The varsity football game scheduled between Springs Valley and Paoli has been cancelled for this weekend. Also the JV game schedule for Saturday morning has been cancelled as well.
Hello Ram Families! This is Superintendent Greg Walker with a Friday update. Paoli Community Schools will return to in-person instruction on Monday, August 30th. Close to half of the students who were quarantined last Friday are eligible to return on Monday, with many more scheduled to come back during the week. Dr. Lopez and the County Health Department have approved the following adjustment to our close contact and quarantine guidelines:
In an effort to minimize the number of students excluded from school due to being a “close contact” to someone who tests positive for Covid-19, Paoli Community Schools will utilized the following Indiana Department of Health updated guidance, which has been approved by Dr. Lopez and the Orange County Health Department:
Identification and listing of close contacts. A close contact is defined as any individual within 6 feet of an infected person (laboratory confirmed or probable case) for a total of 15 minutes or more within a 24-hour period.
Exception to the close contact definition: In the K-12 indoor classroom setting, the definition excludes students who were 3 to 6 feet of an infected student (laboratory confirmed or a clinically compatible illness) if both the infected student and the exposed student(s) correctly and consistently wore well-fitting masks the entire time. This exception does not apply to teachers, staff, or other adults in the classroom setting.
In summary:
Unvaccinated students who are a close contact to an infected student in a classroom will not have to be quarantined if they are wearing a mask AND the infected person is wearing a mask. Teachers will document who is wearing a mask when taking attendance.
This goes into effect August 30, 2021 and does not apply to students who are currently quarantined.
Wearing a mask is still optional, but strongly recommended. Unvaccinated students who chose to wear a mask will have less chance of being quarantined. Parents please keep your child home if they are having any Covid-19 symptoms. Thank you, God Bless, and Go Rams!
UPDATE from Corydon athletics:
The varsity football game tonight (8/27/21) at Corydon has been pushed back to an 8:00 kickoff due to the forecast.
Gates will open at 7:00
Spread the word
Thanks and GO RAMS
Hello Ram Families, this is Superintendent Greg Walker with a Friday update. As you probably have heard, the number of Covid-19 cases and large number of quarantine students at Paoli Jr/Sr High School has forced me to make the decision to switch from in-person to virtual learning next week, August 23 -27. We currently have 25 active positive students at PHS and 265 students in quarantine, which is 44% of our student body. We are starting to see cases at Throop Elementary with 6 active positive students and 103 students in quarantine. We are hopeful that by separating the students for a week we can slow the spread at PHS and mitigate the spread at Throop. ECA activities and practices will continue as normal at this time. Grab-and-Go lunches will be available to students between 10:00 am and 1:00 pm daily in the cafeteria of each school. We will assess things next Friday and hopefully return to in-person instruction on Monday, August 30th. This is not the way we had envisioned the school year starting, but it is the hand we have been dealt and we will continue to move forward. I apologize for any inconvenience this causes and appreciate everyone’s support as we work our way through this issue I also want to address some false information that was posted on social media yesterday that the school was not following the directions from Dr. Lopez and the health department. This is ABSOLUTELY FALSE. After speaking with Dr. Lopez last evening, he assured me that he had not relayed anything even close to that to anyone. Have a great weekend, God Bless, and Go Rams!
Hello Ram Families! This is Superintendent Greg Walker with a Friday update. This has been a challenging week for our students, staff, and families as positive Covid cases led to many having to quarantine. Our junior high was hit especially hard. Trust me when I say the last thing we want to do is to send kids home from school. However, we are bound to follow Indiana Communicable Disease laws which state “Asymptomatic individuals, unless fully vaccinated or recovered from a COVID-19 infection within the last 90 days, who are identified as a close contact of a COVID-19 case shall quarantine, including exclusion from schools, preschools, daycare settings, employment, and public places.” . You can assist us by keeping your child home from school if they are displaying ANY symptoms of Covid-19. If you have questions you may contact the school nurse. Please understand that we are behind on cleaning up unexcused absences and are working diligently to get caught up. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Have a great weekend and GO RAMS!
Good day Ram Families, this is Transportation Director Darek Newkirk with a transportation update. Today Friday, August 13, 2021, we will have two bus routes running a delayed schedule. Bus P1 will start its route between 3:50-3:55. Bus P22 will start its route between 3:55-4:00. We apologize for any inconveniences that this may cause.
Thank you and GO RAMS
Hello Ram Families, this is Superintendent Greg Walker with a Covid update. With the current increase in Covid cases in the county, Dr. Lopez, our county health doctor, is strongly recommending that students and staff wear masks during the school day. Employees, parents, and students still can make the personal choice to not wear them, but they are strongly recommended to help curb the spread of Covid. As with last year, this is a very fluid situation and can change at a moment's notice. I will keep you informed as we move forward. Thank you, God Bless, and go Rams.
