Northern Wells

Northern Wells Community Schools is working to provide daily breakfast and lunch grab and go meals to students beginning April 1, 2020. The meals can be available to children in your home age 18 and younger at no cost to you. We will use a combination of pick up points and delivery by bus where reasonable. 

Please click the link to submit your information requesting meals for your child. Participation is voluntary. Responses will be accepted through the link below until Sunday, Mar. 29 at 11:59 PM. 

CLICK HERE TO REQUEST MEALS

NWCS Parents:

As you are well aware, COVID-19 has had a dramatic impact on our normal way of life.  NWCS is working to do the best we can to maintain an environment of learning throughout the duration of the time we must operate on an alternative schedule.  

Individual buildings will be closed to the public until further notice.  Central Office at 312 N. Jefferson, Ossian, IN will be open from 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday, until further notice.

You will be able to access the revised school calendar at the link below.  In essence, for students, spring break will continue through Thursday, April 2, 2020.  Friday, April 3^rd will be an eLearning day followed by three days of eLearning per week until NWCS can return to normal operations.

Revised NWCS Calendar through COVID-19 closure 

Many questions remain unanswered and may not be answered until we reach May or closer to the end of school.  However, I will try to shed light on the questions that are most frequent.

Will there be a graduation for the Class of 2020? Graduation is still scheduled for June 7, 2020.  We will not postpone or cancel graduation unless we have no other choice.  Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee what the actual status of graduation will be until sometime in May 2020.

Will there be a prom?  NHS had to cancel the April 25^th reservation with the FW Coliseum.  It appears doubtful that there could be a prom this year, but it is possible a scaled down version might be possible if we are able to return to school.

How will students be graded during this time?  Students will receive grades during eLearning days as they have for past eLearning days.  However, depending on the duration of the alternative schedule, other considerations may be needed to ensure that student grades would be reasonable for the situation.  There is no best solution at this time.  The test of time over the next month will help NWCS to better understand what the best solutions will be.  We hope that parents will encourage students to do their best, seek help when needed, and then help us understand what the best plan of action would be for grades.   

Can I come and retrieve my child’s things?  You can call central office and schedule a time to do so.  There are only essential staff working so you may have to be patient.  We plan to open the buildings for all parents and students to retrieve belonging when the Governor lifts the current restrictions.

My child can not access the internet?  Please work with your child’s teacher to request learning activities that are paper and pencil.  NWCS will work to schedule a pick up or delivery for paper and pencil items if that is what your child needs.

Will students on free or reduced lunch be provided meals? Yes, if those families request it.  In fact, all NWCS students will be eligible for a breakfast and lunch at no cost.  If you have not already done so, you can sign up for meals at www.nwcs.k12.in.us through the end of the day, Sunday, March 29^th.  After Sunday, you will need to call 260-622-4125 to be included on the list.

How are AP and Dual Credit affected?  AP and Dual Credit information will be sent to those affected from Mr. Parker or the AP & Dual Credit teachers as information is received.  

What’s the best way for me to help my student?  Communicate with the teachers of your child.  Help them understand what your child needs and what support you are able to provide.  Please be patient and look at the positive side of the situation as much as possible.  If you do not feel you are getting the support you need, contact the building principal.

Will sports be canceled for the year?  We will resume all activities that we can if we are able to return to a normal school schedule.  We should have a better understanding of that situation near the start of May 2020.

What does Staff only - Waiver Day mean?  Indiana schools are required 180 days of instruction to receive full funding from the State.  If NWCS conducts fewer than 180 days, the State funding is reduced with a penalty the following August.  The Governor has already authorized schools to have up to 20 instructional days that could be waived.  The Staff only - Waiver day indicates where teachers will continue to work to prepare lessons and to grade student work, but NWCS will seek a waiver to forgive that day for not being an instructional day.

We will work to keep our website up to date.  You are always welcome to call Central Office at 260-622-4125 with any question.  

Moving forward we will remember March 2020 for its emotional impact, like other defining moments in our lives.  We are living in a segment of time that will mark this collective generation for life. It will also teach our kids the right ways and wrong ways of how to deal with a similar situation.    

Even though NWCS has entered uncharted waters with the fear and panic caused by COVID-19, we will continue do our best to make decisions with a calm mind and the best factual information available.   

NWCS will conduct eLearning for the week of March 16, 2020. NWCS will be closed to students for the two weeks following spring break. We are not sure what that fully means at this point, but we are considering options for those two weeks. We hope to have those decisions made by the end of the day Tuesday, March 17, 2020.

It is with sadness that we will not be able conduct Bear Care and Bobcat Care during our closure. Our hope is to be able to offer guidance in the near future to those who are seeking child care. NWCS is also working on ways we can assistant families with meals for students who are participating in our free/reduced lunch programs.

There is no way to accurately predict the future in these turbulent times. The best-case scenario is that school will return to normal on April 13^th.  It is not unrealistic to have scenarios where school is closed through the end of the school year because the CDC has suggested schools may need to close for eight (8) weeks.

I pray that our community will rally together and find and help those people who are most in need whatever the next weeks and months bring.

Thank you.

NWCS will be conducting eLearning the week of March 16, 2020.  School will remain closed through at least April 10.  Bear Care and Bobcat Care will be closed beginning March 16th.  

Announcement

Additional information and clarification will be released when available.  

