Alba Public School

Alba Public School will be distributing food to our students who need it from 10:00 a.m. until noon today, Wednesday, December 16, 2020. The food can be picked-up at the elementary entrance on Elm Street. For those families who need the food dropped off at home, distribution is currently taking place.

Santa is at the school today, 3:00-5:00!

Santa will be at Alba Public School

Santa is coming to Alba High School!

Alba Public School would like our families and community members to know that food pick-up today, December 9, 2020 at the school will take place from 10:00 a.m. to noon. Those families who typically come to pick-up the food for their students may do so at the Elm Street elementary entrance starting at 10:00 a.m. Delivery to those families who cannot come to the school is currently taking place.

As you all are most likely aware, the State of Michigan extended the three week pause to December 20, 2020 leaving the choice of educating preschool through eighth grade students up to local districts in the interim. All high school classes are to be done remotely and athletic events are postponed. The decision to bring back the preschool through eighth grade students has weighed on my mind and I have struggled with the decision. I believe best place for kids is in school, this is especially true of the little ones who need consistency in their learning. On the other hand the fact that we are being told it is not safe for some kids to be in school makes me question the logic of having any students here. The safety of our students, staff and the community as a whole is and should be the first priority for everyone. After a great deal of thought and deliberation, I have come to the conclusion that despite my desire to keep kids in school the safety of all is most important. As such, I am notifying the community that Alba Public School will remain closed to face to face instruction through the end of Christmas Break with a return to in person instruction planned for Monday, January 4, 2021. Alba Public School will continue to work with all students through our remote learning model until the normal start of Christmas Recess on December 23, 2020. The students will not be required to participate in remote instruction during Christmas Break from December 23, 2020 to January 3, 2021. Alba Public School will also, be continuing with our home deliveries of food to the students of the district until the return to school on January 4, 2021. In addition, if any of our students are having conductivity issues with logging into virtual coursework, I would ask the parents please call the school at 231-584-2000 so we can make arrangements to assist your child with the coursework.

Alba Public School will be delivering food to our students around 10:00 a.m. this morning, Tuesday, December 1, 2020. For those families who pick-up at the school this can be done from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. today. Pick-up will be at the elementary entrance on Elm Street.

As a reminder to all Alba Public School students and parents,...All Alba Public School students should be meeting with their teachers through GOOGLE Classroom and completing work multiple times per week during the "Suspension of Services" due to COVID-19. For the students to be successful they need to be doing this as grades are continuing to accumulate and we do not want them falling behind. Should you have questions regarding this, please feel free to call the school at 231-584-2000.

Congratulations Alba!

Alba Public School will be delivering food to our students during the three week COVID-19 Suspension. Delivery will occur today, November 18, 2020. Parents can also pickup food at the school for your student today between eleven and one p.m. at the front of the school at our Elm Street entrance. If you prefer to come to the school and get the food, please call the office at 231-584-2000 so we can set it aside for you.

Alba Public School continues to work with the Health Department of Northwest Michigan in determining the best course of action for our students and staff. Due to a potential COVID-19 exposure at the school on Monday, November 16, 2020, Alba Public School will be closed on Tuesday, November 17, 2020. As many of you have likely already heard, the MDHHS Director Robert Gordon has suspended a number of items due to the spread of COVID-19 in Michigan effective Wednesday, November 18, 2020. Among those businesses and activities required to close are high schools and any associated high school activities including athletics. The suspension of activities will continue through December 8, 2020. Elementary buildings are still allowed to remain open, but given the uniqueness of our school building, Alba Public School has opted to close our entire building Pre-K through 12th grade. On Monday, November 16 we will be sending home Chromebooks and materials with the students for remote instruction. Please work with your child during the remote instruction time so that all students can return to school in early December ready to learn. Should you have any questions regarding this information, please feel free to call the school at 231-584-2000.

Alba Public School with Star Township Fire Department will be delivering Thanksgiving meals to community members who would like one. On Wednesday, November 25, 2020 we will be preparing and delivering Turkey, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, a vegetable and stuffing to bring a little cheer to our community. If you are interested in receiving a meal please or know somebody who could use one, please call the school at 231-584-2000 to let us know. The deadline for notification to the school will be Monday, November 23, 2020.

