COVID Protocols as We Begin

I had sincerely hoped the need for this communication would be unnecessary, but unfortunately the COVID-19 pandemic is still very much a part of our lives. If there is good news, it is that we are in a much different environment then we were when classes concluded last spring. This due to the fact that vaccines are readily available for anyone age 12 and over. If eligible and you haven’t already, I would urge you to please consider becoming vaccinated. This is the best way we can fully return to normal. 

Face coverings will not be required in our school buildings. However, face coverings will be required on school buses and any transportation systems operated by the school district. It is our interpretation that this adheres to both state law and the most recent CDC orders.

It is our intention to closely adhere to the letter of the law, guidance from the Iowa Department of Public Health, and the Black Hawk County Health Department. When in conflict, we will defer to state law and the Iowa Department of Public Health. In accordance with that law, masks and other face coverings will not be required. When signed on May 20, 2021, HF 847 prohibited school districts from adopting or enforcing a policy that requires employees, students, or the public to wear a mask while on school property. At the same time we do recommend face masks, particularly for those who are unvaccinated or have other health conditions. 

There is, however, one caveat to the face covering requirement. The CDC order effective from February 1, 2021 does require passengers and drivers of school buses to wear face coverings. According to the latest IDPH guidance, this order appears to supersede HF 847. Therefore, face coverings ARE required to be worn on school buses. 

Public health has adjusted their case investigation procedures regarding contact tracing to mirror the influenza model, which will focus on outbreaks and vulnerable populations. Likewise, isolation and quarantine orders will no longer be issued by the health department. 

We will continue to update our dashboard, which has been streamlined and can be found here. Like last year, if we learn your child was exposed to COVID-19, we will contact you. At the same time, the three instructional models promulgated by the Board of Directors will remain options. However, voluntary remote learning is not an instructional model being offered this school year. Any change in learning model will only be implemented after careful consideration of the localized metrics and in consultation with the Iowa Department of Education, the Iowa Department of Public Health, and the Black Hawk County Health Department. 

Both lunch and recess groups will remain in ‘cohorted groups’ at the elementary in an effort to control vectors of potential transmission. Hand sanitizing stations are available and the daily disinfecting of attendance centers will continue. We have also retained our extra day shift custodian who will assist in disinfecting and attending to ‘high touch’ areas. 

While for the most part, we are planning to allow guests and visitors to our facilities, we will phase in the use of classroom volunteers and lunch guests. At this time, we are not ready to accommodate those types of requests. 

For additional information, please refer to the Return to Learn page of our website.

New Faculty is Ready to Move Mountains!

L-R: Heather Vaughn, Grace Sullivan, Bridget Dolan 
Mitchell Stover, Sophie Rieken, Carla Ramsey,
Breanna Fisher, Hannah Miedema, Jordan Doland

The Hudson Community School District welcomed 9 new teachers to the faculty on Wednesday, August 11 for a week of induction and orientation. We are excited to welcome these new teachers to our team and have them work with our students. I know you will enjoy getting to know them as much as we have! 

Heather Vaughn Originally from Dysart, IA, this Union graduate was prepared at the University of Northern Iowa and is licensed to teach English/Language Arts in grades 5-12. This is her first teaching position as is excited to start her career at Hudson High School. She is most looking forward to getting to know her students and becoming part of the Hudson Community. Heather will be teaching high school English this year at Hudson

Grace Sullivan moved from Minnesota to Iowa when she attended Drake University for her formal preparation. During that time, she earned multiple credentials including elementary education, K-8 reading and math, an ESL certification, and even high school algebra! While this is her first full time teaching position, she does have experience as a nanny and working at a day camp. She enjoys sewing, reading, gardening and art! Miss Sullivan is looking forward to meeting all the students and connecting with the community. Grace will be teaching third grade at Hudson. 

Bridget Dolan grew up in Edgewood in a family with four sisters and a brother. She earned her degree from Upper Iowa University and holds credentials in K-8 reading, 5-8 math and science, and also has a coaching authorization. While at Upper Iowa, she was an athlete on the cross country and track team. Bridget began her career at Waukon, where she taught 4 years before moving to Cedar Falls with her fiancé, Isaac. In her free time she enjoys to run, play volleyball, travel and hike. She is looking forward to meeting her students and coaching 7th grade volleyball. Bridget will be teaching first grade. 

