Schools & Childcare

Children take their cue about how frightened to be from the adults around them, so how you handle it matters more than what you say.

• Limit exposure to repeated storm footage. Young children often think a replayed video is a new tornado happening again
• Keep routines — meals, bedtime, familiar rituals. Predictability is what rebuilds a sense of safety
• Answer honestly, at their level. Do not promise it will never happen again; promise that you will keep them safe and that adults are working on it
• Expect regression — bedwetting, clinginess, thumb-sucking, wanting to sleep in your bed, stomach aches with no cause. All normal, and usually temporary
• Let them tell the story repeatedly if they want to, or draw it. That is how children process
• Teenagers may seem fine and then become irritable or withdrawn. Give them useful jobs — helping neighbors is genuinely protective at that age
• Get help if symptoms are severe or persist past a few weeks. The Disaster Distress Helpline (1-800-985-5990) advises parents too

Look after yourself as well. Children with a steady adult recover far better, and you cannot be that on no sleep.

Menasha High School's Nathan Calder Stadium was significantly damaged — images circulating after the storm show the bleachers torn apart. The stadium opened in 1964 and was renovated in 2017.

Football's first day of practice was scheduled for August 4, with the Bluejays' first home game August 21 against Plymouth. Expect changes to fall sports scheduling and venues.

Watch the district website and official Facebook page for closures, facility changes, summer program cancellations and fall planning. If you have confirmed information, please submit it here.