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Posts Tagged ‘Covid-19’

Paperwork today, play tomorrow

Posted in paperwork, tagged , , , , on January 22, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Willie Smith is on the lookout for your paperwork. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Get your paperwork done!

That’s the message from Coupeville High School Athletic Director Willie Smith, as the school prepares for an anticipated return to athletic competition.

The Wolf head man released the following statement Friday afternoon:

 

CHS families,

We are very excited that we have a schedule for providing athletics to our high school students!

It has been a long nine months and we believe that this schedule gives a very real chance to play sports this year!

As with everything this year, the sports season is a bit different with spring sports (baseball, softball, girls tennis, and track and field) slated to be our first season starting on February 22.

That will be followed by our fall sports (football, volleyball, boys tennis, boys soccer, girls soccer, and boys/girls cross country), and ending with winter sports (boys and girls basketball).

You should have received two things from the school on Friday in regards to school: an electronic version of our athletic packet and required signature forms that must be filled out prior to any student playing any sport.

The signature form is accompanied by forms explaining what you’re signing, as well as eligibility requirements to participate in athletics and spectator conduct.

The other item, specifically for the students, is a Google Form sent to their school email for them to select which sport or sports they are interested in playing this year (separated by season).

This is crucial for us to receive back by Wednesday, Jan. 27 in order to start gathering information for our coaches and staff.

We are asking that you (parent/guardians) also return the signed athletic paperwork back to Barbi Ford (bford@coupeville.k12.wa.us) or Lisa Yoder (lyoder@coupeville.k12.wa.us) by next Wednesday as well, so we can begin creating a database for this year.

We would prefer an electronic return rather than a physical packet back, so please fill it out electronically with a parent/guardian signature and student signature where applicable.

We want to emphasize that ALL academic and attendance requirements for participating in athletics will continue to be enforced and need to be met before and during the sports season(s).

It is imperative that you (students) start the second semester strong and work towards having success in the classroom so that you can have the opportunity to participate fully in athletics.

If you have any questions or have not received this paperwork, please contact myself, Willie Smith (wsmith@coupeville.k12.wa.us), Barbi Ford, or Lisa Yoder.

Thank you, and I hope you are all as excited as we are for this opportunity to come to fruition.

Willie Smith

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No Cowboys to lasso

Posted in Everything changes, tagged , , , , on January 22, 2021| Leave a Comment »

If games are played this school year, Coupeville and Chimacum will not meet on the gridiron as originally planned. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

One less rival.

If games are played this school year, Chimacum will not join Coupeville in the Northwest 2B/1B League.

Instead, the Cowboys plan to unite with next-door neighbor Port Townsend, and the two schools will remain in the 1A/2A Olympic League, perhaps playing as “East Jefferson County.”

That’s according to a report Friday by The Peninsula Daily News.

When the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association conducted reclassification counts, Chimacum, like Coupeville, dropped from 1A to 2B.

The two schools were approved to join fellow 2B schools La Conner and Friday Harbor in the NWL, a league which also includes 1B schools Orcas Island, Mount Vernon Christian, Darrington, and Concrete.

Port Townsend was to join the 1A Nisqually League

But then COVID-19 threw everything all higgedly-piggedly.

Washington state schools haven’t competed in nearly a year thanks to the pandemic, and both the Chimacum and Port Townsend school districts have seen reduced enrollments.

The WIAA is currently proposing a plan in which fall sports would be played first, followed by spring sports, before winter sports cap the 2020-2021 school year.

The athletic governing body is allowing leagues to break free of that plan, however, and the NWL has applied to play spring-fall-winter.

Port Townsend and Chimacum, which already unite to field cooperative teams for cross country, girls swim, tennis, and wrestling, will add football and volleyball to that list.

They had already planned to also unite for girls soccer, and have been trying to resurrect a combined softball program.

Even with two schools, “East Jefferson County” sits at just 437 students, according to Port Townsend Athletic Director Patrick Gaffney.

