For our first home football game vs. McCook Central-Montrose on Friday night, August 21 at 7:00, we will have open attendance since it is an outdoor venue. We have multiple seating options available to help maintain social distancing, including the main stadium, south aluminum bleachers, multiple picnic tables in the courtyard, and we will be allowing bag chairs in designated areas on the track in lanes 5-8. Gates will open at 5:30 p.m. There will be no tailgate supper.
Our District will be taking steps to limit spectator attendance at our activities this fall. The premise of limiting attendance is based on these three goals:
o Keep all students and staff safe.
o Keep all students and staff in school as long as possible.
o Give all students the opportunity to participate in activities.
• Our District believes limiting spectator attendance provides our students the best opportunity to complete their seasons and reduces the likelihood of community transmission.
https://5il.co/jqvv
To curb the spread of COVID-19 and minimize the potential risk of exposure, our District is requiring staff and students to complete a daily health check before coming to school. We ask parents to assist students with the screening by using this form. https://5il.co/jd9z
Last night, our School Board adopted the District's Return to Learning Plan and made a decision to "highly recommend" face coverings/masks for all students and staff. Following are links to the Return to Learning Plan for 20-21. https://5il.co/jd9r https://5il.co/jd9y
Based on input received from our School Board at their special meeting on August 3, following is the link to our District’s Revised 20-21 Return to Learning Plan. The facial covering/mask “requirement” for students and staff has been changed to “highly recommended.” The Plan now includes a list of Activities protocols on pages 12-27 as well.
https://5il.co/j7j2
Our District’s Revised Return to Learning Plan will be given a second reading by our School Board at their regular meeting on Monday, August 10 at 5:30 p.m. in the high school library. If you would like to provide any feedback to our school board regarding the Revised Plan, community input time is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
It would be the intent of our Board to discuss any changes and/or modifications to the plan that evening and eventually move to adopt the Return to Learning Plan prior to the start of the 20-21 school year.
Thank you for reading and reviewing our District’s Revised Return to Learning Plan.
Due to COVID-19 and travel concerns for inductees, families, and friends, our Watchdog Hall of Fame Steering Committee has made a decision to postpone our 2020 Watchdog Hall of Fame Banquet and Induction Ceremony that was set to be held at the Bridges on September 12.
Below, you will find version one of our BMS and BHS newsletter. As things progress/change, we will keep you posted.
Link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CUlo5yxafhSZRrQmnAyRfh807pGH3cxsqdCIyh1pGSs/edit?usp=sharing
The Beresford School District is committed to a safe and secure learning environment for its 700 students and 100 staff members. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our District has developed a draft of our Return to Learning Plan and Protocols for the 20-21 school year—Normal Learning, Normal Learning with Accommodations, Modified On-Campus/Hybrid Learning, Remote Learning, and Virtual Learning with Edmentum and SD Virtual School.
At this time, our District’s plan is to begin the 20-21 school year as scheduled on Wednesday, August 19, 2020 with in-person delivery of instruction, “Normal Learning with Accommodations.” Our District will continue to monitor the virus and adjust plans and protocols if it becomes necessary for the safety of our students and staff. We have developed models that will allow us to switch to another method, as required by public health officials. All families should have a plan in place in the event that we must switch from one delivery model to another. These plans are subject to change as public health guidelines are updated.
The academic, physical, social, and emotional well-being of our students, staff, and families are vital during these challenging times. We know our 2020-21 school year will look much different than previous years due to the new health and safety measures that will be in place. The health and safety of our students, staff, and families will continue to drive our decision-making during the 2020-21 school year.
Our school board will give our District’s Return to Learning Plan and Protocols a first reading at a special board meeting on Monday, August 3 at 5:30 p.m. in the HS Library. A second reading and possible adoption will take place at the regular board meeting on Monday, August 10 at 5:30 p.m. in the HS Library.
We know there is a lot of apprehension and uncertainty leading into the 20-21 school year. As a District, we do not have all of the answers. We will continue to rely on guidance from the South Dakota Department of Health, South Dakota Department of Education, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
It is our hope that there will be a safe COVID-19 vaccine sooner rather than later and that we can all have some type of normalcy in the near future. Thank you for taking the time to review a draft copy of our District’s Return to Learning Plan and Protocols for the 20-21 school year by clicking on the link below.
https://5il.co/in3m
Brian Field, Superintendent
Please review our District's Indoor Commencement Protocols before attending tomorrow afternoon's graduation ceremony at 2:00 for the BHS Class of 2020. Please self-screen for COVID-19 related symptoms by using the provided form. Thank you. https://5il.co/im95
Due to the heat index and chance of storms and rain, the BHS Class of 2020 Commencement has been moved from the Stadium to the BHS Gym at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 25. We ask that you adhere to social distancing guidelines by using all three of our bleacher sections. Thanks.
