Tuesday January 4th Hoquiam School District will be operating on our regularly scheduled half day schedule we use for Team Mondays with schools in the district dismissing early.
Dismissal Times by Building:
Emerson - 11:15 am
Lincoln - 11:20 am
Central - 11:25 am
HMS - 11:05 am
HHS - 11:00 am
This decision has been made due to significant impact to our community from tidal flooding that is expected to reach its peak at 2pm.
There will be no preschool programs and after school activities have been cancelled including athletics.
Students will be provided a breakfast and lunch.
The community Vaccination Clinic and PMG Testing are also cancelled. We will reschedule the vaccination clinic and make that announcement as soon as possible.
January 4, 2022 - 4:00pm - 7:00pm - Vaccination Clinic Returns to Hoquiam at Emerson Elementary.
If your child participated in the first clinic 3 weeks ago, it's time for the second shot. If you are interested in getting a first shot you can come as well. This clinic is open for any kids ages 5-11 years old. There will not be any vaccinations for adolescents or adults at this clinic. No appointments are necessary please drop in.
Good Evening and Happy New Year to all of our Grizzlies students and families. We are eager to get started back to school in the morning, If you have not heard yet; Our Lincoln Students and staff a super excited to open the newly remodeled Lincoln Elementary. Please go check out the Lincoln FB Page ( https://www.facebook.com/LincolnHSD ) and take a tour with Principal Nixon.
As we come back to school tomorrow it is very important that if your student is having symptoms of COVID-19 or has been a close contact with someone that has tested positive we ask that you review the Health Depts. Decision Tree at this link https://bit.ly/hsdSymptomTree
to see if your child should stay home.
With the rapid increase in the number of cases in our community it is very important to stay home if your child experiencing symptoms. Our priority is to continue in person learning for all of our students and we all must work together to be successful. Please contact your child's school to if you have any questions and/or to request school work. Each building will be following the Decision Tree for symptoms linked in this post.
To our Grizzly students get some sleep and we will see you in the morning!!
Hoquiam School District has partnered with Premier Medical Group and is offering Covid testing at HHS Gym TODAY from 10:30am-12:00pm. Testing is free and requires a registered account with PMG. This site is open to any one needing to be tested and not just students. Children under 18 will need to have a parent/guardian present to complete registration. If you are already registered with PMG there is no need to register again. For the latest information on the newest variant of Covid check out the Grays Harbor Public Health website www.healthygh.org
On Monday Dec. 20 the Hoquiam School District (HSD) was notified of a PROBABLE COVID Case. The HSD is working on contact tracing and based on the information provided we believe that there could have been probable exposure to individuals that attended the Homecoming Dance on Dec. 18 in the Hoquiam High School Gym. The Grays Harbor County Public Health (GHCPH) is working with the district on the next steps for contact tracing and notification.
The Hoquiam High School Administration and Associated Student Body that sponsored the Homecoming Dance followed the mitigation guidance from the GHCPH as well as required all attendees to be tested for COVID-19 prior to attending the dance. Testing as a screening protocol has been in place in HSD since mid November.
In fact, as previously posted HSD now operates under the Learn 2 Return plan by offering onsite rapid COVID-19 testing for identified close contacts so that students can continue in school (modified quarantine). Hoquiam High School athletes follow all of the guidelines for practicing and competing to ensure a safe and healthy sports experience. This includes athletes, coaches, and staff related to athletics being required to participate in regular COVID-19 screening testing each week and prior to competitions regardless of vaccination status.
At this time the information provided to the district is only PROBABLE and requires confirmation through PCR testing and notification from the GHCPH. HSD is recommending if you or your child was in attendance at the Homecoming Dance to monitor for any symptoms of COVID-19 (Fever or Chills, Congestion, Runny Nose, Headache, Fatigue etc.) and if you develop symptoms that persist for longer than 24 hrs or do not improve you should get tested for COVID-19. The link in this announcement or the attached document is the COVID-19 Symptom Decision Tree for Schools (http://bit.ly/hsdSymptomTree) that is published by the Washington State Dept. of Health and is the same document that each school uses to determine if staff and/or students are able to remain at school or should be tested.
Any questions about COVID-19 or symptoms you or child may be experiencing should be directed to your primary health provider or to the GHCPH or by visiting their website at www.healthyGH.org
Any questions regarding HSD procedures can be directed to Jason Ihde, Director of Special Services and HSD District COVID-19 Response Coordinator by email at jihde@hoquiam.net or by calling the District Office at 360-538-8200.
Where do I go if I need to be tested?
During the Holiday Break Hoquiam School District is offering Rapid Testing through the Premier Medical Group (registration with a smartphone is required) at Hoquiam High School on the following dates and times.
12.21.21 - 10:30am-12:00pm @ Hoquiam High School Lower Foyer of the Admin building
12.23.21 - 10:30am-12:00pm @ Foyer to the High School Gym
12.27 to 12.30.21 - 10:30am-12:00pm @ Foyer to the High School Gym
12.31.21 - 9:00am-10:30am @ Foyer to the High School Gym
Confirmation testing with a PCR test can be done daily at the Grays Harbor County Public Health building parking lot with Curative. You can visit curative.com to schedule an appointment or drive up. They are generally open each day at 7:00am until the early afternoon. They generally have around 100 tests available each day. There is also another Curative site for testing located at Summit Pacific in Elma. It is recommended that you schedule an appointment.
Our District is aware of a TikTok post circulating nationally that asserts there will be violence in schools on Friday, December 17. The message was posted by an unknown user and does not identify any school or region. School districts all over our state have been made aware and we have been advised that the threat does not appear to be credible. However, we always take threats seriously because of the influence social media has in our society and on our young people. Just knowing about a possible threat causes stress and anxiety for everyone. We are all in this together when it comes to managing online behavior. Please support your student at home by monitoring their social media activity and speak with them about proper behavior online. Please ask them to always bring improper activity to your attention or to the attention of a trusted adult. If you become aware of any suspicious or threatening behavior, please contact the Hoquiam School District or the Hoquiam Police Department right away. Thank you for helping ensure that our schools continue to be a safe place to work and learn.
The Grays Harbor DOH has approved the our district plan to host and conduct COVID rapid testing within the district. HSD will utilize the Premier Medical Group USA to provide rapid antigen testing to students, staff, and community members at HHS and HMS. You will need to use the QR code with this post to register yourself or student prior to testing. Once registered the testing process takes less than a minute and results are communicated via message to your smartphone in about 15-30 minutes.
As we plan for Learn2Return and Test2Stay options HSD will now include a modified quarantine option that will allow students that are not fully vaccinated that have been identified as a close contact to test and stay in school when they have negative results and are not symptomatic.
During our winter sports seasons Athletes are required to test regularly as well. Our partnership with PMG will help with the testing. The district also has trained staff in each building that are trained to administer rapid antigen testing as well. In the coming days we will share additional information regarding rapid COVID testing including schedules and updated guidance on quarantine options.
Follow the QR code to register for PMG testing.
On Monday, October 4th, our High School and Middle School students are set to return to in-person learning at school. Please have students remember to bring their chromebooks and any homework that was not turned in during the remote learning. We are looking forward to having our secondary students return. If your child is showing any symptoms related to illness we ask for your help by keep them at home. You can contact your child's school to discuss the symptoms and get guidance on when they should return to school. We are looking forward to a safe and healthy restart and can only do this with the support of our students and families. Have a great long weekend Grizzlies.