Mitchell Stover is very familiar with the Cedar Valley, growing up in Gilbertville and attending Don Bosco. Earning his K-12 music credential at Wartburg, he spent the first couple of years of his career teaching music in southwest Iowa at Riverside High School in Oakland. He enjoys working out, singing and playing the piano and spending time with his family. An avid outdoorsman, he also enjoys camping, rock climbing and kayaking. He is looking forward to experiencing a new school district while getting to know and build relationships with the amazing students in the music department. Mitchell will teach 7-12 vocal music. 

Sophie Rieken is very excited to begin her career as a third grade teacher at Hudson. Originally from Ackley this newlywed received here formal preparation at Iowa State University and holds endorsements in math and reading. She enjoys spending time outdoors with family and friends, likes to run, bake, golf, and spend time with her new puppy Scout. She feels lucky to have a job that is also her passion, because her work brings her joy every day! She is looking forward to growing and learning alongside her students. While this is her first year as a teacher although she does have experience as a reading and math tutor.

Carla Ramsey brings a wealth of experience to our instrumental music department, with stops in both AGWSR and Dunkerton. Earning both her BA and MA at the University of Northern Iowa in music education, Mrs. Ramsey lives in Cedar Falls with her family. In her limited free time she enjoys to crochet and cross stitch. After taking a few years off, she is very much looking forward to getting back into the classroom after a couple of years away and making beautiful music with amazing kids!

Breanna Fisher is a life long Iowa Falls resident who was prepared just up the road at the University of Northern Iowa after a completing her Associates Degree at Ellsworth. Securing a Strat 1 K-8 special education endorsement, Breanna will be a great fit in on our elementary special education team. She is looking forward to putting her degree to work and working alongside the students. She hopes to foster a safe and welcoming classroom environment. 

Hannah Miedema is a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa, earning her degree in music education. Prior to her arrival at Hudson, Hannah taught in Des Moines public. Originally from Johnston, she fell in love with the Cedar Valley during her college years and now lives in Waterloo with her cat Iggy. With a love for music, Hannah has always enjoyed performing and recalls a comment from her kindergarten teacher stating that 'Hannah needs to work on singing only when it is appropriate'! In addition to music, she enjoys hiking, traveling, and cooking. She is looking forward to getting to know her students and making music together with them.

Jordan Doland as a graduate of Hudson High School, Jordan is no stranger to our community. Earning her degree from Upper Iowa University with endorsements in reading and language arts, Jordan also worked as a paraeducator in the elementary while studying to become a teacher. Jordan and her husband have two children, and her oldest, Oliver will be a kindergartener right across the hall from his mom this year! In addition to spending time with her family, Jordan enjoys sporting events and getting coffee. This year she is looking forward to partnering with her incredible co-workers and helping students to be the best they can be!

Moving Mountains (Convocation Address-Abridged)

It is great to see everyone this morning. Welcome back! You know, the energy I feel in this room right now is exciting and suggests that, you most certainly are ready—and looking forward to a normal school year. That is what we are aiming for—a relatively normal school year. I don’t think we are quite there yet, but we are awful close. 

Nevertheless, it is incumbent that we proceed with all due urgency. Perhaps it is because of the journey—the battle we fought last year and the fact that this year—this year is our opportunity to regain the momentum that in may ways was robbed from us (and our students) by the pandemic. And I know you are prepared to accept the challenge. Because after last year, you can do anything! 

To begin this morning, I am thrilled to welcome our newest colleagues. It was a great to get to know them all last week during our orientation. I’ll tell you what, they can’t wait to step into their classrooms for the first time. And looking around this room, I can tell that you are ready too! Now it is certain our faculty looks very different than it did one year ago. So while I look forward to our new faculty’s contributions, I will also lean on the leadership and experience of our veteran staff. The wisdom you bring to bear each year is a great strength of our district and serves as a foundational pillar of what it means to be a Hudson Pirate. Put together with everyone’s contributions this is a recipe for a great school year! 

I don’t know about you, but it really seems like this summer flew by in the blink of an eye! Perhaps because we [all] tried to pack so much into these days. You know, in an effort to make up for all the lost time, Ann and I had a summer filled with weekends of camping trips with the grandchildren and vacations to some not too far off destinations. While I could regal you with tales of my adventures, you can be assured that I am not that exciting. I sincerely hope you each had an opportunity to enjoy a slower and hopefully relaxing pace that comes with the summer months.

Now, before getting on with our plans for this year, I want to spend some time this morning reflecting and acknowledging the voyage we were on last year. Partly for therapeutic reasons, but more so to acknowledge the mountains you all moved in order for us to have and keep school open. While I think we are close to normal, it really wouldn’t be wise to throw caution to the wind. Indeed, I think we’ll need to depend on some of that ‘grit’ and determination that got us through last year.

