Good Afternoon Bluejacket Families, 

We have had an incredible week of student learning! With our elementary students enjoying their school routines, with their sense of childhood wonder and kindness for each other, and our secondary students finishing second trimester strong in the Hybrid Learning Model. Our middle school plans are taking shape for a return to in-person learning four-days a week for the start of the third trimester. An important element supporting our return to learn journey is the vaccination of staff members. Our vaccination clinic was delayed last week (due to winter weather in the south), but has been rescheduled for this Friday. We are thankful for the support and partnership with Isanti Public Health to make this a success. 

We are celebrating our Bus Drivers and School Board members this week. Our bus drivers set the tone for every student, every day—providing the first smile of a new day as they welcome students onto their bus to the very last impression of our Bluejacket values as students disembark. We have recently had a change in leadership in our transportation department. They are committed to being available and responsive when questions arise. We hope you will warmly welcome our new team members. We also have an outstanding School Board who have an unending commitment to our students and our staff. They are challenged with the governance and fiduciary responsibility for the district, yet bring optimism and hope to their work every week.

This is National Public Schools Week, and we hope you will join in our commitment as we work for the best interest of all of our students. We will keep them safe, learning, and growing, one student at a time. Every Student. Every Day. Go Big Blue!

Nate Rudolph
Superintendent

High School Return to Learn Plan

Our secondary students have been ahead of many in the state with their January return to Hybrid Learning. We see daily that personal interactions with our staff inspire student success. Now our high school team is creatively working toward bringing more students back to in-person learning more days per week. It is a challenge. While neighboring districts are progressing in their plan as well, many have far fewer students and/or many more students opting for online learning. 

Our class sizes at the high school remain a challenge. With budget cuts over the last three years, most high school class sizes are in the high 30s. Unfortunately, after measuring every classroom in the high school in accordance with the distancing requirements, only six classrooms have the adequate square footage to maintain the minimum 3-foot physical distancing required for 30 students in a class. 

Although it is unlikely we can return ALL high school students to the building every day this year, the high school team will be working on plans to increase in-person opportunities with the following guidelines:

1. Prioritize 9th-grade students to ensure students have the personal connections, relationships and support to successfully complete their courses and complete their first year at the high school on-track for graduation. Research is clear that completing all required 9th-grade credits is a leading indicator for later earning a high school diploma. 
2. Prioritize 12th-grade students—especially those for whom Distance Learning or Hybrid Learning is not working effectively. Provide intensive supports for students to be on track for graduation.
3. Investigate creative scheduling options to bring as many students back on campus as many days as possible for the third trimester.

Before we can move forward with plans, our high school needs to learn from families how many students will commit to in-person learning more days a week and how many will opt for Distance Learning if we move to more of an in-person model. The high school will be surveying families in the near future for definitive commitments. Once we have more data available regarding high school family/student intentions for the third trimester, we will communicate our formal plans before Spring Break.

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Good Afternoon Bluejacket Families, 

This week the Governor released an updated Safe Learning Plan to prioritize returning students back to school in a Hybrid or in-person learning model. In Cambridge-Isanti Schools, we are ahead of many districts in the state. Following a transitional hybrid period, our primary students started back in-person on January 25 and our secondary students returned to a traditional hybrid model on the same day. We are now preparing for the next phase of a model change to bring more secondary students back to in-person learning.

Middle School Model Change Following Spring Break

We are working on plans to return to full in-person learning at our middle schools beginning with the third trimester. There are still a number of variables that need to be mitigated, but by setting this goal, both staff and families can begin to prepare.

Our student schedules for the second trimester were built for the hybrid/distance and intervention models. To avoid changing more than a thousand student schedules in the final weeks of the trimester, we believe it is least disruptive to make the shift in learning models at the trimester break. This will allow school staff the opportunity to redesign class schedules for the third trimester and communicate those changes before Spring Break.

High School Learning Models

Our high school is currently in the hybrid learning model. High school families are aware that our class sizes at the high school are a significant challenge to returning to an in-person model and maintaining any physical distancing requirements. We remain concerned that our budget challenges will not allow us to hire the additional staff that may be required to reduce class sizes throughout all of grades 9-12. The high school will survey students/families to assess options, interests, and intent for the third trimester. Although we are not yet in a position to announce a plan, please know that we are working on plans to announce in the coming weeks. We appreciate your patience. In the meantime, high school students who are in need of any additional supports are encouraged to participate in the Friday in-person intervention options.

