McGovern News!

It is hard to believe we are already at winter break. Everyone at McGovern wishes you a relaxing, fun-filled break with your children. We hope you find time to sleep in, read books, and do whatever makes your heart happy. Wishing you all a Happy New Year filled with prosperity in 2023!

Have a great break!

Best,

Amy McDonald, Principal

As a reminder, there is no school December 26th-January 2nd. School will resume on Tuesday, January 3rd! McGovern will be closed over the break.

It's that time of year when student snow bags start making their way into school. We try to get outside as much as possible, even in the snow! Please make sure your student is dressed for the winter weather with a coat, hat, and gloves.

During recess, students are allowed to play in the snow if they have the proper clothes. This includes winter jackets, snow pants, hats, gloves and boots. Snow gear can be expensive and our students are growing quickly! If there are any financial barriers to obtaining snow clothes please reach out to Amy McDonald and we will provide them for your student.

We’re excited to remind you that the school has access to a wonderful reading resource called Sora. Sora is an online library, run through the Massachusetts Library Network, giving our students access to thousands of ebooks, audiobooks, and digital read aloud books. The service is free to all students, accessible at all times, and only requires your student’s school email and password to access it. Sora can be accessed at home via your web browser at soraapp.com/library/masslibma or download the Sora app onto your device.

When using Sora for the first time, please select our school district ‘Medway Public Schools’ from the list and then use your student’s school email address (@student.medwayschools.org) and password, this is the same password students use to log into their Chromebooks. Student’s may borrow up to 5 books at a time and keep them for 21 days or return them early if they wish to check out more.

If you have any issues accessing Sora please email support@medwayschools.org

Mrs. Holt and I will hold our next coffee hour on January 23rd from either 9:00-10:00 am or 4:00-5:00 pm and our focus will be on cultivating an inclusive school. We are still planning the session, but hope to see you there!

Please mark your calendars for upcoming coffee hours this year:

March 13, 2023

May 8, 2023

Report cards from our first trimester went home on Wednesday, December 21, 2022. Teachers will be sharing a Google form sign off. Please be sure to sign the form as it acknowledges that you have received your child/children's report card.

As you may have read in an update from Dr. Place, beginning in January, Christine Noonan will assume the role of Elementary Evaluation Team Supervisor (ETS). Ms. Noonan has worked in the district for several years, most recently as the ETS at the middle/high school levels. Additionally, she has experience at the elementary levels. We are excited to welcome her back from maternity leave. Once she officially returns, we are happy to share contact information for her.

After break, students will engage in their middle of the year assessments. This includes iReady diagnostics, DIBELS diagnostics and the Panorama survey. These assessments are important to celebrate student success and growth as well as address any themes that emerge. We’ll be engaging in these assessments in the month of January, ensuring they are spread out over time to provide students with a balance of assessment and continued learning experiences.

With the cold and flu season upon us, and the continuing challenges posed by COVID-19, it is important that we all stay vigilant in protecting the health of our schools. At-home testing is encouraged when your child or a family member has symptoms. Free at-home tests are available with most health insurance through CVS. If your child tests positive, please inform your child’s school nurse and follow COVID protocols around isolation and mask-wearing. We encourage you to keep your child home when exhibiting COVID and influenza symptoms and recommend mask-wearing when sick. For tips on effective mask-wearing and mask options, please click here.

Please find the latest MEPTO newsletter here.

If you are a one-person household and make less than $40,951 per year or a two-person household and make less than $53,551 per year, you may qualify for home fuel assistance. A full eligibility and benefits chart can be found here. Medway Outreach Workers Marcia Lombardo and Kim Cookson are happy to help you apply for fuel assistance or answer any questions. They can be reached at 508 533 3210 or mlombardo@townofmedway.org. Please note if adults in your household are not U.S. citizens, but a child in the home is a citizen, you can still apply for fuel assistance.

It is the goal of the district to hold school whenever possible. Parents and students should plan accordingly and leave plenty of time on winter mornings to arrive at school safely. Please know that the final decision about a child attending school during a weather event always rests with individual families. There may be occasions when deteriorating weather will mean that schools close due to unsafe conditions.

The superintendent will review anticipated road and sidewalk conditions, access to schools, projected weather forecasts, and consult with the police and public works departments in order to make a determination between approximately 5:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. if conditions will be safe for students to come to school.

