – 507-354-9833
Free Community Testing in Mankato:
- https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/testsites/community.html
- The free community testing requires those who test to refrain from eating or drinking for at least 30 minutes prior to testing.

Serving Christ,
Mr. Pete Markgraf

St. Paul’s Lutheran School Update (03/15/2021)

Symptoms – Our numbers have been good, but this week we are starting to see COVID symptoms test positive with 4 new cases last week. We need to stay vigilant and ask parents to keep their children home and notify the school when symptoms are present.

Parent Feedback COVID – We have been collecting COVID suggestions from the survey. We appreciate the encouraging feedback with your concerns. Among the concerns there were three topics that stood out to us: 5 day school weeks, face masks, and spring activities. In the next three weeks, we will take the opportunity to explain the current restrictions that we are following. Generally, for all of our plans, we follow the Minnesota Department of Health and take our governor’s Executive Orders (EO) into consideration.Week 2: Spring Activities We are thankful that spring activities are near. For our spring activities, we will participate in our spring sports which are all outside sports. Teams for softball and baseball will be offered, and students will also be able to participate in track. We also have a plan to live stream the band concert. We decided to cancel our indoor activities that we will all miss dearly. For the second year in a row, we will not be able to offer the spring musical or vocal concerts or shows. We evaluated the MDH requirements and EO and determined that there would be issues with practices using the social distance rules as well as performance challenges. MDH or EO Guidance on Indoor Performances

“Spectators must be separated at all times from performers by at least 12 feet. All venue-specific guidance relating to spectators or audience members must be followed, including applicable capacity limits.”
“Require all people present—including performers, workers, and spectators or audience members–to wear face coverings when required by Executive Order 20-81 as detailed above.”
“Maintain social distance of at least 6 feet between performers (singers and musicians) and encourage more distance if possible.”
“Performers must have a dedicated space within a venue while performing, and it must be separated from the patrons or audience by a distance of at least 12 feet. Review ventilation quality when determining location of practices and performances.” Music Activities and Performances
“Under all circumstances, if the allowable number of patrons creates congregation, congestion and bottle-necking that does not allow for proper social distancing and consistency with these requirements, the venue must further reduce the number of patrons it allows to a level that achieves consistency with these requirements.” Requirements for Indoor Vendors

Scheduled Day Off – Friday, March 26

Public School No Bussing – The New Ulm Public school updated calendar and will not provide bussing on the following days.

Fridays
- March 19, 26
- April 16, 23, 30
- May 7, 14, 21
Thursday
- April 1

COVID-19 Testing Testing is available at the following:

New Ulm Medical Center: 1324 5 th St North – 507-217-5000
Sleepy Eye Medical Center: 400 4 th Ave NW – 507-794-3571
Springfield Clinic – 625 N Jackson – 507-723-6201
New Ulm Hy-Vee Pharmacy – 2015 S Broadway Street – 507-354-9833

Free Community Testing in Mankato: https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/testsites/community.html The free community testing requires those who test to refrain from eating or drinking for at least 30 minutes prior to testing. Serving Christ, Mr. Pete Markgraf

St. Paul’s Lutheran School Update (03/08/2021)

Parent COVID Survey – We have been collecting COVID suggestions from the survey. We appreciate the encouraging feedback with your concerns. Among the concerns there were three topics that stood out to us: 5 day school weeks, face masks, and spring activities. In the next three weeks, we will take the opportunity to explain the current restrictions that we are following. Generally, for all of our plans, we follow the Minnesota Department of Health and take our governor’s Executive Orders (EO) into consideration.

Five Day School Weeks
Our plan since Thanksgiving has been to have four day weeks plus the Teacher Student Support Days. This has been a blessing for the teachers. I pray that students who are in need of extra support are also finding these days beneficial.

