Pentwater Public Schools

Our 3rd & 4th graders enjoyed a fun, beautiful morning cross country skiing! A huge Thank-You goes out to the Oceana County Cross Country Skiing Association for this wonderful opportunity.

The varsity girls basketball game versus Fruitport and the JH girls basketball game versus Marion have been canceled for Monday, 1/24/22.

Brethren Schools has had to cancel the JV/Varsity boys basketball game scheduled at Pentwater on Saturday, 1/22/22.

If interested, please contact Ralph Baker, Athletic Director.

Homecoming Spirit Week will be held Monday, 1/31, thru Friday, 2/4. Dress up days are as follows: Monday: Pajama Day! Tuesday: Country vs Country Club Day! Wednesday: Class Color Day! (Elem-Neon; 7th-Red; 8th-Orange; 9th-Pin; 10th-White; 11th-Blue; 12th-Black; Staff-Green) Thursday: Nursery vs Nursing Home Day! Friday: Purple and Gold Day! JV/VGBB Homecoming Game: Thursday, 2/3, versus Marion JV/VBBB Homecoming Game: Friday, 2/4, versus Walkerville There will be a Homecoming dance held on Saturday, 2/5/22, from 8pm-11pm!

January 17, 2022 Tonight the Pentwater Public Schools Board of Education voted to follow the CDC/MDHHS’s new isolation and quarantine guidelines, which go into effect immediately. The new guidelines reduce the amount of time a person who tested positive for COVID-19 has to isolate from 10 days down to 5. The infected person must remain masked from days 6-10 while in school. The new guidelines also reduce the quarantine period for those who were identified as close contacts from 10 days down to 5. Regarding the new quarantine periods for Close Contacts, Pentwater does participate in the Test To Stay (TTS) program, which will allow a person who has been identified as a close contact (in a school situation only) to participate in having a Rapid Antigen Test administered before school for first 5 days, if the results remain negative, the student can continue to attend school. If the close contact were to test positive, they would need to start their isolation period. With this said, any student who is currently out of school for isolation and/or quarantine and has been so for at least 5 of the initial 10 days, may return to school tomorrow. If they have not yet completed their initial five days they must do so before coming back to school. Please contact me if you have questions about their return dates. It is also important to make you aware that our School Board reviews our masking protocols every month to determine their course of action based on the CDC/MDHHS recommendations and the areas positivity rates. Our school board has decided to continue with our required mask mandate for all students, staff and guests at this time and will once again review the policy during the February board meeting. The last bit of information that I want to make clear is with our Athletic Modified Masking protocol. If an athlete has tested positive, they would only have to isolate for the 5 days and can return to school on day 6. However, they would be required to continue wearing a face mask even while playing in the game for at least the second 5 days of their initial 10 day period. After they have completed their 5 days of isolation and 5 days of masking, they would be allow to once again follow the original Athletic modified masking protocol. Respectfully, Dr. Scott Karaptian

Tomorrow, Friday, January 14th, the JV girls basketball game has been canceled. The varsity girls will now play Mesick beginning at 6pm.

Pentwater Public Schools' Semester Schedule Reminder: Please note that students will be dismissed at 11:30am on Wednesday, 1/12, Thursday, 1/13, and Friday, 1/14, due to JH/HS semester exams. We will provide a tech prep bus for those students going to the career/tech center on these days in the afternoon. Thank you!

Good evening, Pentwater Public Schools will be closed Monday January 10, 2022 due to Icy roads. The fitness center will also be closed. After school activities and events for tomorrow will be determined and announced later tomorrow afternoon. Thank you and be safe!

The girls JV and Varsity basketball game scheduled at home on Friday, 1/7, versus Manistee Catholic Central, has been canceled. Thank you!

Good morning this is Dr. Karaptian, Pentwater Public Schools will be closed today, Friday January 7, 2022 due to the weather conditions. The status of after school activities and athletic events will be determined and announced later this afternoon. Thank you

The boys JV/Varsity basketball game scheduled home versus Marion on Thursday, 1/6, has been canceled and will be rescheduled at a later date!

Good evening, this is Dr. Karaptian, Pentwater Public Schools will be closed Thursday, January 6, 2022 due to the weather conditions. The status of after school activities and athletic events will be determined and announced by tomorrow afternoon. Thank you

Interested candidates, please submit letter of interest and resume to Dr. Scott Karaptian, Superintendent, Pentwater Public Schools, 600 Park St., Pentwater, MI 49449.

ANNOUNCEMENT: The girls varsity basketball game scheduled at Big Rapids CCA for Wednesday, 1/5/22, has been canceled and will be rescheduled. Thank you!

