McGovern News!

We made it! Our first week was a success. I can't describe how great it has been to have students back in the building. I am so thankful and grateful of the hard work of our faculty and staff, students, parents and guardians.

Students showed so much growth in the past two days with learning their routines and respecting the space of everyone. Surfer "dudes and dudettes" are the cool new way to walk! It was wonderful seeing students enjoy their time outside having recess, wellness and music. I’ve definitely enjoyed seeing how students create games and utilize the fields and equipment. The variety of space is certainly a plus.

Earlier this year, I wrote that the work would not be perfect out of the gate. That has certainly been true in some areas. We are eagerly awaiting the moment we can say we will be going 1:1 with technology. Additionally, we have revised our pick-up procedures from the first day. Thank you for your understanding and encouraging words when dropping or picking up your McGovern mini-mustang! We are moving 4 times the amount of students we have historically had at drop off and pick up, so thank you so much for your patience!

Have a great weekend!

Best,

Amy McDonald, Principal

Your student's Medway ID and password that was shared by the technology department is incredibly important AND the only way your child will be able to log into Zoom and Clever. Please reach out to your student's teacher if you need this information.

We had our first fire drill today and our students did a fantastic job getting out of the building, safely, quickly and physically distanced. Our students had to learn a new process this year and they did a tremendous job!

I am thankful for the continued partnership with the Medway Fire and Police Departments. We will continue to practice these drills to ensure our students know the proper safety protocols.

One of our district Occupational Therapists has put together a wonderful resource to ensure healthy seating tips for when students are learning remotely. These small adjustments can help everyone large and small! https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RL3f3DKObJpi_QhzF0hE3jnYKuiQ4Z6ol_BMSW-wnx8/edit?usp=drivesdk

Medway Public Schools and Chartwells Introduces Plans for Serving Up Happy and Healthy at Mealtime For the new school year of 2020-2021!!!

While the start of the school year looks a little different for everyone, I wanted to share with you some good news that schools nationwide received last week. The USDA extended a waiver that allows schools to serve free breakfast and lunch to ALL students, through 12/31/20. We are thrilled with this news as it means that we will be able to provide all Medway Public School students with nutritious and tasty food that will support them, both in school and at home.

Please click here to see the entire Chartwells Fall Update

The monthly menus will be posted online at https://medwayschools.nutrislice.com

In addition here is an update from our food and nutrition services department:

With the start of the school year looking different for everyone Shawn Fallon, Director of Dining Services, wants to share with families some important updates regarding student food services. His letter to parents and guardians can be found here.

If you have not received a name placard for your car, please email your child's teacher and we will make one. Thank you! This really helps at drop off and pick up.

If your child has a change to their normal dismissal procedure, please remember to call the front office and speak directly to office staff that morning. Please review this with your student when possible. We certainly recognize that emergencies do happen and we will always support families in these instances. Please do not email teachers these changes, as teachers do not have the opportunity to check email during their day.

The Technology Department provided an update on the process to move to one Chromebook for every Medway Public School student. We heard from many parents that this communication was confusing.

Elementary School students without a school issued device DO NOT need to transport a personal device to and from school. We ask that if a student currently has a school issued device, and when your student does obtain one, to please then transport the device. We DO NOT expect parents to buy a Chromebook for their child/children for the first few weeks of the school year, nor do we expect you to provide your personal lap top to a student for school. If your student needs a device for home, while we wait to move to one to one, please make a request using the link below.

20-21 Device Request Form

Every child needs a healthy, nutritious meal to learn. Medway Public Schools offers nutritious meals to children each school day, often at a free or reduced price for those who need it. Medway Public Schools participates in the National School Lunch and Breakfast Program (NSLBP), a federally funded program that helps children receive free or reduced meals.

Click here for additional information and to find out if you qualify.

Please feel free to make an appointment with our school nurse, Mrs. McKay if your child/children have any medical needs, allergies, you have medicine to be dropped off, and/or questions. Nurse McKay will be reaching out more regularly to families regarding absences. If you'd like to connect with nurse McKay, she can be reached at pmckay@medwayschools.org.

In order to ensure that children’s nutritional needs are satisfied during this period of remote learning, we are offering any Medway resident under the age of 21 the opportunity to access free school meals every day of the week and/or food to prepare meals at home. For more details about these offerings and to sign-up for remote meals please click here.

We expect initial bus routes to be available today. This information will provide District leaders to solidify arrival and dismissal times for families. These are being developed based on the cohorting model and family survey information. Please look here for that information:

• September 14, 2020: final Bus Lists published at www.medwayschools.org

The School Committee approved the recommended, amended 2020-2021 School Calendar which can be found here. The calendar takes into account the additional 10 days of professional learning and planning days prior to the start of our student return which will be Wednesday, September 16. The two days at the end of the year are being held in abeyance in case we need them sometime during the year in support of a student learning model transition (i.e. move from hybrid to full remote, etc.)

The District is moving forward with the purchase of air purifiers with HEPA filters for each classroom, teaching space, and office. These devices have the ability to sanitize the air, depending on size, every 15 minutes. We are hopeful we will receive delivery prior to the students starting school.

While this exceeds the recommendations provided by DESE, we believe that this is an essential purchase for a few reasons:

• It adds another layer of protection for students, faculty and staff

• It allows us to more effectively operate our ventilation system, while complying with guidance, as the weather shifts

At the August 20, 2020, School Committee meeting, the committee approved the following:. Face Covering Policy. This policy does prohibit some popular Face Coverings such as "Gators."

In addition, here are some important tools and social stories that can help your child:

Returning To School

I can wear a mask Social Story

Wearing a mask

Below you will find some links to resources from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. We are called upon to use these resources when developing plans for the District.

DESE Initial Fall Reopening Guidance

DESE Fall 2020 Special Education Guidance

DESE Fall 2020 School Reopening Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

DESE Protocols for Responding to COVID19 Scenarios

DESE Return-to-School Working Group webpage

DESE Fall Reopening Transportation Guidance

DESE Fall Reopening Facilities and Operations' Guidance

DESE: Guidance for Courses Requiring Additional Safety Considerations for Fall 2020

If you are not receiving email communications from the district or the schools, we are here to help. Please email parent@medwayschools.org and a team will work to ensure that you are connected.

Sept 28: No School: Yom Kippur

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