We are now at a time of transition back to five day weeks. The Board of Child Discipleship (BOCD) has taken great care to make these tough decisions, and they know that any plans we have to return to five day weeks may change if we become a hot spot for the coronavirus. The decision made in the March BOCD meeting will provide guidance for the remainder of the school year knowing that we will leave it in God’s hands.

MDH or EO Guidance
The only guidance we have on this issue is an Executive Order. Executive Order 20-94 requires school districts and charter schools to use 30 minutes of instructional time per day to allow teacher preparation time for any teacher providing distance or hybrid instruction (whether as part of the school’s model or because of the student option for distance learning), in addition to any preparation time which the teacher is entitled to by statute. St. Paul’s is not required to follow this EO from the governor since it is directed at public and charter schools, but our New Ulm Public Schools have received a waiver allowing them to provide time for their teachers on Fridays for the remainder of this school year.

Upcoming Support Day– Friday, March 12 (Next week, March 15-19 is a 5 day week)

Scheduled Day Off – Friday, March 26

Public School No Bussing – The New Ulm Public school updated calendar and will not provide bussing on the following days.

Fridays
- March 12, 19, 26
- April 16, 23, 30
- May 7, 14, 21
Thursday
- April 1

Positive and Negative Test Results – We ask that you share the results of your child’s test with the school nurse. We track the positive cases so that the positive student is not included in any contact tracing for 90 days. The negative test results can also be helpful as a way to document who can be in the school. We appreciate the help you give to make this part of our COVID plan successful. Thank you!

St. Paul’s Lutheran School Update (03/01/2021)

Invitation for Input – St. Paul’s is looking for input on their COVID Plan. It has been a year since we have had normal school days and now is a good time for a review of our plan. Many of our governor’s executive orders remain today. We have been following the required and some recommended changes to our school day. We also continue to watch for changes in these requirements and recommendations.

We are thankful for our school numbers, however, the county numbers remain higher as compared to the rest of the state. For this reason we need to continue the protocols we have in place to protect our staff and students. We are appreciative of you, our parents, for your patience and thankful for your support.

Please let us know if you have suggestions for our COVID Plan.

Fill out this short survey to help us communicate better and better implement our plan.

Updated School Calendar Support Days-

Friday, March 5
Friday, March 12

The Board of Child Discipleship’s goal is to return to five day weeks this year. One step in moving towards five day weeks includes no longer expecting teachers to make videos for their distance learning students. The intent is to try to get back to normal as much as we can.

Public School No Bussing – The New Ulm Public school updated calendar and will not provide bussing on the following days.

Fridays
- March 5, 12, 19, 26
- April 16, 23, 30
- May 7, 14, 21
Thursday
- April 1

St. Paul’s Lutheran School Update (02/22/2021)

Updated School Calendar Support Days –

Friday, February 26
Friday, March 5
Friday, March 12

The Board of Child Discipleship’s goal is to return to five day weeks this year. One step in moving towards five day week includes no longer expecting teachers to make videos for their distance learning students. The intent is to try to get back to normal as much as we can.

Public School Calendar – The New Ulm Public school updated calendar shows their changes until the end of the school year. Those who rely on district 88 for buses for transportation will need to make note of the days they have scheduled for distance learning for the rest of this school year.

Fridays
- February 26
- March 5, 12, 19, 26
- April 16, 23, 30
- May 7, 14, 21
Thursday
- April 1

St. Paul’s Lutheran School Update (02/14/2021)

March School Calendar – We continue to enjoy the blessings of a healthy school body, and we are grateful. The school board made some determinations for the coming month and goals for the school year. They have approved a three part short term policy.

We will add two more Teacher and Student Work Days to the calendar in March: Friday, March 5 and Friday, March 12.
If we continue to stay healthy it is the goal to move to five day weeks with one five day week in March.
Distance Learning Students – Considering the workload of the teachers and that we would like to have all students back in the classroom this year, the teachers are no longer expected to make videos for their distance learning students. The school board is thankful for the valuable lessons the teachers have created, but the goal is to provide lesson packets to these students as they would for a sick student.