Good evening, this is Dr. Karaptian, Pentwater Public Schools will be closed Wednesday, January 5, 2022 due to the weather conditions. The status of after school activities and athletic events will be determined and announced by tomorrow afternoon. Thank you and be safe!

December 30, 2021 Dear Falcon Families and Friends, I am truly dorry about the confusion regarding the CDC and Health Departments Covid Protocols that I sent out today. I sent my original alert out at 3:40 and received an email from the Health Department at 3:47 stating the following: December 30, 2021 – District Health Department #10 (DHD#10) announces they will proceed with the CDC’s updated quarantine and isolation for the general population, and ask that special populations, including schools, congregate care settings, daycares, jails, etc., continue to follow existing guidelines until updated guidance is provided. Today, Michigan’s Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) issued a release declaring that the state will wait to proceed with the CDC’s new guidance and continue to follow existing quarantine and isolation guidelines for all populations, including general and special populations, until further guidance is provided by the CDC. At this time, DHD#10 plans to proceed with CDC’s updated guidelines for the general population only but emphasize that masking during days 6-10 is crucial for this approach to be effective. For special populations, such as schools, residential care facilities, daycares, and jails, we ask that these groups continue to follow the guidance they currently have in place while the CDC and MDHHS work to determine the best approach to quarantine and isolation.” Again, I apologize for the confusion and what appears to be constant change. So, in the meantime we will be sticking to our original protocols for masking, isolation and modified quarantine. I also want to again remind you that we do have the home test kits that you may have if your students are displaying any symptoms prior to the return to school on Monday January 3, 2022. If there are any further changes I will do my best to keep you informed as I receive any new information. Respectfully, Dr. Scott Karaptian

Pentwater Public Schools “Where everybody is somebody” December 30, 2021 CDC SHORTENS ISOLATION AND QUARANTINE PERIODS DHD#10 Adopting Changes Effective Immediately Dear Falcon Families, Earlier this week we received the following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), District Health Department #10 (DHD#10) is adopting the strategy released by the CDC on December 27 for quarantine and isolation effective immediately. In the release, the CDC announced that, given what is currently known about COVID-19 and the Omicron variant, they are shortening the recommended timeframe for isolation and quarantine from others for those who have COVID-19 and are asymptomatic as well as those who have been exposed to COVID-19. Below is the breakdown of the new guidance: If you test positive for COVID-19 (Isolate) Everyone, regardless of vaccination status: Stay home for 5 days If no symptoms or your symptoms are resolving after 5 days, you can leave your house Continue to wear a mask around others for 5 additional days If you have a fever, continue to stay home until your fever resolves. If you were exposed to someone with COVID-19 (Quarantine) If you have been boosted OR completed the primary series of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine within 6 months OR completed the primary series of Johnson & Johnson vaccine within the last 2 months: Wear a mask around others for 10 days Test on day 5, if possible Quarantine not required unless you develop symptoms, after which, get tested and stay home for 5 days If you completed the primary series of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine over 6 months ago and are not boosted OR completed the primary series of Johnson & Johnson over 2 months ago and are not boosted OR have an incomplete vaccine series OR are unvaccinated: Stay home (quarantine) for 5 days After that continue to wear a mask around others for 5 additional days Test on day 5 if possible If you develop symptoms, get tested and stay home For those wanting to schedule your COVID-19 vaccine, booster dose and/or flu shot, please visit www.dhd10.org/schedule or call 888-217-3904. If no appointments are available, consider going to a pharmacy or your primary health care provider. DHD#10 is also hosting COVID-19 and Flu vaccine clinics at various locations throughout our jurisdiction. Find a clinic near you at www.dhd10.org/events or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DHD10/events. For those needing a COVID-19 test, I wanted to remind you that Pentwater is participating in the Mi Backpack Home Test program and have test kits available for students/families upon request. Also DHD#10 is hosting testing clinics at various locations throughout the jurisdiction. Find a testing site near you at www.dhd10.org/covid19-testing-clinics. You do not need to be a resident to get tested at any of these clinics. COVID-19 testing also takes place at most pharmacies, urgent cares, and your primary health care provider’s office. For individual who utilized a COVID-19 home test kit and the results came back positive, please submit your results by completing the following survey: https://bit.ly/3zaCkiP For more information on COVID-19, visit www.dhd10.org/coronavirus. Lastly, as I have said in the past, if your child is not feeling well, even if it seems as though it is a simple cold, please keep your child home until they are no longer showing symptoms. Thank you for your help in keeping everyone safe, healthy and in school! Respectfully, Dr. Scott Karaptian

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Pentwater Public Schools' family!

The board meeting on Monday, 12/20/21, will not be available virtually due to system server integration. Thank you!