Dear MHSAA Community, With Governor Whitmer’s announcement this evening, all school sports activities (practices and contests) are suspended effective immediately through at least Dec. 8 or until these new orders are amended. This means the three ongoing fall tournaments, girls swimming & diving, volleyball and football, have been suspended. The MHSAA will be exploring all options to complete these three remaining Fall tournaments. At this same time, discussions will take place to revise Winter sports plans that will include updated practice and competition calendars. As we have promised since March, the MHSAA will continue to be transparent and flexible while sharing information and updated timelines once those are set. Our goal since June remains unchanged as we will continue to plan for three sports seasons that can all be completed during the 2020-21 school year. The MHSAA supports the actions needed by our state government and health department leaders. All of us need to do our part now to reverse the concerning COVID numbers in Michigan to give all of our students the chance to participate, practice and compete again as we have been able to do safely since August. The only allowed coach-player contact and activities for all sports (fall, winter and spring) is virtual communication and meetings through at least Dec. 8 or until these new orders are amended. We will continue to provide regular updates over the coming days and weeks. Thank you. Mark Uyl MHSAA Executive Director

November 11, 2020 In preparation for potential upcoming snow days, possible COVID-19 suspension of face to face instruction and for the general Social Emotional wellbeing of students and staff Alba Public School is going to run a two day trial run of distance learning. These two days will be held on November 23rd and 24th. The teachers have or will be sending home Chromebooks with the students to utilize during this time. Students will need to log in each day and participate in any classroom activities designed by the instructors. In order to limit the possibility of multiple students utilizing the internet and devices at any one time in a given household, the following schedule will be followed: Monday, November 23, 2020 and November 24, 2020 8:00 a.m. Grades PreK, Kindergarten and First 9:00 a.m. Grades Second through Fourth 10:00 a.m. 1st hour classes and Grades Five through 7 11:00 a.m. 2nd hour classes 12:00 p.m. 3rd hour classes 1:00 p.m. 4th hour classes 2:00 p.m. 5th hour classes At the scheduled times your students should be logged into Google Classroom with their teacher to complete the assignments being provided and to partake in the discussion in the chat rooms. It is believed by doing this test run, we can figure out who has potential issues and shortcomings to the system and where our emphasis needs to be placed in order to count future days of instruction when we do not meet in person. We will be sending bagged lunch and breakfast home with the kids on Friday, November 20th so that all of the students are able to have these meals during the two days of the trial run. Please expect these to be coming home. We ask that parents please make certain your students are provided the opportunity to utilize the Chromebooks, and meet with their teachers at the scheduled time. Our Seventh through Ninth Grade students will be working on their academic portion of the CPR Graduation requirement and all other students will be working with their regular classroom teacher. We need parental assistance to make certain all of the Alba Public School students participate on these two days to get a true reflection of our ability to teach in such a situation. Thank you, Richard S. Satterlee Superintendent

Congratulations to Alba senior, Dylan Acevedo, on being recognized as the Ski Valley Conference's Defensive Player of the Year!

Important Announcements from Alba Public School As a reminder Alba Public School will not have students in attendance on Monday, November 2, 2020 due to regional staff development for our faculty and staff. As such, please allow your student to stay home and sleep in. Due to the shift of the Traverse City region from a COVID-19 Phase 5 region to a Phase 4 designation by the Health Department, some changes will need to take place: 1. All Kindergarten through twelfth grade students must now wear masks everywhere indoors while attending school. The shift from cohort groups in the early elementary is no longer allowable under the change in designation of the region. Preschoolers are still of the age that they may attend class in a cohort group and not wear masks in class. 2. In order to prevent the Career Tech Center in Traverse City from potentially becoming a super spreader event/location the Career Tech Center will be moving to a hybrid schedule. As of today the Alba Public School eleventh and twelfth grade students attending CTC will be attending the Career Tech Center on Thursday and Friday mornings only. Monday through Wednesday will be virtual school. Your student is allowed to come to Alba Public School as early as 8:00 a.m. for class via the bus and we will house them to complete their virtual work, or you may keep them at home to work virtually until 12:15 when they should report to Alba Public School for afternoon classes. Alba Public School will continue to follow the recommendations of the Health Department in keeping our students and staff safe from COVID-19 and we thank you for your efforts to assist us in doing so.

Trick or Treating hours for Alba are 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Please be safe out there!