Each year during this Convocation, we mark a milestone celebrating the beginning of a new school year, a fresh start, and a vision filled with a bold agenda. But last year at this time we prepared to chart a course through the unknown. We encountered obstacles that had never been faced before. To weather that storm, I asked you to Rise Up, and you did. Navigating through a school year that couldn’t have been scripted any better, you all rose to the challenge and I couldn’t be prouder of the work you did. So, before I share with you an agenda for this year, let me first say to you all, thank you and welcome to shall we say ‘close to normal!’

‘You are the engine that makes all things go.’ You are the engine that makes this school go, and our students, our kids are the reason why you moved mountains last year. Even so, as normal as we want this year to be, we’re not there yet; and we must acknowledge that we are living through a strange time in our chosen vocation. But; then again perhaps upon closer scrutiny it isn’t all that different from the obstacles that public educators have faced since the origins of the American public school system. Indeed, the past 18 months have felt like a case of whiplash. At the beginning of this most recent epochal, educators around the nation were heralded as heroes. Parades were held and heartwarming stories told of the lengths our educators went to ensure students were served. Society finally seemed to understand that the role our public school systems played in the development of young people extended far beyond the academia of the classroom. You feed. You counsel. You protect. And from time to time even provide healthcare. Then of course the tide began to change when some schools didn’t reopen fast enough for some. Or when schools taught concepts in their classrooms that made a few parents uncomfortable. Hearings were held. Laws were changed. Yet, through all the trials and tribulations of the year, you marched forward. 

You showed our community that we were committed to them and to the students we served. 

You drowned out the noise and were mission focused. 

You modeled a professionalism that demonstrated to all what a noble vocation it is to be called an educator. 

You moved mountains. But it was hard!

I share this tale of two educational paradigms not to dishearten you, but instead to lift you up! Because what you did last year was REMARKABLE, and that you are here right now is a testament to your character and dedication to the 760 some students that will walk through our doors on Monday morning.

If anything, this discourse has taught us two important things: First, our nation most certainly has come to terms with the import of our public school systems; not just as an educational enterprise, but as a key pillar of democratic civilization. Parents want their children in school. Yes, perhaps some for reasons of convenience; but for many more—most in fact understand the key to their child’s future success begins on the day they walk through our doors as kindergarteners and comes to fruition when they depart as graduates. Parents found out in the most profound of ways that the work you do is not for the faint of heart. 

Let’s also make no mistake: the proof is in the data. The contrast between those who were here with us last year and those who were not; couldn’t be starker. If ever there was a question as to the value of the service you provide this community: to this country let those data be a demonstration of your worth!

And second: truth matters and education is an everchanging and powerful commodity where you are the vessels with which we will educate the masses! What a powerful role you play! In this, there is no doubt our quest to prepare a well-informed citizenry has been put to the test. Yet, we should not mistake this as a new epiphany. But hopefully it demonstrates a recognition of the influence you yield!

Our charge, our goal is to ensure that our students don’t have to rely on catching a break or dumb luck. Because, most of the time ‘it’ won’t break the right way. Instead we have to live our mission: Create Effective Learning Environments that Result in Success for All Students. 

Fortunately, we all know that school is way different than it was when I went to school! The supports that are available to students, the programing we have to offer, and our attention to ensuring that youngsters are prepared for whatever their next step in life has in store for them—school is as different today as it ever has been! I know, the primary structure needs some attention; but look from my view. I have watched most of these kids from kindergarten. The transformation, the learning that has taken place…My God, it’s an amazing thing to witness! Let’s celebrate the magic that happens in our school. 

Yet we can’t celebrate the status quo. We have to continue improving to remain relevant. Our students are counting on us to keep our foot on the gas and help them reach new heights. To tear down walls, move mountains, remove obstacles to their learning and help them to rise.

Our students most certainly are looking for you to raise them up! And there will be many students. This year we anticipate enrollment in our district that hasn’t been seen in almost 15 years. With changes to state law and growth in residential development, the Hudson Community School District is proud to be one of the prime school destinations of choice in the Cedar Valley. 

So, with an overarching agenda for this school year, I have identified 4 key area to focus our efforts. An agenda that attends to both our youngest and our oldest students. Granted, these may not touch your day to day work but I believe it is important for you to understand our district’s focus for the school year.