K-8 Learning Model Change Requests 

Any K-8 family who is considering a learning model change for the third trimester should email the online program cionline@c-ischools.org to request a model change. This includes moving from in-person to online or from online to in-person. 

Staff Vaccination & Testing Update

We are reaching a significant milestone this week. With the assistance of Isanti Public Health, we will receive enough vaccines this week for ALL school staff who wish to be vaccinated to receive their first dose. 

We are also continuing to offer on-site testing for all staff every other week. Proactive testing allows us to identify and isolate individuals who may not yet be showing symptoms. This is an important strategy for reducing transmission within our schools.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you have additional questions, please submit them through the Return to Learn Question Form. We will continue to update the Return to Learn Frequently Asked Questions webpage as we receive questions. Most recent information and updates can be found on our website under the Return to Learn section.

We are incredibly proud of the cooperation, teamwork and commitment to student learning that has guided our work during the last 11 months. Thank you for your continued support. #Go Big Blue!

Nate Rudolph
Superintendent

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Good Afternoon Bluejacket Families, 

There is a special celebration that occurs each year in our elementary schools. It is the time of year that our students and staff celebrate the 100th Day of School. That celebration took on special meaning this week. It has undoubtedly been 100 days like no other–and we are so happy to have our students in our school buildings to celebrate and learn. Our goal remains to keep our students in person — as long as it is safe to do so.

This week also brought the coldest school days of the year to date. We accept that cold is part of living in Minnesota. And we want to acknowledge the dedication of our bus drivers, maintenance crews, and crossing guards, who are the first to rise on cold mornings and get our buses and buildings started so we can safely welcome students each day. We had fun bringing hot cocoa to our crossing guards on Monday and Tuesday this week as they braved the bone-chilling temps. They are True Bluejackets!

As a former elementary principal, I am always energized when I see students reading in our schools. February is I Love To Read Month, and it’s exciting to see students reading and celebrating literacy during this special time of year.  When it’s cold outside, it can be comforting to grab a good book and get lost in the writer’s words.

Nate Rudolph
Superintendent

Travel Cautions
This week, during a weekly COVID update from the Minnesota Departments of Health and Education, school districts were cautioned about planning around Spring Break. Epidemiologists are very concerned about Spring Break travel that could cause another spike in COVID transmission. Both the CDC and the Minnesota Department of Health advise AGAINST travel in the coming weeks. The U.S. also has new COVID testing requirements for travelers returning to the U.S. There are so many wonderful opportunities to Explore Minnesota; we hope families will stay close to home over the upcoming break, March 15-19.

No School Monday and Tuesday
Just a quick reminder: There is no school Monday and Tuesday next week, February 15-16. Monday is President’s Day and Tuesday is a Professional Development Day for staff. Enjoy the long weekend!

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Good Afternoon Bluejacket Families, 

What a fun week we have had with students and staff in our schools and actively engaged in learning! They are so resilient and have adapted to new routines quickly. We hope your family is continuing to have a smooth transition. 

This week, we saw a great reminder about how special our Cambridge-Isanti community is when KARE 11 featured our outdoor hockey games on their sportscast. We want to thank everyone in our community and our alumni who come out to support our teams or watch them online!

Our weekly update below includes February events, winter weather procedures and information about our Community Task Force, which began meeting in January. 

The “Great Comeback” has started! We are so glad to have students at all levels back in our buildings. Last week I watched a young student running to school. The excitement and enthusiasm that he was feeling was easy to identify. Thank you to our families and communities for your collaboration, partnership, and support over the past ten months. We know that we have much work still ahead of us, but today let’s celebrate the direction that we are heading and the progress that has been made. Have a tremendous day and GO BIG BLUE! 

Nate Rudolph
Superintendent

February Celebrations

February is a full month of important celebrations and learning. February 15 is President’s Day and February 16 is a Professional Development Day, which means No School for students Feb 15-16. Middle and high school students will continue to follow the second trimester calendar for our Hybrid Learning model. 