Serving Christ
,Mr. Pete Markgraf

St. Paul’s Lutheran School Update (02/08/2021)

February School Calendar – The mid-winter break starts this Friday and extends through Monday. There will be no school on those two days.

Serving Christ
,Mr. Pete Markgraf

St. Paul’s Lutheran School Update (02/01/2021)

No COVID Cases – As you can see from this week’s dashboard, we listed no new COVID cases for the entire week Monday, January 25, through Sunday, January 31. Thank you to everyone for doing your part. That was an amazing stretch of days.

February School Calendar Changes –

Teacher/Student Support day Friday, February 5
Teacher/Students Support day Friday, February 26

The next Board of Child Discipleship meeting is February 10. They will determine any additional support days for March at that time.

Basketball Live Stream – Home basketball games are live streamed and hosted on Youtube for viewing afterwards. The links to each live stream have been emailed. We also posted each link on the calendar. If you are using the calendar click on the game, and you will see the link below.

COVID Committee Meeting – Our school’s COVID Committee met Friday, January 29, to discuss whether there should be any changes to our COVID plans. They also discussed the possibility of events happening at school in the next few months. Here are some highlights from our meeting:

We are continuing our no visitors policy with an exception for public school teachers who need to do observations on students in order for them to get services.
The committee determined that we will not be able to do our performances: Raider Choir Musical, 3-4 Show, 1-2 show.

Reminder – When your child tests positive for the coronavirus, please ask for a copy of the results for the school. You can send the copy to school. Thank you.

Serving Christ,
Mr. Pete Markgraf

St. Paul’s Lutheran School Update (01/04/2021)

January Student and Teacher Support Days – The Board of Child Discipleship would like to remind you of two more Student/Teacher Support Days in January: Friday, Jan. 8 and Friday, Jan. 29. These support days will continue to be days for teachers to prep for the distance learning students and also help struggling students.

Raider Kids Care – We will continue to have Raider Kids Care for K-6 students available for free. Please, let Mr. Tim Plocher know if you are interested. He can be reached by email: [email protected].

New Decision Tree – The updated Guidance Tree can be found by following the link.

Youth Sports – Our basketball season will start with practices only. Practice schedule information will be coming in a separate email. More information about starting youth sports can be found at this link: COVID-19 Sports Practice Guidance for Youth and Adults. Here are some guidelines taken from this document.

Starting Jan. 4, 2021, practices for organized youth and adult sports may resume. Practices cannot exceed pod sizes of more than 25. Spectators are not allowed; however, this does not prevent a parent, guardian, or support person from being present if necessary due to a participant’s age, disability, or medical condition. See guidance below for more details.
Starting Jan. 14, 2021, games and scrimmages with other teams may begin. Guidance is forthcoming. Face coverings must be worn by all persons at all times, including practices and games, with only a few exceptions (see Follow Face Covering Requirements section, below).

In Christ
Mr. Pete Markgraf

St. Paul’s Lutheran School Update (12/14/2020)

Student and Teacher Support Days – The Board of Child Discipleship has added two more Student/ Teacher Support Days in January. These days have been a blessing to our teachers and many students. The added days in January are Friday, Jan. 8 and Friday, Jan. 29. These support days will continue to be days for teachers to prep for the distance learning students and also help struggling students. We will continue to have Raider Kids Care available for free. Please, let Mr. Tim Plocher know if you are interested. He can be reached by email: [email protected]

Quarantine/Isolation – Please, if your child is quarantined or isolated, students should remain at home on school days and weekend days as part of their quarantine/isolation.

St. Paul’s wishes to thank Elen Stark, school nurse, for all of her work with our families and the children. She always puts the students first. She is a great blessing to us.

In Christ
Mr. Pete Markgraf

St. Paul’s Lutheran School Update (11/30/2020)

Student and Teacher Support Days – There will be no new classes on Fridays in December. These days are intended to be support days for the teachers and students. This means that the teachers will use these days to plan for those who are distance learning as well as assist students who need some extra support. Each teacher will determine how this time is best used.