NWCS Parents,

NWCS continues to work with the Wells Co. Health Dept. to determine when we would need to close school. Wells County has no confirmed COVID-19 cases at this time.  A school closure will likely happen when we have our first confirmed case of students or staff in NWCS.  In the meantime, we will continue to conduct school with the same safeguards we currently use for the flu season.  However, we will not have more than 250 students in one location (cafeteria, gym).

Our short-term goal is to have school in session through March 19^th.  However, the likelihood that NWCS will be forced to close for an extended period of time appears to be very high at this time.  Please plan accordingly.  

NWCS will try to maintain Bobcat Care and Bear Care through a closure, but there is a potential that we will have to close those services too.

Please keep your child home if they are sick, even if they have reached the semester limit stated in the handbook.  There will be no penalty if you report your child as ill.

Gov. Holcomb has reduced the number of required school days from 180 to 160 for this school year.  NWCS will consider this reduction in required instructional days was we continue to plan the remainder for the 2019-20 school year.

Thursday, March 12, 2020

INDIANAPOLIS — Governor Eric J. Holcomb today announced additional steps the state will take to reduce the spread of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Indiana. As of noon today, the state has 12 Hoosiers who have tested presumptively positive for COVID-19.

“This is a time when we must do all we can to reduce the spread of COVID-19, protect our most vulnerable populations and reduce their potential to acquire or spread this virus,” said Gov. Holcomb. “While some actions are drastic, now, not later, is the time to act.”

Here are the actions Gov. Holcomb is initiating today.

• Non-essential gatherings must be limited to no more than 250 people. This includes any event or gathering of people who are in one room or a single space at the same time, such as cafeterias, churches, stadiums, meeting and conference rooms, auditoriums and the like. This guidance applies to professional, social, community and similar other gatherings. Detailed guidance will be posted on the Indiana State Department of Health website by the end of the day.
• Effective immediately, school corporations will be provided with a 20-day waiver of the required 180 instructional days for use as needed for the remainder of the academic year. The waived days do not need to be used consecutively and can be leveraged as needed.

• If a school corporation has evidence of community spread or a confirmed positive test for coronavirus, officials should consult with the Indiana Department of Education and the Indiana State Department of Health for additional steps. Schools should plan now for broader closures, including eLearning and remote classroom options.
• The Department of Education will release additional guidance detailing the process for submitting waiver requests as early as Friday.
• Schools should follow the guidelines for non-essential gatherings as they make decisions about non-essential extra-curricular or co-curricular activities.

• Child care and adult day care facilities should institute social distancing and minimize large gatherings. Temporary suspension of operations should be done in consultation with the Family and Social Services and ISDH in the instance of documented community spread.
• Nursing facilities and hospitals should restrict and screen visitors. Any individual who is allowed to visit is restricted to the patient’s room. Visitors are not allowed if they present with any of this criteria:

• Display signs or symptoms of illness, especially respiratory illness
• Have traveled internationally or been in contact with someone with a respiratory illness in the past 14 days
• Reside in a community with a known COVID-19 case
• Those who are less than 18 years of age

• The Indiana Department of Correction has suspended visitation at all facilities as a precaution for the health and safety of IDOC staff and offenders.
• Individuals over 60 years of age or those with a known underlying health issue such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes or chronic respiratory disease should limit their public exposure. Whenever possible, friends and family should arrange to provide food and other essential items.
• Those who run senior centers and congregate meal services should consider suspending congregate meals services and arrange for home delivery
• Encourage businesses to utilize telework policies, if available

Governor Holcomb is also issuing guidance for state employee operations. The state will suspend all non-essential out-of-state and international travel beginning today and for the next 45 days. The state is also providing employees with guidance about the use of leave and remote work options for limited durations while ensuring the delivery of essential state services. The guidance is attached.

“I fully expect there will be additional actions warranted in the coming days,” Gov. Holcomb said. “Just as we have since the beginning of the year, we are working with partners at all levels to secure all necessary resources for any escalation of this virus.”

If you are sick with COVID-19 or suspect you are infected with the virus:

• Stay home unless you need to seek medical care.

• Avoid public areas and public transportation
• Stay away from others as much as possible, especially people who are the most at risk such as older adults with multiple medical problems and those with a weakened immune system
• Don’t shake hands
• Seek prompt medical attention if your illness is worsening such as difficulty breathing and call your doctor or healthcare facility before you seek care. 

More information may be found at the ISDH website at https://on.in.gov/COVID19 and the CDC website athttps://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.

NWCS Notifications:

Recently the FCC has given wireless phone carriers the ability to block text messages with little oversight. Consequently, carriers have been blocking long code texts (texts which originate from 10-digit phone numbers).

In response, eSchoolView (Instant Connect) has partnered with BrightArrow so they can offer short code texting from the originating number 87569. A short code number is much less likely to be blocked because eSchoolView has signed a contract with the major carriers promising that the texts will not be SPAM and that all recipients have opted in to receive texts. 

As you began to receive text messages from NWCS this year, you may have been asked already to reply YES to Opt in. If you did, you are all set. 

If you did not reply, have a correct contact phone number in PowerSchool, and you want to continue to receive text messages, text the word Yes to the number 87569. That will ensure you continue to receive messages from NWCS.

If you need further assistance, you can call 622-4125 and ask for Jeff Miller, Tech Director.

Thank you!