Parents who have Junior Kindergarten, Kindergarten, and 6th Grade students need to review the immunization requirements set by SDCL. Thank you.
Kindergarten Immunization Requirements https://5il.co/il3f
6th Grade Immunization Requirements
https://5il.co/il3b
The BHS Class of 2020 Outdoor Graduation Ceremony at Cortland Carnes Stadium on Saturday, July 25 at 2:00 p.m. will be broadcast live and free at the following link. https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/beresford-high-school-beresford-sd/evtb584a004b2
Our District is excited to host the BHS Class of 2020 Outdoor Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, July 25 at 2:00 p.m. at Cortland Carnes Stadium! The link below includes our Commencement protocols, including COVID-19 self-screening. Thank you. https://5il.co/idzh
Our District had 286 responses to our Return to School Parent Survey that represented 530 of our 700 students for a 75% response rate. Thank you parents for providing our District valuable feedback. Please click on the link to view the results. https://5il.co/id0f
Congratulations to Kamrynn Sveeggen for signing/enlisting with the South Dakota Air National Guard!
Kam, Thank you for your service!
It remains our District’s intent to have an outdoor graduation ceremony for the BHS Class of 2020 at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 25, at Cortland Carnes Stadium. The stage will be set up on the football field near the 50-yard line and Beresford’s sideline. Graduates will be seated in chairs located on the track. All parents, relatives, and friends will be seated in the stadium bleachers, the south aluminum bleachers, or aluminum picnic tables in the courtyard. We would ask all in attendance to do their best to spread out and socially distance as much as possible.
Due to the potential of extreme temperatures, it will be an abbreviated ceremony, and there will be no commencement address. The ceremony will be around 30 minutes in length. Each graduate will cross the stage to receive his or her diploma. Each graduate will pause as a school photographer (Michelle Maas from Maas Photography) takes a picture as each graduate receives his or her diploma from our school board president Deb Bergland. Upon receiving his or her diploma, each graduate will move his or her tassel from right to left.
After the ceremony, pre-packaged ice cream treats will be served to our graduates, their families, and friends near the concession stand and picnic shelter. No meal will be served as a number of graduates have planned their receptions after the graduation ceremony. Also, due to social distancing guidelines that have been set for indoors, no graduate table displays will be set up in our HS gymnasiums or lobby for public view.
We would ask our graduates to meet in the staff parking lot by 1:30 p.m. to receive instructions and take pictures with their classmates. Graduates—please have your cap, gown, tassel, stole, and/or honor chords/medallions on by 1:30 p.m.
The BHS Class of 2020 Outdoor Graduation Ceremony will be broadcast live and free on the NFHS Network at the following link: https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/schools/beresford-high-school-beresford-sd.
We look forward to honoring our BHS Class of 2020 on Saturday, July 25, at 2:00 p.m. at Cortland Carnes Stadium!
Our District has made a decision to host an ACT Test at Beresford High School on Saturday, July 18. We have capped the total number of students at 36 and will be using four classrooms to administer the ACT. All students will be screened upon entering BHS and social distancing guidelines will be followed. We still have 18 spots reserved for our BHS Class of 2021. Please email Mrs. Pratt, Dr. Degen, or Mr. Field for the unlisted ACT Testing Center code for BHS if you plan to register for the July 18 ACT. The deadline to register is Friday, June 19. Thank you.
Our District would like to thank the Watchdog Education Foundation for awarding three grants to our schools: ELL Professional Development for Teachers, $5,000; Elementary Summer Tutoring, $5000; and Touch Pro Screen Video Kiosk in the HS Gym Lobby, $1000!
Our District would like to thank the Beresford Area Foundation for awarding three grants to our schools: ELL Professional Development for Teachers, $15,000; Elementary School Literacy Curriculum, $5000; and Touch Pro Screen Video Kiosk in the HS Gym Lobby, $5000!
Congratulations to Mr. Jan Antonson who will be retiring from our District after 31 years of service as a custodian at Beresford Elementary School! We would like to thank Jan for his commitment to our students, staff, and schools! We wish him the very best in his retirement!