October 23, 2020 Dear Traverse Bay Area regional school community, On behalf of a consortium of area leaders representing the medical, educational, public health and business communities of Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska and Leelanau counties, we commend the members of these communities for their perseverance and extraordinary patience as we continue to work through this pandemic. While safety remains a top priority, it is a privilege for us to witness the energy in our schools and throughout our business community the past few months. Each day, we are reminded of how critical our combined efforts are in mitigating the spread of COVID-19 and keeping our communities safe and open. As we approach the holiday season we wish to remind everyone to remain vigilant and continue to follow guidance and safety measures from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). With the recent increase of positive cases across the region, health officials are urging families to consider modified holiday celebrations that are small, local, and encourage wearing of masks, social distancing, and proper hygiene practices to help slow the spread of the virus. Our goal is to stay safe, keep our schools open face-to-face, and our businesses and economy moving forward. Below is guidance from MDHHS and the CDC to consider before, during and after a gathering to stay safe this holiday season. ● MDHHS Celebrating the Holidays During COVID-19 ● MDHHS tips on TRAVELING during the holiday season ● CDC Know Your Travel Risk ● CDC Know When to Delay Your Travel to Avoid Spreading COVID-19 Our schools are ready to transition to distance learning if the need does arise, and we will continue to work in partnership and follow public health data in the months ahead. We urge you to minimize group gatherings, continue to monitor for symptoms, and practice basic preventative measures to prevent the spread of viruses such as COVID-19, influenza and the common cold. Thank you for your continued support. Together, we can slow the spread of COVID-19! Best wishes for a safe and healthy holiday season. Respectfully, Dr. Nick Ceglarek, Traverse Bay Area ISD Superintendent with community partners listed below Regional Health Officers Dr. Josh Meyerson, Medical Director and Lisa Peacock, Health Officer Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department and Health Department of Northwest MI Kevin Huges, District Health Department #10 Health Officer Wendy Hirschenberger, Grand Traverse County Health Department Health Officer Dr. Michael Collins, Grand Traverse County Health Department Medical Director Dr. Christine Nefcy, Munson Healthcare Chief Medical Officer Regional School Leadership Rich Satterlee, Alba Public School Superintendent Mark Brenton, Bellaire Public Schools Superintendent Amiee Erfourth, Benzie County Central Schools Superintendent Jessica Harrand, Buckley Community Schools Superintendent Mike Hill, Crawford School - Excelsior District #1 Superintendent Julie Brown, Elk Rapids Public School Superintendent Josh Rothwell, Forest Area Community Schools Superintendent Jeff Tousley, Frankfort-Elberta Area Schools Superintendent Jon Hoover, Glen Lake Community Schools Superintendent Jim Coneset, Grand Traverse Academy Superintendent Mike Buell, Grand Traverse Area Catholic Schools Superintendent Robert Walker, Greenspire School Head of School/Superintendent Trey Devey, Interlochen Center for the Arts President Terry Starr, Kalkaska Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Keith Smith, Kingsley Area Schools Superintendent Arden Wilson, Leelanau Montessori Public School Academy Head of School Stephanie Long, Leland Public Schools Superintendent Jeff DiRosa, Mancelona Public Schools Superintendent Sue Frost-Mayse, New Covenant Christian Academy Darci Long, North Central Academy Principal Neil Wetherbee, Northport Public Schools Superintendent Renee Kolle and Danielle Clayton, Old Mission Peninsula School Principals Lisa Medina, St. Mary Hannah School Principal Megan Glynn, St. Mary Lake Leelanau Catholic School Principal Casey Petz, Suttons Bay Public Schools Superintendent Michele Shane, The Children’s House Head of School Rob Hansen, The Leelanau School Head of School Jill Vigenski, The Pathfinder School Head of School Dr. John VanWagoner, Traverse City Area Public Schools Superintendent Tyler VanSchepen, Traverse City Christian School Superintendent Kyle Smith, Trinity Lutheran School Jeremiah Stieve, Woodland School Director Community Leadership Nate Alger, Grand Traverse County Administrator Warren Call, Traverse Connect President and CEO

Due to the COVID-19 Reopening Plan we must cancel our traditional Halloween Parade. In its place, we are planning on holding an outdoors event at 1:30 p.m. on October 30, 2020. This will be held in our high school parking lot at the back of the building on Jordan River Road. We encourage all parents and community members to come to the building that day, and watch the Alba Public School’s little student’s parade around the parking lot for all to view. Please feel free to bring candy to pass out to the kids. In addition, parents may take their child home at the conclusion of the parade as it is being held at the end of the regular school day.

Due to the COVID-19 and the Alba Public School Reopening Plan, we will not be holding either of these events in the manner we have in the past. First, the traditional parent/teacher conferences will be held in an alternative manner. If you desire to speak with one of the teachers regarding your student please contact them to arrange a time either virtually, on the phone or in person to conduct the meeting. The faculty has expressed to me they will get back with you regarding these scheduled times.