A message from Superintendent Greg Walker on Monday, August 2, 2021
Picture Day is coming up on 08/11/2021! Order online at inter-state.com/FlyerEntry/59224GF
Hello Ram Families! This is Superintendent Greg Walker with a Covid-19 update. While we have had a lot of Throop students in quarantine this week due to contact tracing, we have had no new Covid cases among students in attendance. Thanks to everyone for adhering to the quarantine guidelines. Due to the number of students in quarantine, our number of students absent at Throop has been high. However the good news is the attendance rate has improved slightly each day and we will be welcoming those quarantine students back next week. Thanks to everyone for your patience and understanding as we attempt to safely complete what has been a challenging school year for all stakeholders. As we head into the last 10 days of school, I would like to wish all the mom’s a very Happy Mother’s Day. Thank you, God Bless, and Go Rams!
Hello Ram Families! This is Superintendent Greg Walker with a Covid-19 update. While we have had a lot of Throop students in quarantine this week due to contact tracing, we have had no new Covid cases among students in attendance. Thanks to everyone for adhering to the quarantine guidelines. Due to the number of students in quarantine, our number of students absent at Throop has been high. However the good news is the attendance rate has improved slightly each day and we will be welcoming those quarantine students back next week. Thanks to everyone for your patience and understanding as we attempt to safely complete what has been a challenging school year for all stakeholders. As we head into the last 10 days of school, I would like to wish all the mom’s a very Happy Mother’s Day. Thank you, God Bless, and Go Rams!
Hello Ram Families! This is Superintendent Greg Walker with an update. We will be welcoming Throop Elementary students back to school tomorrow. In order for us to stay in-person for the final 14 days of school, we need everyone to help. If your student is displaying any Covid-19 symptoms or has been in contact with someone who has tested positive or displayed Covid-19 symptoms, please do not send them to school and contact the school office. The same goes for staff members. We all agree that our kids need to be in school and by following these guidelines we can ensure they can do that safely. Thank you and Go Rams!
The May/June Parent Newsletter is now available. Find the link by clicking "Menu" on the PHS homepage, the newsletter is located under "For Parents."
Hello Ram Families, this is Superintendent Greg Walker with an important message. We currently have 9 positive COVID-19 cases at Throop Elementary, 3 staff members and 6 students.. After consulting with our county health officials, I have made the decision that Throop Elementary students will do E-Learning tomorrow, Friday, April 30th and Monday, May 3rd. This will allow our custodial staff an opportunity to deep clean the building and the students to be apart. The plan is for Throop students to return on Tuesday and grades 3 through 6 to resume state testing. This decision does not affect Paoli Jr.-Sr. High School students, they will continue to come to school both days. Thank you and Go Rams.
Hello Ram Families! This is Superintendent Greg Walker with a Covid-19 update. We have had a staff member and a student test positive for Covid-19 in the past few days. Through contact tracing, an additional 4 staff members and approximately 22 students have had to self-quarantine. As we enter these last four weeks of school, it is important to continue to follow safety protocols to ensure a smooth finish to the year. Students and staff who are experiencing any Covid-19 symptoms should stay home and contact their health provider. Thanks to everyone for their assistance in completing what has been a very challenging year for all involved. God Bless and Go Rams!
The March/April Parent Newsletter is now available on the PHS site. The link is located under the "For Parents" tab in the Menu.
Hello Ram families! This is superintendent Greg Walker with a brief weekly update. We had our best Covid related week at school that we have had in a long time. The county numbers have improved drastically and are back to the numbers we had in mid-November. The school numbers reflect that trend as well. So keep up the good work and keep practicing the Covid safety protocols. Go Rams!
A Message from Superintendent Greg Walker:
Hello Ram Families! This is Superintendent Greg Walker. Due to county road conditions, Paoli Community Schools will be closed today, Monday, February 1st. This will be a traditional snow day and will be made up on one of our built in snow days in April. Thank you and stay safe.
A message from Superintendent Greg Walker:
Greetings Ram Families! This is Superintendent Greg Walker with the school schedule for this week. After reviewing all the information available, I have decided on the following schedule:
Tuesday, January 19th and Wednesday, January 20th, Paoli schools will be 100% virtual and follow the same procedures that were used prior to Christmas break.
Thursday, January 21st and Friday, January 22nd, Paoli schools will transition to our Hybrid model with Thursday being a Purple day and Friday being a Gold day.
Bus routes will run on Tuesday and Wednesday to deliver food. We will use the same list we had before Christmas break. If you were not on that list and would like to be, please call your school office to be added. Food will be available for pickup at school on Thursday and Friday for students on the day that they are not at school. Again, contact your school if you wish to take advantage of this opportunity.
Our county positivity numbers really improved over the weekend and let’s hope that trend continues and we can return to in-person instruction next week. That decision will be made on Friday. Thank you for understanding as we try to navigate through this pandemic. God Bless and Go Rams!
A Message from Superintendent Greg Walker
After reviewing many factors, the schedule for Paoli schools for the week of January 19 - 22 will be as follows:
Tuesday, January 19 - Virtual
Wednesday, January 20 - Virtual
Thursday, January 21 - Hybrid (Purple Day)
Friday, January 22 - Hybrid (Gold Day)