Friday Lunches in December – The Friday menus in December will be available for the students to order and take home at the end of the day on Thursdays. Meals must be ordered by Wednesday to be picked up after school on Thursday.

Christmas Recording Reschedule – The final date for recording is Tuesday, December 8. If your child needs to be recorded, you should be getting a reminder by email. Students should dress appropriately for recordings.

Quarantine/Isolation – Please, if your child is quarantined or isolated, students should remain at home on school days and weekend days as part of their quarantine/isolation. This can help reduce the spread of the virus to help us remain face to face.

In Christ
Mr. Pete Markgraf

St. Paul’s Lutheran School Thanksgiving Update (11/24/2020)

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our Families!

This Thanksgiving will be like none other. We have been asked to minimize our contact with other households, but there are many things for us to be thankful for.

As you plan your Thanksgiving weekend, I want to remind you that we could use your help as we plan to stay in person with your children. I recently talked to a representative for New Ulm Medical Center. He provided a stark reminder of how many more cases are going from the emergency room to hospital stays. There are serious cases of the virus happening. The positivity rate for the Medical Center was 5% for the first 8 months, but the last two weeks that rate has been 25%. The emergency room has been filling up as well. In the last 3 weeks, the Emergency Room has had the same amount of COVID patients as the last 30 weeks. This is an alarming number. We are seeing the results of this increase. More moms and dads are testing positive, and this is trickling over to the school children.

We are thankful that the teachers continue to remain healthy! Continue to pray for them as we navigate through December. We are thankful that the cases are still not spreading rampantly among the students.

Please keep all of this in mind as you celebrate Thanksgiving this week. In order for us to continue in person we all need to be as safe as we can be. We ask that families take every precaution to stay safe and healthy. Pray for our health. This depends on all of us to make this work.

By God’s grace we will continue to be in person and provide the best education we can!

In Christ
Mr. Pete MarkgrafSt. Paul’s Lutheran School COVID-19 Update (11/16/2020)

Due to the amount of new information to consider, Mr. Markgraf has created a video [posted 11-16-20] indicating that we must be prepared for changes in our education plan.

Staffing issues may be the toughest for St. Paul’s to overcome if COVID starts to infect our staff. This is not only for the teachers, but it includes the other 20 workers we have helping throughout the day.

Consideration will be given to the decision of the public school if they change education plans. This will affect our bussing and the special education program services.

Student concerns include a combination of two positive tests in one classroom. This will result in moving to distance learning with a two day preparation period. The school may need to get a sub on board to teach distance learning for a teacher who is ill and cannot teach as a result.

Raider Kids Care will be open for classes that are distance learning. They will also plan to be open if the entire school needs to distance learn.

We ask that all families have plans in place for transitioning to a different learning plan at school. We are not in the same situation we were in the spring. A distance learning plan will not continue indefinitely.

Serving Christ,
Mr. Pete Markgraf

St. Paul’s Lutheran School COVID-19 Update (11/09/2020)

Governor Tim Walz has signed new Executive Orders (EO) 20-94 and 20-95. The new orders provide some clarity around certain topics such as face covering enforcement in school buildings, and a consideration for creating more time during the school day for teachers to assist students who are distance learning while the teachers are also teaching in person.

It is not clear exactly how this might affect St. Paul’s. We will be monitoring the decision of the public school which could affect transportation. We have our faculty COVID committee looking at the rest of the EO as it applies to our Infection Control Plan. We will continue to keep you informed if there will be changes in our plan.

We continue to see a rise in positive COVID cases in Brown County. You are encouraged to follow the original health checklist each day before children come to school. When looking at the symptoms, you should consider if the runny nose and cough (or other symptoms) are new and consistent.