February is also I Love to Read and Black History Month. Whether you are reading a book or reading a magazine or newspaper, our children benefit when they see adults reading and talk to adults about what they’re reading. Reading is more than an academic exercise. Reading expands the mind, and it remains a primary way we learn new information. And just like any other skill, it takes practice—to get better or faster. During the month of February, we challenge our students to read more. Because the more they read, the better readers they become. February also provides an opportunity to study the integral part of American History that is Black History. We’re sharing this link for a virtual family museum tour. There are so many interesting stories to discover. As you take on the reading challenge for February, we also encourage you to choose books from diverse authors while celebrating Black History Month. 

National School Counselor Week

This week is National School Counseling Week and we would like to thank our school counselors for the significant impact they have in helping students achieve, dream, and plan for their futures. Our counselors work diligently with teachers, parents, and community resources to help students reach their full potential and prepare them for their next steps, all while guiding them through unique life circumstances. They’re an integral part of our students’ educational experience and we’re lucky to have the best of the best as part of our Bluejacket family!

2021-2022 Budget Planning Underway

On January 21, the School Board received an independent financial audit report from our public accounting firm, which provided an unmodified opinion or “clean” audit of the Cambridge-Isanti Schools financial statements. The auditors reported no deficiencies in the District’s internal control over financial reporting and no irregularities with the District’s compliance with Minnesota laws and regulations.

Following two years of budget cuts, the District ended last fiscal year with a slight improvement in our fund balance (or rainy-day fund). This means we have temporarily stopped the negative slide due to the reductions that were made last spring. Unfortunately, it is likely that we will be facing an additional shortfall for next year. We also remain concerned that class sizes are too large and expenses continue to rise. 

The amount of money our District receives compared to the state average is getting worse. We fall short of the state average by more than $1,300 per pupil (approximately $6M/year) in general education revenue—primarily because we don’t have a local referendum. 

In January, a Community Task Force of 38 citizens and staff began meeting to study what can be done. The negative result of the referendum in November was a significant setback for our long-term planning, The Task Force’s work will not be easy as they look for potential sustainable solutions to our district’s most prevalent challenges. Please watch for future updates from this group and on our budget process beginning for next year. We are fortunate to have great thinkers and solution seekers within our district and our community and thank them for their service. 

Winter Weather Procedures

Reminder: Now that students are back in-person, and it’s winter, we need to prepare for winter weather disruptions. In the event of an early dismissal or school closing due to inclement weather C-I Schools, we will notify families via phone, text, email, and website. If school is closed, we may activate our eLearning Day Plan. The full plan is detailed on our website for your convenience.

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Good Afternoon Bluejacket Families,

The temperature outside may be cold, but there is warmth and energy inside our schools with students and teachers back together in our buildings. We really enjoy being back together! Activities and athletics have also resumed. We are having fun seeing kids being kids, running, playing, laughing and learning. We’ve collected a photo album full of photos to share on our Facebook page. We hope you enjoy seeing some familiar faces!

We hope your family is having a positive adjustment returning to school routines. Please reach out to your school counselor or school principal if you have any concerns about your child. We are here to assist and support families in any way we can. Thank you for sharing your children with us. They bring joy and hope to our entire Cambridge-Isanti community!

Nate Rudolph
Superintendent

Kindergarten Registration for Fall is Open!
Kindergarten Registration is now open! Did you know that students registering for kindergarten for the 2021-22 school year will be the Class of 2034! At Cambridge-Isanti Schools, we know how important the kindergarten year is in your child’s education.

Families of potential kindergartners will be receiving an informational packet in the mail this week with important information regarding registration for the 2021-22 school year. Parents may attend one of two optional virtual district-wide information nights on February 2 and 4 at 6:30 p.m. Join us to meet the principals and learn more about our kindergarten options. If you know of a family new to the area, please share this information with them and point them to our website to find out more!

Student Illness and COVID-19
With students back in-person, we have a few reminders about our COVID-19 health protocols. If students are sick and/or experiencing symptoms, they should stay home. Even with a negative COVID-19 test, students are not able to return to school until 24 hours after symptoms have improved. If you or your student is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, use this COVID-19 Decision Tree guide from the Minnesota Department of Health to make a decision on what you should do next. The school nurse at your child’s school is able to help with further information and resources.

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