Murray County Central Schools

This afternoon, Gov. Walz along with MDE and MDH announced Minnesota’s Safe Learning Plan for the 2020-21 School Year. As a part of this plan, MDE and MDH have created Regional Support Teams to assist schools in determining the start to the school year. The Safe Learning Plan uses a localized, data-driven approach that allows school districts to operate in a learning model that is responsive to the prevalence of COVID-19 cases in their communities. MCC Schools will be consulting with the regional support team in the coming days to determine what the start of the year will look like. There is a possibility that the Elementary School may be in a different learning model than the High School. The data along with other factors will make this determination. Once a decision has been made, we will let everyone know right away. A definite date can not be given at this time. Thank you for your continued patience.

In an effort to answer questions that have been asked in the "Return to School" survey, a FAQ page has been set up with answers. This will be updated as more questions come in. Click on the link to view: shorturl.at/kms01

Attached is an "update on school" letter along with a survey link for back to school. Please take the time to read and complete the survey to help in continued planning. https://5il.co/ikjr (ENGLISH) https://5il.co/ikjs (SPANISH)

Murray County Central School Board is seeking further public input on our current Rebel mascot. The link below will lead you to a comment form which is being provided to the general public. No identifying information will be collected. If you have completed previous surveys about MCC's mascot or sent a separate email to the MCC School Board and/or Superintendent regarding the same, we have that information and you can disregard this message. If you did NOT participate in previous surveys or did NOT send an email previously and would like to weigh in, please complete the following. Comments are limited to 250 words or less. All comments will be reviewed by the MCC School Board. https://forms.gle/A7UmkTz2PqpL7xii6

The attached link provides a District update on Back to School preparation and the scenario planning process. It also includes a very important message on Free/Reduced Lunch applications. These must be filled out on an annual basis. Thank You. https://5il.co/icoy

Check out our new promotional video! https://youtu.be/Os3H-333qrI Special thanks to Grant Harms on his work over the past year to film, edit, and produce this video for the District. Please share with any families or potential students.

The attached link is a summary of the School Board's discussion @ the July 13, 2020 meeting regarding the mascot/mascot name. This summary also includes the survey results received from students, parents, & staff. https://5il.co/i9i6

Dear MCC Family, I wanted to send out a message to everyone that after much discussion with the prom committee, consisting of student, parent, teacher, and staff representatives of Murray County Central, the decision was made to cancel prom. Our current health situation and the fact that this prom would not be a “normal” prom were two of the biggest factors in the decision to cancel prom. There would not have been a dance this year due to the health requirements, and this is often the highlight for students. Many students felt that if we could not have a normal prom that they would rather not have prom. A discussion about after-prom and the money raised for after-prom was held. The after-prom committee which is a separate parent group/entity from the school district is going to discuss how to use the money raised for after-prom. While I know that this decision may be a disappointment for many, please know that it was made with much consideration from many perspectives. Thank you for your understanding. Sincerely, Jacob Scandrett- HS Principal

Starting on Monday July 13, the outdoor track at MCC will be undergoing a maintenance project & will be secured & CLOSED until July 20th. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

MCC Schools wishes everyone a Happy 4th of July!

We will soon be starting instrument try-outs and every year we have students that can't afford to purchase a new instrument. If you have a used instrument that you would like to sell to a student or donate to the school, please contact Mr. Helgeson at mike_helgeson@mcc.mntm.org.

Click on the attached link for a summary of the work session meeting on June 25th regarding the MCC School mascot/mascot name. https://5il.co/hn4d

This is just a reminder that the deadline to sign up for prom is June 30th. The link to the sign up sheet has been sent to all Junior and Senior email accounts and is also listed below. If you have trouble signing up or accessing this form please email Christina Walker at Christina_Walker@mcc.mntm.org. Thank you. https://forms.gle/gJaTVSwmpBVn3RTQ6

MCC Schools wishes all Father’s a Happy Father’s Day!

Please take a few minutes to complete the attached survey from the Department of Education for fall planning. Thank you! https://5il.co/h8ol

Summer camps are starting soon! Make sure to sign up for the MCC Virtual Camps. We are offering a virtual workout program that would be beneficial to all MCC athletes! https://core-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/743236/Summer_Brochure_2020.pdf

The MCC school board wanted to give an update after our June meeting to ensure everyone is receiving accurate information about the issue at hand. During our monthly meeting we heard from one concerned alumni during open forum of concerns about our school mascot, Rudy the Rebel. We appreciated his comments, we acknowledged them, had some very brief comments, and thanked him for taking the time to bring this to our attention. We also received numerous messages, letters, text, and calls from many concerned citizens spanning the spectrum of opinions on Rudy. We appreciate everyone who took the time to give your thoughts. The one clear message we got is that each person wants our school and mascot to represent something positive for our students and community. We know there is a difference of opinion on what the answer is to that issue when it comes to the Rebel name and mascot. We saw some really great letters and ideas. There will be more opportunities to provide feedback in the future for all of our students and stakeholders. We have established a plan for moving forward and are committed to ensuring we take your thoughts and concerns of all stakeholders into account. Ultimately, we hope the result will be the best outcome for our students and broader community who support our MCC school district. Please be aware that there is no concrete timeline for this process. Our plan is very fluid and we must also take into account other pressing matters that are affecting our District. We will be communicating our efforts with the public via our school website and any other format we deem appropriate. Again, we thank you for sharing your thoughts, no matter where your opinion lies. As we move through this process, we echo the last statement made from a recent school post – “To be an MCC Rebel, you have to be Respectful, Responsible and Ready to Learn. Be kind to each other.” Let’s keep our conversations respectful, on topic, and be a good example to our students on how we can handle and resolve a controversial topic. Thank you.

Check out the Community Education 2020 Summer Brochure! Currently due to COVID-19, all camps will be accessed virtually. If you have any questions, please contact the Community Education Office. https://core-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/743236/Summer_Brochure_2020.pdf

In early April, 92 band directors from across Minnesota "got together" and recorded the piece, "On a Hymnsong of Philip Bliss", by David Holsinger. We dedicate this to our students. We miss you and can't wait to get back to creating music! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDIcAUoQx9s&fbclid=IwAR0nVENP1Desoh_vrFbUI4o0PHUc_7QIETSLxirKljAiN0k9Q6CyKbHPFLM

This is just a reminder to all students and parents to please turn in any library books you have sitting at home. You can bring them by the elementary or high school during normal business hours and someone will be available to collect them. Thanks!