Serving Christ,
Mr. Pete Markgraf

St. Paul’s Lutheran School COVID-19 Update (11/02/2020)

As the weather changes, there are more chances for COVID symptoms. You are encouraged to follow the original health checklist each day before children come to school. When looking at the symptoms, you should consider if the runny nose and cough (or other symptoms) are new and consistent.

The concern for COVID exposure shifts to indoor sporting activities. St. Paul’s is working to create a safe plan for these events. Parents will need to understand that these sports are considered “high risk.” That means children are more likely to be exposed since they come in close contact with all other players. The plan will explain how we will deal with isolation for those who test positive and quarantine for the others on the team. In nearly 100% of these COVID positive situations, the entire team will be asked to isolate and quarantine.

Serving Christ,
Mr. Pete Markgraf

St. Paul’s Lutheran School COVID-19 Update (10/26/2020)

County wide the chart numbers appear to be holding in the high 20’s, but there is no plan to change the education plan at the public schools. We had another good week and welcomed back many students. We thank the Lord that he has kept the children in his care and under his protection. The symptoms and sickness of COVID has been similar to cold or sometimes flu like results.

We have attached an updated list of places that are doing tests for COVID. This list includes new places for you as the options have expanded. New Ulm Medical Center will soon have the capacity (starting Nov. 1) to do complete testing here in New Ulm. They will have the capacity to handle 50 patients tested per day on site. The rest of the patients will be sent out for testing as they are now. This should improve their result times for the first 50 people.

If your child is staying home due to some COVID related symptoms in the family, please contact the school nurse, the school office and the child’s teacher. An email to all three works well. If dealing with a positive case, a phone call would be best. When a child is returning to school, an email to all three would be appreciated. If you have results of a test, please bring that to the office.

Serving Christ,
Mr. Pete Markgraf

St. Paul’s Lutheran School COVID-19 Update (10/19/2020)

Although we have been fortunate to have only one new positive case this past week, there were a large number of students in one classroom that were affected. We also have several students at home because they were in close contact on a public school bus. Please continue to manage this situation with care and caution, but not with fear. As Christians, lay all of your concerns at God’s feet.

As we continue to do all we can to keep our classrooms free of germs and especially the COVID-19 virus, we have added air purifiers to the classrooms that are being most affected by any forms of sickness.

We were updated on the rising numbers of positive cases in Brown County. The county principals met on Wednesday to hear from our state health team and the county health department. At this time, we were told that the state is not recommending any changes to the education plan in Brown County. It was also stated that the chart with the number of positives in 10,000 is a good resource, but is no longer a primary resource for determination of a school’s education plan. They realize that every county’s situation is different. The public schools in Brown County are making the decision to remain unchanged in their plan at this time.

Serving Christ,

Mr. Pete Markgraf

St. Paul’s Lutheran School COVID-19 Update (10/12/2020)

We are blessed! We have had another week with no positive cases of COVID-19. We ask parents to continue to monitor children for the virus symptoms. Your work in identifying these have helped reduce our numbers. Thank you.

Numbers of cases in Brown County are up. There is a scheduled Zoom meeting with the Brown County Health (BCH) Officials on Wednesday. They continue to be supportive of the in-school learning model. At this time they will talk with the schools to consider recommendations for changing the public schools education model. BCH can make a suggestion for St. Paul’s as well, but our Board of Child Discipleship will make any final decisions with BCH recommendations in mind.

Serving Christ,

Mr. Pete Markgraf

St. Paul’s Lutheran School COVID-19 Update (10/05/2020)

We had no positives for another week. Almost all of our students are back in school. Thank you for helping us make it through round 1 of the COVID-19 virus. We pray there is no round 2, as God wills. For he knows us and his plans for us are good.