That number keeps the combined program under the 1A cutoff, and it would actually have less students than Klahowya, the only other 1A school left in the Olympic League.

That conference, where Coupeville played from 2014-2018, includes seven 2A schools, headlined by North Kitsap and Sequim.

Post-pandemic, there are many options available.

Port Townsend and Chimacum could further unite, combining programs for all sports.

They could stay as is, with both schools having their own programs for sports such as basketball, boys soccer, golf, and track.

Or they could totally split apart, likely bringing Chimacum back to the NWL.

Like everything else in the Age of Coronavirus, nobody knows nothing for sure right now.

“If the two schools want to provide a broad range of sports, this might be the direction we have to look at,” Gaffney was quoted in the Daily News.

“If we don’t go that direction and Chimacum is a 2B and PT is 1A, you may have to cut sports offerings, and I think both communities don’t want to see that.

“To be able to offer swimming and tennis and other sports that some small schools don’t provide is good for our athletes.”

Like all AD’s in a frustrating time, Gaffney and Chimacum’s Carrie Beebe will try to balance what’s best for all involved.

“At some point this year, we will have an idea of how it is going, any issues that arise or don’t arise, and I think those will be minimal,” Gaffney said in the Daily News article.

“We are all trying to do what’s best for kids, PT and Chimacum, and when you frame it that way, it’s hard to come up with an argument against doing this.”

 

For the complete Daily News article, pop over to:

PREP SPORTS: Jefferson County high school rivals set for merger | Peninsula Daily News

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Coupeville Schools continue with reopening plan

Posted in coronavirus updates, tagged , , , , on January 21, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville Schools Superintendent Steve King

Despite recent increases in COVID-19 cases in Island County, the Coupeville School District plans to transition to the second part of its reopening plan.

Superintendent Steve King issued a letter Thursday alerting families and staff members that a K-2 hybrid plan will launch during the school week of February 1-5.

This follows on the heels of Coupeville schools bringing back some students Jan. 19 for a restart of in-person learning.

That first group included special services students, kindergarteners, and others identified as “furthest from educational justice.”

The decision to proceed to step two, and launch the K-2 hybrid, was made after careful consideration.

“While we have had some recent increases in COVID-19 rates in our county, the overall case counts are well within the moderate-risk range of the state reopening metrics found on page eight of the K-12 Metrics and Toolkit,” King said.

The district received a letter of support from the Island County Health Department, as well.

For families who choose to send their students to school, the K-2 plan runs four days a week, Monday through Thursday.

 

The schedule:

8:45 to 9:00 — CES doors open to students for health screening and entry
9:00 to 11:30 — In-Person classes for Group A
11:30 to 12:45 — Teacher lunch and planning; room sanitization
12:45 to 1:00 — CES doors open to students for health screening and entry
1:00 to 3:30 — In-Person classes for Group B

 

The first week back will see a bit of a difference however.

“While in-person school will look very different with all of the mitigation work and guidance we are following in our schools, this is good news for our students and families,” King said.

The first three days back, Feb. 1-3, will be “transition days.”

“These days will be devoted to teachers having meetings with students and families who are either leaving or joining their classrooms,” King said.

“We will also spend time working with our families to carefully go over daily expectations and routines, as they are very different from past years due to all of the safety guidelines we are following.”

The regular schedule kicks in Thursday, Feb. 4, with Fridays continuing to be a distance learning day.

At the end of the first week back, King plans to review with staff how things went, with an eye on making any necessary adjustments before students return to class Feb. 8.

If the plan holds, grades 3-5 are scheduled to start a similar AM/PM hybrid Feb. 22.

Target dates for a return to in-person education at Coupeville Middle School (grades 6-8) and High School (9-12) are currently Mar. 8 and 15, respectively.

“There are many more details to come as we transition to in-person learning, so please watch for information coming from your schools and from the district,” King said.

