Columbiana Exempted Village School District

Bus 6 will be running a bit late this evening (12/16/2020). Have a great evening & Go Clips!

Good morning Joshua Dixon families! We're working hard to get remote learning packets in your hands today for the remainder of this week. Please stop by the school between 2pm-4pm today or 8am-4pm W-F to pick them up from the bins in the main entrance. In addition, if you'd like your child to receive breakfast and lunch today through Friday, please contact your child's teacher by noon today indicating as such. These will be labeled with your child's name and ready for pick up in the main entrance today from 2pm-4pm and W-F 8am-4pm. Stay well and Happy Holidays! Please email marci.freedy@columbianaschools.org with questions or concerns

Joshua Dixon Elementary Parent and Staff Message: The Joshua Dixon Elementary staff has had 13 people impacted by quarantines through close contacts or positive COVID19 tests. These quarantines and positive cases began Sunday and continued through today. Unfortunately, we are unable to continue face to face learning at the elementary building in grades PreK-4. All education for Joshua Dixon must go remote effective tomorrow, Tuesday, December 15th. We apologize for the late notice and truly appreciate the patience of our school parents during this difficult transition in the middle of the week. Elementary teaching staff, not in quarantine, should report to the building to prepare remote learning lessons. All positive COVID19 cases are listed on the district web-page. Thank you, Donald Mook, Ed. D.

Good morning! Bus # 2 may be delayed in getting students home from Dixon after school today, 12/11/20. The delay could potentially be up to 30 mins. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we do our best to navigate these changes with minimal disruptions to our families.

Next week begins our hybrid schedule for Joshua Dixon Elementary and South Side Middle School’s students. This instructional format is based on the increasing number of cases within the community, our student population and Columbiana staff. Five of the six student cases at South Side Middle have been in the eighth grade. Eighth grade students have been remote since before the Thanksgiving Break through today. The remote format for eighth graders has permitted the appropriate amount of time to mitigate any possible spread at the building. Next week, the majority of eighth grade students will have been released from quarantine and will rejoin the other students at South Side Middle School in the hybrid format. Joshua Dixon Elementary School has a similar circumstance with most cases happening at one grade level. Three of the four positive cases are in the fourth grade. The structure of the elementary schedule and seating arrangement has lent itself to limited quarantines and no exposure event as a result of positive cases. Additionally, the self-quarantining actions of parents have minimized exposure events. The hybrid format is designed to maximize the distance between students and staff during our in-person instruction and minimize the possibilities of quarantines in the event that someone attending school has a positive case. We would like to thank those parents who were proactive when family COVID19 symptoms began by keeping their children home. The COVID19 symptoms, in most scenarios, led to a positive case, but the proactive actions of some parents eliminated the possible spread at school. The staff and other Clipper families appreciate your awareness and insight to mitigating this disease. These actions limit others from unnecessary quarantines due to close contact guidelines and eliminate potential exposures. We will evaluate the spread of this disease in our school community and the type of instructional formats we have employed to date in order to best meet the needs of everyone moving forward. We appreciate your patience and partnership during the disease’s insurgence in our community. Our updated numbers will continue to be on the district website for you to follow: https://www.columbiana.k12.oh.us/article/337671

CHS, ATHLETICS Tonight's high school girls' basketball game has been cancelled.

The Columbiana School District is experiencing community spread with COVID19. Much of this spread is due to external forces. Although we have not had an outbreak with COVID19 in any of our schools. We have experienced substantial quarantines from close contact associations due to positive cases. Our updated numbers are on the district web-site for you to follow: https://www.columbiana.k12.oh.us/article/337671 The spread at the high school level has been such that we will remain remote for the last two weeks of school prior to the Christmas/Winter Break. The spread at the elementary and middle school level is such that we will begin our hybrid schedules for the remaining two weeks of school before break for Kindergarten through 4th grade. Preschool students at Joshua Dixon will follow their regular schedule. The hybrid schedule will provide social distancing that will minimize or in many cases eliminate the quarantines that take place from a positive case. It is the intent of the district to have a full return, PreK-12, following the break. We will continue to monitor the virus through the month of December and beyond. You should anticipate further notifications from building principals and your classroom teachers regarding instructional communications. Thank you and please stay well!

