It won’t look anything like normal thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Denair High athletes are looking forward to limited opportunities to compete in some of their favorite sports between now and early June.

Players on the boys and girls golf teams already have had two matches. The lone member of the cross country team – junior Logan Prescott – has run in one race. Football and softball have begun conditioning drills and tightly controlled practices in hopes of kicking off their seasons later this month. Baseball, track and soccer are set to start in mid-April. On hold are boys and girls basketball and volleyball, which may be forced outdoors this spring because of health restrictions.

If it sounds confusing, imagine what Athletic Director Melissa Treadwell, her coaches and their athletes must feel. The only certainty is uncertainty, at least so far.

Still, escaping the yearlong routine of attending classes primarily via Zoom is enough to motivate many young athletes.

A few dozen Denair High School seniors will return to campus full time Monday for the first time in nearly a year, an important step in completing their high school careers by being able to interact in small groups with their teachers and friends.

Denair Elementary Charter Academy, meanwhile, expects as many as 327 of its 550 kindergarten through fifth-graders to be on campus for two days beginning next week. Some will come to school Monday and Tuesday; others on Thursday and Friday. All will remain on distance learning the other three days. In-person classes will run from 8 to 11:30 a.m.

At Denair Middle School, more sixth-graders will be added next week to the on-campus “learning cohorts” that have been in place since November to help students needing academic and emotional support. The goal is to allow additional seventh- and eighth-graders to return by mid-March.

The Denair Unified School District continues to cautiously explore ways to return more of its 1,300 students to campus, possibly as soon as March 1.

At Thursday night’s Board of Trustees meeting, Superintendent Terry Metzger sketched out scenarios in which about half the district’s elementary students and a portion of its high school seniors could receive in face-to-face instruction for the first time in nearly a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A final decision on moving to Phase 2 of the district’s hybrid learning plan likely won’t be made until at least Feb. 22, Metzger explained, and will be guided by health statistics in Stanislaus County. While the number of local COVID cases, hospitalizations and patient deaths have declined recently, the county still has one of the highest rates of infection per capita in California and remains in the state’s most restrictive purple tier.

The county’s COVID dashboard shows than 53,600 residents have been sickened by the coronavirus and 888 have died. Equally as important, Metzger told trustees, is that there have been about 1,600 COVID cases in the southern portion of the county in the past month, underscoring the need to remain cautious about reopening schools.

“January was a terrible month (for COVID cases), but things are getting better,” she said.

Like many school districts, Denair closed its campuses last March and moved all its students to distance learning. In November, as part of its Phase 1 hybrid plan, small numbers of students at all grade levels were allowed to return as part of “learning cohorts,” with priority going to youngsters needing academic and emotional support.

Phase 2, Metzger told trustees, could include as many as 300 of Denair Elementary Charter Academy’s 550 kindergarten through fifth-graders. Some would come to campus Monday and Tuesday; others on Thursday and Friday. All would remain on distance learning the other three days. Siblings would attend class the same days to make it easier for parents to coordinate schedules. In-person classes would run from 8 to 11:30 a.m.

Judging by the initial response, the appetite for practical, professional mental health advice among parents and others in the Denair community is strong. More than 860 views have been logged since the first video featuring Stanford psychiatrist Dr. Neha Chaudhary talking about signs of childhood depression and ways to combat it was posted on Jan. 19 on the Denair Unified School District Facebook page.

Chaudhary followed up the video on Jan. 26 with the first of two hourlong Zoom sessions – opportunities for parents and others to ask questions and learn more about the subject. Thirteen people participated in the first Zoom session, according to Denair Superintendent Terry Metzger. A second session is planned for Tuesday, Feb. 2 from noon to 1 p.m.

The application period opened today for parents who would like to enroll their children into kindergarten and transitional kindergarten for the next school year at Denair Elementary Charter Academy.

For the first time, the process will be entirely online. Parents should go to www.denairschoolmint.net to fill out an application.

Here is the key information:

• The initial application period will be open from Jan. 21 through Feb. 11
• From Feb. 16 through Feb. 19, DECA officials will send offers to register for the 2021-2022

school year

• Upon receiving an offer to register, parents must complete the registration process between Feb. 22 and March 31
• During registration, families need to complete all online forms and upload all required documentation. Completed registration packets must include a copy of the child’s birth certificate, updated immunization records and proof of residency (such as a utility bill).
• Parents registering children for the dual language immersion program also must attend a Zoom orientation meeting, then complete a form denoting their understanding of and commitment to the program. Meeting dates are listed in the registration packet. Office staff will provide families with a Zoom invitation link to attend the orientation meeting following the date selection.