The district is committed to keeping you updated during the Des Moines Public Schools COVID-19 closing, which began on March 13, with a reopen date tentatively scheduled for Monday, April 13. Our regular emails include updates and reminders related to the closure of DMPS, along with other items of interest from our schools and the community. Please note the first item below: DMPS begins our meal program tomorrow.
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COVID-19 CLOSURE UPDATES, NEWS AND REMINDERS
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DMPS Meal Program Begins TOMORROW
Tomorrow the DMPS Food and Nutrition Department will be providing meals for students throughout the community. Meals will be provided between 11:30 AM and 12:30 PM each weekday at our ten middle schools:
- Brody Middle School, 2501 Park Ave.
- Callanan Middle School, 3010 Center St.
- Goodrell Middle School, 3300 E. 29th St.
- Harding Middle School, 203 East Euclid Ave.
- Hiatt Middle School, 1430 East University Ave.
- Hoyt Middle School, 2700 East 42nd St.
- McCombs Middle School, 201 County Line Road
- Meredith Middle School, 4827 Madison Ave.
- Merrill Middle School, 5301 Grand Ave.
- Weeks Middle School, 901 East Park Ave.
In addition, student meals will be available at several auxiliary sites. Students will be provided with a grab-and-go lunch as well as breakfast items for the next day. On Fridays we plan to provide some additional food for the weekends.
Visit our web site for more information. Also, click the graphic below to make a donation to our DMPS Food and Nutrition Department to help them send additional food home with students.
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Please Avoid Use of DMPS Playground Equipment
Our partners at Des Moines Parks & Recreation recently closed all city playgrounds as part of the effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. In order to be consistent with their decision, DMPS is asking the public not to use playground equipment at our schools. The COVID-19 virus can remain on hard surfaces for an undetermined length of time, and in the interest of our community's health and safety, we ask that playground equipment not be used while our schools remain closed. Things such as walking trails or basketball courts on school property are available for use, so long as people are not congregating in groups. DMPS will not be posting signage or roping off playgrounds, but ask everyone to respect this request in the interest of yourself, your children, and our community.
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Online Learning Resources Web Page Available NOW
We want to be clear. The last thing parents are expected to do during this time is replace teachers. We know you already have work you need to accomplish and many of you have added caring for children during what are normally school hours to the load. What we want to do is provide age-appropriate, high-quality resources, should you choose to have your student engage in learning activities online. These resources are meant to support, not burden, families.
We have launched a web page with a variety of items, organized by subject areas and grade levels, which will be updated regularly throughout the closure. These learning activities are suggestions to help keep students engaged during the school closure. These activities will not be assessed or used as a measure of student learning, as the state has directed that school districts may not mandate online learning during this time. However, we want to provide you with some recommendations to help keep your children academically and intellectually active.
Iowa Public Radio
reported on how schools in Iowa are providing resources to students and parents during the COVID-19 shutdown, and spoke with our teaching and learning director Sarah Dougherty about the new web page we've launched at DMPS to provide some support for kids to stay intellectually engaged when school is out. Click here to read or listen to IPR's report.
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Thank You to Our Friends at Vision to Learn!
Love is not too strong of a word to describe how we feel for our community partners helping our students. Case in point: Vision To Learn. They cannot deliver new glasses at schools like usual right now, of course, so are mailing them off to students in need. Thank you!
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CORONAVIRUS: RELY ON THE EXPERTS FOR INFORMATION
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Accurate health information about COVID-19 is important as people around the world respond to help put an end to this global pandemic. Stay informed and look for information on Coronavirus from reliable and trusted expert sources:
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BEHIND-THE-SCENES AT MEAL PREPARATION
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Thousands of Meals Being Prepared
Our food and nutrition staff was hard at work today preparing 5,000 grab-and-go meals for tomorrow. DMPS-TV stopped by to talk with staff about the importance of this effort to feed students.
Click here to see our DMPS-TV video.
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It is the policy of the Des Moines Community School District not to illegally discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, creed, age (for employment), marital status (for programs), sexual orientation, gender identity and socioeconomic status (for programs) in its educational programs and its employment practices. There is a grievance procedure for processing complaints of discrimination. If you believe you (or your child) have been discriminated against or treated unjustly at school, please contact Susan Tallman, 2100 Fleur Drive, Des Moines, IA 50321; phone: 515-242-7709; email: susan.tallman@dmschools.org.
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