(5/5/2021)
Eighth-grade students at Winona Middle School are learning in-person again. Four COVID-19 cases and 154 possible exposures at the eighth-grade level led Winona Area Public Schools (WAPS) officials to move that grade to distance learning from April 21 to May 3. Meanwhile, however, WAPS reported that district-wide there were seven new cases and 123 students and staff in quarantine between April 22 and April 28.
“We were not notified of any other positive cases linked to the eighth grade, out of those four cases that we did have and that we did report,” WAPS COVID-19 Coordinator Jacqueline Henderson said.
The seven new cases were spread out among the district’s buildings and grade levels, Henderson said, with about half at the elementary level and half at the middle and high school levels. The 123 new instances of quarantining were similarly spread out, she added. “This did not do a significant disruption to learning and teaching for other clas
WMS 8th grade goes virtual (4/28/2021)
Eighth grade students at Winona Middle School (WMS) moved to distance learning on April 21 after several positive cases of COVID-19 arose at that grade level. Superintendent Annette Freiheit said the district’s previously announced plans for eighth graders to resume in-person learning on May 3 are on track.
Two positive cases at the eighth grade level initially triggered WAPS’ decision to shift eighth grade students to distance learning, Freiheit said. “We just felt it was best to … make that shift, to make sure we contain that,” she said.
Once in distance learning, two additional positive cases arose, she said. Due to the positive cases, 154 students and staff are in quarantine. No more students or staff have tested positive at this time, she said.
By TJ
Photo: Winona Area Public Schools
WINONA, Minn. (KWNO)-8th graders at the Winona Middle School have immediately shifted to distance learning.
In a letter to district families, Winona Area Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Annette K. Freiheit says they’ve seen a sudden and sharp rise in students who need to quarantine. She said the shift to distance learning will last until May 3 at the earliest.
Freiheit said the learning model shift is in effect for grade 8 only. She says athletics and activities will resume as normal, however, students identified as close contacts are being asked to quarantine.
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(4/7/2021)
The most recent iteration of a study of the capacity of Winona Area Public Schools’ (WAPS) buildings projects that they could be 59 percent full by the 2031-32 school year based on estimated enrollment. The projections include estimates that the district’s buildings for high school students could be 48 percent full and Winona Middle School (WMS) could be 55 percent full. The estimates are based on potential capacity, which is a capacity measure tied to how a building could be used rather than how it is currently arranged. School Board members received the capacity study at their April 1 meeting. Several board members and Superintendent Annette Freiheit said they would not want to speculate about any potential school consolidation at this time, while one said he did not want the district to use the numbers for planning purposes.