Equity and Culturally Responsive Practices: Over the last year and a half this has been a topic of nationwide interest. It is paramount in our school district that all students, regardless of who they are or where they live are treated fairly. As our Core Purpose states, we must invest in the success of all students and do all we can to raise them up so they can unleash their full potential. 

Early Childhood Programming and Transitional Kindergarten: Both parents and teachers in our PK-K program have suggested we evaluate our programs to determine whether or not it makes sense for us to offer a transitional option for our ‘young’ five-year-old(s) as they transition from preschool to kindergarten. This is, no doubt a challenging dilemma, since based on enrollment growth we are also considering whether now is the time to begin transitioning to four sections of kindergarten. Nevertheless, our end goal remains the same: ensuring effective learning environments to meet the needs of all families.

Investigate and Implement Robust Career Exploration Including Internships and apprenticeships as part of our CTE program: We are excited this year to begin providing work-based internship and apprenticeships to high school students that bear credit. For years local business leaders have shared with us their difficulty finding employees for good paying jobs in their companies. This year we will take the first step in our desire to create a direct employment pipeline from our school to local businesses. 

Finally, begin planning for the high school renovation and expansion: While the pandemic may have thrown a wet blanket on our planning for the renovation of the high school, which this year will be 24 years old, we are ready to restart those discussions. Where this ultimately leads is yet to be determined but there is no mistaking the fact that the time is now to begin planning for our future facility needs as we grow.

This year, again I am asking you to rise up and build on the momentum that was gained through the tribulations of last year. I am asking you to put your students: all of them regardless of their social station; at the center of your work. Move mountains, remove obstacles, and lift your students. In so doing we all will rise!

Thank you. May the waves be gentle as we get this pirate ship underway. It's Great to be a Pirate!

 

 

Jefferson's Vision for Education

In Jamie Vollmer's video, A Reason to Change he discusses the origins of the American system of public schools and how important it is to ensure a well-informed citizenry. He explains however, the idea of a well informed citizenry looks quite a bit different today than it did at the founding of our Republic. Nevertheless, I do believe the basic premise of this idea is as important to our mission as an educational institution today as it was in the 1700s. He goes further though, and takes on critics who sometimes claim that schools were also much better in the past. Sometimes folks will opine, 'if we had the schools we had when I went to school, we would be much better off''. Now, granted no one has ever said that to me, but I do find the comment a bit perplexing. Does the protagonist suggest a school with fewer options for students? Perhaps one where supports for students who struggle academically don't exist? I truly find the opinion vexing. 

In all honesty I want to understand, why the visceral?

The origins of our system can be traced back to Thomas Jefferson when he said in 1779 that we should 'Educate and inform the whole mass of the people… They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty.' He went on to argue for a system of public education that would be tax funded for a period of 3 years for all free children, male and female. This vision most certainly provided the foundation on which our public school systems are built to this day. Now, in the late 1700s, a three year public school system probably would have been sufficient. After all, the majority of the population at that time wasn't expected to live in a highly complex world but rather partake in a low skill high wage society.

That America no longer exists and I don't believe anyone can argue that it does. The fact is, we live in a complex world where problem solving and critical thinking skills are of paramount importance. Where our students need to have the ability to learn new skills so they can pivot quickly. An America where a college degree isn't the only pathway to a successful and rewarding life. And frankly, an America where we value truth, integrity, and can count on an honest broker. 

Come to think of it, I think Jefferson would likely approve of these attributes of our modern day educational system. 

Over the 245 year history of our Republic, this system of public education has evolved from the vision that Jefferson first proposed into one that will serve more than 50 million students this fall. To put that in perspective, the population of the United States in 1776 was around 2.5 million. This year, we will teach more students to higher levels in a broader range of content matter than ever before. The fact is, schools continue to be both ever changing with new mandates for higher standards and with tensions in the system that are not new! 

Consider how far our system has come! Why would we want to go back to that? In the intervening years the strategies we employ have become more scientifically based, the programming that we offer has become richer, broader, and more diverse, and our graduation rates; well at least ours here at Hudson are close to 100% annually. That alone is a departure from Jefferson’s original vision for education. His goal wasn’t designed to produce high school graduates. It was designed to select and sort, into a system of 'doers' and 'thinkers. The Laborers and the Learned. In that same publication previously quoted, ‘Notes on the State of Virginia’, he lays out the idea of a very basic education for everyone that will produce a well-informed citizenry—and at the same time separate out the best students, to quote ‘rake the best geniuses from the rubbish annually’. Can you imagine a system today where the goal is to encourage dropouts? The consequences of which are not only catastrophic for the individual, but the society.