We have made a change in the school calendar. There will be no school on Thursday, November 12 or Friday, November 13. Our Parent/Teacher Conferences have normally been done in the evenings of school days. We know that the teachers could be providing distance learning and in person learning during that week, so, our Parent/Teacher Conferences this fall will be held primarily on Thursday, November 12. Conferences are by request only. The teacher or parent may make this request. Contact the teacher to request a conference. On Thursday, November 12, flu shots will be available from 3pm-6pm at the school.

Our current Infection Control Plan – Revision 1.3 is working well. If you would like a copy of this revision, please, let Mr. Markgraf know. We are also working on Revision 1.4 at this time.

Serving Christ,

Mr. Pete Markgraf

St. Paul’s Lutheran School COVID-19 Update (9/28/2020)

We are thankful that our numbers have improved. We had no new positive tests this week and many students returned. This does not mean we are relaxing any protocols. We will continue to follow the safety precautions we have established. God willing we will continue to provide a safe and healthy environment for our students, faculty, and staff.

All of this has taken a toll on our students and teachers. The workload for the teachers has been difficult to maintain, and we know the students are also challenged. This led us to take a look at our school calendar up to Thanksgiving. There will be one change to the calendar. There will be no school on Thursday, November 12 or Friday, November 13.

Our Parent/Teacher Conferences have normally been done in the evenings during school days. That will change this year. Parent/Teacher Conferences this fall will be held on Thursday, November 12. We are not scheduling conferences for every student this fall. Parents and/or the child’s teacher should request a conference as needed. We hope that all requested conferences can be scheduled on that Thursday, November 12.

Other changes to our schedules include cancellation of forensics as well as updated football and volleyball schedules.

We appreciate your cooperation and patience as we work together to get the best system in place for the sake of our children’s health, safety and education.

Serving Christ,

Mr. Pete Markgraf

St. Paul’s Lutheran School COVID-19 Update (9/21/2020)

We want to keep you informed about our COVID risk at school. We have had a number of students and parents impacted by the virus. This dashboard will help us and you to see the trends within our school. There is no action for you to take when you receive the dashboard.

Children are beginning to return to their classrooms as the teachers continue to conduct a combination of distance learning with in person learning. In the past week, we have added quite a few names of those children who have been exposed to our list, but thankfully, we only had one positive test during the last week. We are praying for all of the children as the COVID virus affects more students.

We continue to work on improving our communication throughout our school and with our school families. We ask that parents continue to contact their child’s teacher to let them know your situation. It is best for parents and teachers to talk directly so that we can eliminate any middle person. Attached is our communication flow chart.

We appreciate your cooperation and patience as we work together to get the best system in place for the sake of our children’s health, safety and education.

Serving Christ,

Mr. Pete Markgraf

St. Paul’s Lutheran School COVID-19 Update (08/21/2020)

School Opening Plans – Includes information about Plan A (face-to-face) and Plan B (hybrid)

St. Paul’s Lutheran School COVID-19 Update (07/24/2020)

Greetings Families, Friends, and Supporters of St. Paul’s Lutheran School,

July 30 Governor Walz Announcement
We want to let you know that our plans have not changed. We are expecting the governor to announce plans for opening school next Thursday, July 30. Following his announcement, the faculty will present a plan to our Board of Child Discipleship who will set the course for this coming school year. As of today, we continue to plan to open school for face-to-face instruction on September 1. Of course, all plans are subject to change but the purpose of waiting has been to allow the governor to announce the state’s guidance so that we can confidently move forward with a decision that is least likely to change.

Wearing of Masks Executive Order
Also, we are aware of the recent executive order on wearing masks indoors, even for our little ones down to Kindergarten. We are currently asking questions and seeking counsel on this issue. So far we don’t have much wiggle room regarding student mask usage. We will continue to monitor the situation, but we want you to know that this is something that may still be required for our students and we will have more information in the near future.

I appreciate how much our families have patiently endured while awaiting our decision. None of this has been easy and the path has little precedent. Please continue to pray and we thank you for your continued support and encouragement as we plan for the 2020-21 school year!

Serving Christ,
Principal Pete Markgraf