“Please know that we will continue cautiously phasing in our students to in-person learning if we are able to continue to prove we can follow all safety guidelines and demonstrate ability to limit any transmission of COVID-19 in the school environment.”

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Mask up, or sit down

Posted in coronavirus updates, Everything changes, tagged , , , , on January 20, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Heidi Meyers sports a mask while working on her softball skills. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

It’s mandatory.

The Washington State Department of Health currently plans to require prep athletes wear masks in both practices and competitions through the remainder of the 2020-2021 school year.

The only sport that will be allowed to go mask-less is swimming.

There are ongoing discussions, however, concerning whether “low-risk” sports such as cross country and tennis might be freed from the mandate.

“We are continuing to share information on whether that (wearing masks) is appropriate in all venues,” said Washington Interscholastic Activities Association Executive Director Mick Hoffman.

“Right now we are being told we have to wear masks or we can’t do the activity,” he added. “That decision is made by the Department of Health, at the state level, and the Governor’s office.

“We (the WIAA) can not change that.”

Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin have required masks for some prep sports, with Michigan the only one to have a face-covering mandate for high school football.

That mandate was issued by Governor Gretchen Witmer in September, and Michigan was able to play a complete season, with state championships set for this coming weekend.

In Washington state, athletes in all sports other than swimming will be “required to wear a cloth mask over mouth and nose at all times.”

Gaiters are “allowed, but not preferred.”

The DOH recommends masks made from cotton, fleece or linen, with a fastening mechanism, preferably ties or an elastic strap which goes around an athlete’s head or behind their ears.

Along with solitary “low-risk” sports perhaps being exempted, there is also the question on how football players will wear both a mask and the still-required mouth guard, since most mouth guards are directly attached to the player’s helmet.

Like everything in the Age of Coronavirus, things can, and likely will, change from day to day as discussions between the WIAA and the DOH continue.

For now, the WIAA understands “there are conflicting medical reports out there,” Hoffman said.

But the athletic governing body can’t go counter to the mandates of state officials.

“For those that take the stance that this is a health concern for students doing it (wearing masks), and it can cause issues, all I can tell you, is if you feel that way, you can’t let the student participate,” Hoffman said.

“If it’s a bona fide health concern for that student, you shouldn’t put that student out there.

“No different from a head injury, or any cardiac issue; no different if they have serious asthma or smoke.

“Because, at this time, we can’t give you a waiver.”

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Youth football plans for possible spring season

Posted in Football, tagged , , , , on January 18, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Football action like this may rule the gridiron again soon. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Back to the gridiron. Maybe.

The Oak Harbor Football and Cheer League, which draws players from across Whidbey Island, plans to play a spring season.

If COVID-19 cooperates, that is, and Island County can get to Phase 2 in Governor Jay Inslee’s Healthy Washington – Roadmap to Recovery plan.

League President Eric Marshall announced a plan Monday in which football will play, but cheer will not.

“Unfortunately we will NOT be offering cheerleading this spring,” he said.

“Due to the short window for ordering uniforms, and the uncertainty of the season, we do not feel we can offer a quality cheer experience at this time.”

The current plan:

Jan. 18 — Registration opens, with a reduced cost of $100 per player due to “the shortened season and uncertainty of being able to play games.”

Feb. 15 — Registration closes, and league officials will determine if they have enough players to form teams. If not, full refunds will be issued.

Mar. 1 — First practice. No refunds after this point.

There will be three practices per week, at two hours each, with all practices closed to spectators.

Mar. 13 — Jamboree played.

Mar. 20 — First game — if Island County has advanced to Phase 2.

May 1 — Playoffs (semifinals).

May 8 — Super Saturday (championships)

“Our player’s safety always comes first,” Marshall said. “The league will be following ALL safe return to play guidelines and WIAA regulations, including facemasks, temperature checks, and social distancing.

“We hope you have all been staying safe and healthy during this past year,” he added. “We look forward to seeing you all again real soon.”

 

To register, pop over to:

www.ohfcl.org/home.php?layout=878060

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