You won't find a town called Lakeshore on a map, but you'll soon feel the Lakeshore community - and LANCER PRIDE - in your heart. We believe all children deserve an engaging and inspiring education - and the opportunity to discover and pursue their own paths. With Passionate educators, the latest technology and unique opportunities, Lakeshore does more than equip our students to succeed in life - we empower them to lead their lives with character and integrity.
Lakeshore Excellence Foundation
Through the generosity of our donors, the LEF has funded more than 70 academic projects, 40 hardware and software projects, and a wide variety of outreach, cultural and aesthetic programs, many open to the entire community. In 2016, we successfully completed our largest infrastructure project to date by investing $600,000 to transform all of our libraries into 21st Century Learning Centers. We are now poised to again reach higher: we’re reaching out for contributors to help us support the implementation of STEM throughout all grades levels at Lakeshore Public Schools.
Elementary and Middle School to Pause Three Days for Remote Instruction after Thanksgiving Break
Lakeshore Public Schools will temporarily shift to remote learning beginning Monday, November 30 through Wednesday, December 2, 2020 for grades Y5 through 8. This includes all district-wide special education programs. Students will return to in-person learning on Thursday, December 3.
(This will not impact students in the Lakeshore Virtual Academy. Nor will this impact students in Grades 9-12 who will continue remote learning through December 8.)
The remote days will allow for a period of time where families and staff can monitor for symptoms following the holiday. Ultimately, the intention is to ensure everyone is as healthy as possible prior to returning to school and allow us to reduce potential quarantines in order to return to in-person instruction for kindergarten through 8th grade on Thursday, December 3, 2020.
This pause in face-to-face instruction will also give us an opportunity to practice our remote learning plans. Specific information on remote learning schedules will be provided by building principals. Students will take home all necessary instructional materials for November 30 through December 2 today. Students are expected to log onto their Google Classrooms at the required times and attendance will be taken on these remote days.
For More Information Click Here.
Governor/MDHHS Orders High Schools to Move to Remote Learning Beginning Wednesday, November 18
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) issued a new emergency order this evening that enacts a three-week pause targeting indoor social gatherings and other group activities in an effort to curb rapidly rising COVID-19 infection rates. This includes requiring colleges and high schools to move exclusively to remote learning. Further, schools may not offer extra-curricular activities or athletics in-person for any grades during the three week period. The transition to remote learning at the High School will take place on Wednesday, November 18, 2020 and run through Tuesday, December 8, 2020. Specific information on this transition will be provided by the High School staff.
The MDHHS made clear, “Michigan has seen fewer outbreaks associated with elementary and middle schools, and younger children are most in need of in-person instruction. In-person K-8 schooling may continue if it can be done with strong mitigation, including mask requirements, based on discussion between local health and school officials. Childcare also remains open to support working parents. Throughout this crisis, Michigan’s teachers and childcare workers have served on the front lines ensuring support for working parents and educating our children.”
I am certain that this decision will raise the question “What about grades K- 8?”
In every decision we make, consideration is given to maintaining instruction for our early learners, special education students, and other high risk learners as long as we can continue to provide a safe environment and manage staffing shortages. The data below clearly shows that the rate of community transmission has had little or no impact on the safety of our in-person students, particularly in the early grades.
While the risk of community transmission has sharply increased in the community, the ability of the District to implement mitigation strategies is clearly working to severely limit the transmission of COVID-19 in school or at school related events. Of the 3000 students and staff in our schools each day, less than 1% have been identified as a positive or probable case in the first 10 weeks. The number of cases and quarantines at the elementary and middle school levels has been minimal in comparison to the high school. In the school setting, there have only been three identified cases of transmission in county schools (and none at the K-8 level). This equates to less than 1/10th of 1% of the COVID-19 cases in the county.
The data is clear. In-person instruction is NOT contributing to the current upward trajectory of cases in the community, nor has the sharp increase of cases in the community equated to transmissions in the school setting. The highly regulated behavior managed through our mitigation strategies is preventing infection in our schools, helping us maintain a safe environment and supporting the ongoing face-to-face instruction that is helping us fill the learning gaps caused by last year’s closure.
The movement of the High School to remote learning for a period of three weeks will certainly have an impact on the number of cases and subsequent quarantines we have seen this fall. We will continue to closely monitor the number of cases and quarantines associated with our schools with particular attention paid to transmission rates in schools. If in-person learning leads to an upward trend of school outbreaks or if staffing issues persist, a move to remote learning at all levels may be necessitated.
