With the recent announcement from Governor Reynolds concerning the closing of Iowa schools, effectively ending the 2019-2020 school year, Clarke Community Schools Superintendent Steve Seid put together the following, personal message to all Clarke students and families.
You can watch the video from Mr. Seid below:
In the video, Mr. Seid addresses many of the essential programs centered around the district. These programs are important to the students and families of Clarke Schools and the information he provides sheds some light on what can be expected in the following weeks.
Continuous learning, started just prior to Spring Break, will extend through the scheduled end of the school year or until a total of 1,080 hours of academic activity has been completed. The continuous learning curriculum and related activities can be accessed online at https://www.clarke.k12.ia.us/. Also, by request, packets of worksheets specific to the student’s grade can be mailed out to homes.
The Clarke Student Nutrition and Meal Distribution that was started shortly after the announcement of schools closing will also continue through the scheduled end of the school year. Meals are being distributed on Mondays and Thursdays from 11AM to 12PM. Each Monday, students are provided three breakfasts and three lunches. Each Thursday, they are given two breakfasts and two lunches. That provides each student with a week’s worth of meals to help support their nutritional efforts. Currently, the program is providing meals for 350 to 425 students every week.
The 4 Meal Distribution Locations are:
- Clarke Elementary – Entry 5 (South Side)
- Warren Park in Osceola
- Weldon Community Center – Parking Lot
- Woodburn Fire Station – Parking Lot
Because many students were expecting to come back to the buildings after Spring Break, personal items may have been left in lockers or in classrooms. The district has been coordinating a schedule where families and their students can come to the buildings, broken out by grade levels and buildings, to safely gather these personal items while still observing the safe social distancing requirements made by the district and Governor Reynolds. Notifications of locker and class access dates and times will be sent out through the school’s website and the Clarke app.
The status of many Clarke extracurricular activities is still unknown. According to the Iowa Association of High School Athletics, all spring sports have been cancelled. The district is still waiting to hear on the status of summer sports.
The schedule for Clarke graduation ceremonies is still under review. While the district wants to give proper recognition to the seniors for their accomplishments, until a firm date for public gatherings and school functions can be set, graduation ceremonies are on hold.
These closure announcements also impact Prom. While the Clarke Prom was to be held last weekend, with the mandatory closure of schools and the Casino, where Prom is usually held, the event had to be cancelled. Options for rescheduling this and other activities are under review.
“While we’re facing a lot of unknowns,” said Mr. Seid. “Know that we’re all in this together and will be back to normal as soon as possible.”
Mr. Seid went on to emphasize that the school will be doing all they can to help the students, families, and the community during the closures. While office hours are reduced, he can always be reached through a phone call or an email and will respond as soon as he can to everyone.
If you have questions or need additional information, please contact the Clarke Community Schools administrative offices, or Mr. Seid at 802 N Jackson St, Osceola, IA 50213, phone: 641-342-4969 or email [email protected]