The Columbiana Exempted Village Schools will be closed today, December 1, 2020. Today will be the district’s 1st calamity day.

Columbiana High School Grades 9-12 and South Side Middle School Grade 8 will remain on remote learning through the rest of this week due to increased COVID 19 cases/quarantines with students and/or staff at those levels. Please check teacher web-pages for additional directives following Monday's professional development day. Changes with other grade levels at South Side Middle School and Joshua Dixon Elementary will be re-evaluated daily, and parents should be prepared for any possible changes to the instructional format. Thank you. We appreciate your patience and flexibility during this pandemic as we do our best to serve the children and families of the Columbiana Community.

In order to assist the overwhelmed Columbiana County Health Department, the Columbiana School District has contracted with the department to add local contact tracing for quarantine purposes. Beginning November 23rd, Mrs. Costal will be employed as an extension of the Health Department and has the authority to quarantine individuals, who are determined to be close contacts to positive COVID19 cases in the school community. A new standard for quarantines has been issued by the health department. Any person who was in close contact, 15 cumulative minutes within 6 feet, with a positive COVID19 case 48 hours prior to the onset of symptoms of that case shall quarantine for 14 days from the last date of exposure. This standard will become a major factor in our ability to provide in person education in the coming weeks. If your child is experiencing any of the following symptoms: Fever, New Cough, Difficulty Breathing, Lost of Taste or Smell, Congestion, Diarrhea, Nausea/Vomiting, Sore Throat, Headache, or Muscle Weakness, please do not send them to school and seek medical attention. Coming to school with any of these symptoms puts others at risk of the virus and produces unnecessary quarantines for staff and other students. It additionally weakens our ability to provide instruction in person. We are asking parents to consider self-quarantining your child if you, their primary caregiver, is experiencing symptoms that could result in a positive COVID19 case. We understand the complexity of the circumstances and will provide remote education in a self-quarantine scenario. The only way that we will be able to sustain education in person is that when you or your child are sick is to stay away from the school. We appreciate your consideration and assistance with navigating through the pandemic.

The Columbiana School District has been notified of three additional COVID19 cases coming from a family with a student in each school building. Families with students of a close contact have been notified, and additional information specific to COVID-19 cases within the school district will NOT be released, in cooperation with privacy laws. Due to the increased cases and quarantines at South Side Middle School, GRADE 8 will move to a remote format next week (Monday & Tuesday). Positive cases and quarantines continue to weaken our ability to provide an in-person education. We re-evaluate the community spread of the disease daily and will consider the data through the Thanksgiving break in order to make determinations about our ability to provide an in-person instruction moving into December. Parents: Please prepare for the possibility of a hybrid or remote schedule. A hybrid or remote option may be necessary in order to increase the separation of students and reduce the number of students quarantined from positive COVID19 cases. Your building principals have communicated these schedules and will provide a reminder linked to the building web-page. Although we wish to continue our schools’ educational programs in as normal a fashion as possible, we will need to consider alternative educational formats dependent upon the spread in the greater Columbiana School District’s families. We appreciate your continued support moving forward during this ever changing environment. Thank you in advance for your cooperation and understanding during these challenging times.

We have been notified of our 8th, 9th and 10th Covid19 cases among our school community. We have a new case in our middle school, elementary school and a case with our Clipper high school staff. Positive cases and quarantines weaken our ability to remain open. Quarantines have severely impacted our ability to deliver education in-person at CHS. We will be meeting with our Health Department to determine the color of our buildings for next week. Columbiana County is now red and threatens our ability to continue in-person education. Our high school is remote through the Thanksgiving break, and our other buildings are at risk of the same outcome. Your daily actions to reduce the spread of the virus will assist our schools and staff to be open and effective in the education process. A new notification for next week will be sent out tomorrow for any changes in educational formats for South Side Middle School or Joshua Dixon Elementary School. We will continue working with the Columbiana County Health Dept. and notifying families of students identified as possible close contacts. The Health Dept. will follow up by contacting families for a potential quarantine status. Additional information specific to COVID-19 cases within the school district will NOT be released, in cooperation with privacy laws.

