What's New at Hempstead High School

Thank you to our families and staff for their patience and understanding as we move through these uncertain times. We are uplifted by the overall positivity and support shown by our families and community partners.

As a reminder, all schools are currently closed until Monday, April 13. We are working hard to answer all of your questions and appreciate your patience as information is developing and changing quickly. We also expect further guidance from the State of Iowa on a number of issues and will provide details as soon as we are able.

Here are the main updates for today:

DISTRICT ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS
During this closure period, all school events and activities (both athletic and non-athletic) are cancelled, following guidance from the Iowa High School Athletic Association and the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union:

“All IHSAA and IGHSAU sports are now in a prohibited period for practice, competition, and sanctioned activity until the closure is lifted. This prohibition means no in-person contact between coaches/administrators and student-athletes for the duration of the period.”

NON-DISTRICT ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS
All outside events and activities by rental permit holders in district facilities are also cancelled. The district will work directly with renters to refund any rental fees paid during this period.

MEDICINE PICK-UP AT SCHOOLS
Families with students who have medicine at school, and who need that medicine during the closure, can contact Lead Nurse Allie White at awhite@dbqschools.org to arrange a time to pick it up. Medication not needed over break will remain in the health office to be used following the closure.

MEALS FOR STUDENTS
School is a key provider of meals for many of our students – and we are committed to maintaining this resource during the closure. The district will begin providing meal options for students on Monday, March 23, with specific locations and times to be announced in the next few days. We are also collaborating with community partners who are providing meals and will collect and share information with families regarding all community meal options.

ACT EXAM CANCELLED
ACT announced this morning that the ACT exam scheduled for April 4 has been postponed to June 13, 2020.

Again, thank you for your continued support. Please continue to look for updates each day around 3 p.m. via email, on our Coronavirus Update Webpage and on our official district Facebook and Twitter channels. Also, please remember to look for the most accurate, up-to-date information on these official district channels and be conscious of the misinformation that is sometimes shared by other sources, especially on social media.

Tonight, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds announced that she is recommending that all Iowa schools close for four weeks to assist in reducing the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).

The district learned of this unprecedented move as the general public did, and we realize that you are likely to have questions. We share in many of those same questions and expect more details to be available tomorrow and over the next number of days.

Schools in the district will remain closed until April 13. Knowing that this decision was a possibility, our leadership team has been working diligently to prepare. We are finalizing our plans for this closure, which for the district begins impacting us next week following spring break. Throughout this situation, we will work hard to provide you with the most accurate, up-to-date information possible.

While we have few details tonight about the implications of this closure, in these challenging times we can tell you that we will remain committed to serving our students, families and staff to the best of our ability.

As a reminder, we will plan to send an update to families and staff each day this week at 3 p.m. (at a minimum) and will post the most up-to-date information on our website at www.dbqschools.org/coronavirus.

Thank you for your continued support.

The new Dubuque Community School District Aquatic Center is already making a splash across the district and community! Check out the recap of the grand opening and dedication for this amazing facility:

We love watching a new group of Dubuque Community School District graduates walk across the stage at commencement – and we wish them much success in the future.

Below are the 2019 Dubuque Senior High School and Hempstead High School graduation videos so you can relive the excitement!

The Spring 2019 Online Student Art Galleries are now live featuring art from the district’s elementary, middle and high school students!

View the Galleries

These galleries area a way to highlight the remarkable products of art education in the district. It’s a digital attempt at bringing the work of our student artists at all levels into your home – because art is created for others to take in.

The Winter 2018 Online Student Art Galleries are now live featuring art from the district’s elementary, middle and high school students!

View the Elementary Gallery

View the Middle School Gallery

View the High School Gallery

This gallery is a way to highlight the remarkable products of art education in the district. It’s a digital attempt at bringing the work of our student artists at all levels into your home – because art is created for others to take in.

We love watching a new group of Dubuque Community School District graduates walk across the stage at commencement – and we wish them much success in the future.

Below are the 2018 Dubuque Senior High School and Hempstead High School graduation videos so you can relive the excitement!

Congratulations to Michael Gilbertson, a 2006 Hempstead High School graduate, on being a finalist for the 2018 Pulitzer Prize in Music. Gilbertson’s composition “Quartet” was honored in the competition.

LEARN MORE ABOUT MICHAEL’S HONORED COMPOSITION

READ THE TELEGRAPH HERALD STORY ABOUT MICHAEL