We understand that schools play a vital role in our communities, and we’ve seen that having the in-person option this school year has provided a significant benefit for the academic, social, emotional, and physical well-being of our students and families. I cannot say enough about the collective effort that has allowed us to continue to offer education options to our families. Through our experience this fall, it has become abundantly clear that the better we do with our mitigation strategies, the longer we will be able to keep schools open and offer the option of in-person instruction. We continue to be committed to doing all we can to support ongoing in-person instruction, particularly for our youngest students and our at-risk learners. We will continue to do so as long as we can continue to provide a safe environment and manage staffing shortages.
Please complete the link below only if you satisfy one of these three situations:
1) You have a student currently in our LVA program and you want to KEEP the student in LVA.
2) You have a student currently in our LVA program and you wish to SWITCH to in person learning.
3) You have a student currently in person and you want to SWITCH to LVA.
Response is due by Tuesday, December 1st. Default learning will be In-person for those that don't fill out the form.
Please click here for the link. Thank you.
October 22, 2020
RE: Rise in COVID-19 Cases in the Community and Implications for Schools
Dear Families and Staff:
As Berrien County school districts prepared our Return to Learn plans for the 2020-2021 school year, our most important consideration was delivering quality education while supporting the health, safety, and well-being of our students, staff, and their families. As part of our plans, we offered multiple instructional options to best meet everyone’s needs. Options included in-person and remote instruction, and in some instances, a combination of both. While we understand the need for flexibility, our ultimate goal is for all students to return to in-person instruction so that schools can continue to provide all the services that Berrien County children need to be successful.
Right from the beginning, our districts implemented protocols based on the best information we could gather. Relying on expert guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, and the Berrien County Health Department, along with specific direction from the Michigan Department of Education, we developed plans that included protocols to keep our students and staff safe. This included protocols that (1) worked to keep COVID-19 from entering our buildings; and (2) mitigated the possible spread of COVID-19. These strategies included:
1. Keeping COVID-19 Out of Our Schools
2. Mitigating the Spread
Now nearly two full months into the school year, we are appreciative of the collective effort that has allowed us to continue to offer education options to our families. We also want to thank our families for their vigilance in monitoring the symptoms of their children, communicating exposure and test results, and prompt responses to quarantine requests. Through our experience this fall, it has become abundantly clear that the better we do with our mitigation strategies, the longer we will be able to keep schools open and have children attend school in person.This attentiveness from families has aided greatly in our ability to work collaboratively with the Berrien County Health Department to act quickly to isolate and quarantine those who are positive for COVID-19 or have been exposed to the virus.
Our efforts have worked to create a safer environment for students and staff members in the school setting, but the same protocols have not been uniformly practiced within our community at large. The Berrien County Health Department and other state public health officials have reported a significant increase in positive cases across our state and region in recent weeks (see Berrien County Health Department COVID-19 Dashboard link). However, we know that despite increased community transmission levels, there has still been very limited transmission within schools. In fact, the majority of individuals associated with our schools that are currently in isolation or quarantine did not have an exposure to COVID-19 at school. Rather, these exposures happened outside of the school setting.
Schools play a vital role in our communities, and we’ve seen that having the in-person option this school year has provided a significant benefit for the academic, social, emotional, and physical wellbeing of our students and families. Having schools open and operational also allows for parents and caregivers to keep attending work, thus, sustaining our local economy. We stand united with our local health department sharing a common goal to sustain the optimal learning environment of in-person instruction as long as possible. At the same time, community-based spread of COVID-19 has the potential to jeopardize our continued ability to offer in-person learning and extracurricular activities.
The ability to keep our schools open for in-person instruction is dependent not only on our ability to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 within the walls of our building, but it is equally dependent upon how our entire community is faring as a whole. If the rate of cases continues to trend upward, the Berrien County Health Department warns that schools may be forced to implement additional protocols and restrictions to prevent the current rate of spread. These safety measures could mean the cancellation of extracurricular activities, including band and athletics, further limiting access to events and, in a worst-case scenario, forcing a shift to fully remote learning across our districts.
It is critical that we all work together to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in our communities with the same resolve that has allowed us to successfully open our schools this fall. We all must follow the necessary protocols when out in public or around others outside of your household that have worked to provide a safe environment in our schools: wear a mask, watch your distance, and wash your hands. Continue to screen your students for the onset of symptoms before the start of each day, and keep them home if they are sick.
Our ongoing partnership with you, our school families and community members, is of the utmost importance to us as we uphold health and safety precautions both within and outside of school. Thank you for your continuous support, flexibility, and demonstrated resilience during this unprecedented school year.
Signed,
Respectfully,
Your Partners in Education
Please choose the closest bus stop from this list.
Please note Transportation has a new phone # 266-3260.
In a further effort to promote a positive school community, we have launched an official school district Facebook page. Please search for Lakeshore Public Schools to access and LIKE our new page.