We have been notified of our 5th and 6th Covid19 cases among our school student body. Both cases are high school students. Due to staffing illness, quarantines and the increased spread of the disease, the Columbiana High School will be placed on remote learning through the Thanksgiving break. Students at the high school will return to in-person instruction beginning December 1st. High school students or parents of remote students who wish to pick up a lunch must email the cafeteria supervisor the day prior to pick up. Please email Tina Minamyer at tina.minamyer@columbianaschools.org to reserve your meal. Those picking up high school remote meals will pick them up at the back of the middle school at 1:00pm. We will continue working with the Columbiana County Health Dept. and notifying families of students identified as possible close contacts. The Health Dept. will follow up by contacting families for a potential quarantine status. Additional information specific to COVID-19 cases within the school district will NOT be released, in cooperation with privacy laws.

We have been notified of our 3rd and 4th Covid19 cases among our school student body. Both students are in the Middle School, and one of the two student are completely remote and not in attendance in person. We have also been notified of a positive case with a high school staff member and are following the appropriate protocols. We will be working with the Columbiana County Health Dept. and notifying families of students identified as possible close contacts. Close contact students will be moved to remote education while the Health Dept. follows up by contacting families for a potential quarantine status. Anyone quarantined by the Health Department is not permitted to attend public events or social gatherings. This is critical to reducing the number of positive cases of the virus. The high school and middle school will follow the appropriate safety protocols to reduce the risk of additional spread of the disease. We appreciate your patience and assistance as we continue to work to minimize exposure and slow the spread of the coronavirus. Please increase your family’s vigilance regarding personal protective gear, social distancing and hand washing. Avoid unnecessary social gatherings that may expose you or your family to the disease. Additional information specific to COVID-19 cases within the school district will NOT be released, in cooperation with privacy laws.

The Columbiana Ex. Vill. S.D. will have a waiver day or staff on November 30th. This will extend the Thanksgiving break for one additional day for students. School Staff will report to their building principal or supervisor for the day's professional development agenda.

District, CHS, Athletics Due to COVID-19, the Columbiana Athletic Hall of Fame Trustees have decided to move the Hall of Fame game and dinner, previously scheduled for January of 2021, to the fall of 2021. The game will be Friday, Sept. 17, followed by the dinner on Saturday, Sept. 18. Thank you for your understanding. Yours in Sports, Larry Baughman President, Columbiana Athletic Hall of Fame

Due to a couple of mistakes that were found in the original version of our video, it was pulled it off of Youtube. We added a couple of veterans who were mistakenly missed, and we uploaded a new version of our video. Here is a link for the new version: https://youtu.be/8ZfCVxdhbG8

This year we are unable to have a Veterans Day assembly but we still wanted to honor our veterans. The high school broadcast class put together a 10 minute video for the occasion. Below you will find the link to the video which has been posted on YouTube. Please share this with our veterans. Thank you veterans! https://youtu.be/xbQd1ios6e4

We have been notified of a 2nd Covid19 case among our high school student body. We will be working with the Columbiana County Health Dept. and notifying families of students identified as possible close contacts. Close contact students will be moved to remote education while the Health Dept. follows up by contacting families impacted. The high school will follow the appropriate safety protocols to reduce the risk of additional spread of the disease. We appreciate your patience and assistance as we work to minimize exposure and spread of the coronavirus. Please increase you and your families vigilance regarding personal protective gear, social distancing and hand washing. Additional information specific to COVID-19 cases within the school district will NOT be released, in cooperation with privacy laws.

We had a COVID-19 case among our high school community. We are working with the Col. Co. Health Dept. to conduct a tracing investigation, and the Columbiana Schools have notified families of students identified as possible close contacts. The Health Dept. will follow up by contacting families affected. Additional information specific to COVID-19 cases within the school district will NOT be released, in cooperation with privacy laws.