The following plans will be in effect for inclement weather:

No School Announcement

If the superintendent has determined the conditions are unsafe, school will be canceled. The district will utilize the emergency notification system that will contact your home/cell phone and email using the information you have provided to your child’s school. The “no-school” announcement will also be carried on local television channels 4, 5, and 7.

All classes, school activities, before and after school programs, the Medway Extended Day program (MEDI), daycare program, adult education evening classes, and any school facilities use activities will be canceled. Transportation of students to out-of-district schools will also be canceled.

One- or Two-Hour Delayed Opening Announcement

If the superintendent has been notified that the public works department needs additional time to plow or sand the streets to ensure safety, then a determination for a one or two hour delay may be made. As with no-school announcements, the delayed opening announcement will be made using the emergency notification system to home/cell phone and email and carried on local television channels.

Please keep in mind:

• Bus routes will begin by a one or two hour delay, including all special education transportation for out-of-district schools.

• Do not send your child to school earlier than the delayed opening, as the school grounds may not be plowed and there will be no staff available to supervise early arrivals.

• PreK ½ day sessions will take place if a one hour delay is called, and will be canceled for a two hour delay.

• School lunch will be served at its regularly scheduled time.

• Schools will be dismissed at their regular times.

Emergency Early Release Announcement

If a severe weather condition or other emergency develops during the school day, the district may release students before the typical end of the school day. Parents will be notified by home/cell phone and email and the announcement will be carried on local television channels, and displayed on the district website. As appropriate, the district will work with public safety officials to shelter students in the district if unable to send home.

Inclement Weather Bus Stops for Walkers

We understand that inclement weather days can prove challenging to getting your child to school. If your child(ren) is/are typically a walker and you are unable to find another means of transportation during inclement weather, or when sidewalks have not yet been plowed, please complete this brief form . We will use this information to set up “inclement weather bus stops.” We have provided this service as a way to support safe transportation to school. Please note that these stops will only be activated during storms or following a storm when sidewalks have not yet been cleared, and as communicated. We will communicate additional information when bus stops have been established.

Additional Reminders for Parents

Be sure your child’s school has your updated contact information.

Have a family emergency plan in place so your child knows what to do if sent home for any of the reasons noted above. If your child is regularly driven to school and you or he/she feels it is unsafe to drive during the inclement weather, please determine an alternative means of transportation to school.

At least 4 families in Medway have been helped by Shriners Hospital for Children in Boston over the years. The Jackson family, the Davis family, the Fagerson family, and most recently the MacLeod family this summer. All at no cost thanks to the incredible Shriners Hospital!

Shriners hospital collects can tabs for money. If you would like to join us in thanking Shriners Hospital on behalf of these families you can collect can tabs and drop them at the fire station or police station. If you have a student at McGovern School you can have them bring them to school to drop in a container in our main office. Thank you for your support!

Did you know there are several ways to follow us on social media? Please see below for our links. Please also note that we will not be interacting with our Facebook page, as it is a place for us to post information. As always, if you have any questions regarding your child and/or the school, please reach out to your child's teacher, the front office, or administration.

McGovern Elementary School: Twitter: @McGovernElem

Facebook: @mcgovernelem

Instagram: @mcgovernelem

Children need healthy meals to learn. Medway Public Schools offers healthy meals every school day. During the 2022-2023 school year, all students will receive free breakfast and lunch at school. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has provided money to do this for one year through the State budget. We need your help to ensure our district receives all the financial resources for which it qualifies. Please fill out and submit the application for free and reduced price school meals. If many families fill out and return this form, we will get more money from the federal government for free school meals now and in the future. We will also get more money for other school programs. Filling out this form also helps our community provide free summer meals to all kids, and free meals to kids in childcare. The information you provide is confidential. We follow strict federal rules to keep your information private.

December 26-January 2: Winter Break

January 3: School Resumes

January 6: Arena Day, No Preschool Classes

January 11: OOCH experience, kindergarten

January 16: Martin Luther King Jr. Day, No School

January 18: Equity Steering Committee, 5:30 PM, Presentation Room

January 23: Parent Coffee Hour, 9:00-10:00 AM OR 4:00-5:00 PM

January 25: School Site Council, 3:20 PM

January 26: Zoomobile, 1st Grade

February 1: Early Release Day, 12:00 PM K & 1; 11:30 AM all preschool, no PM classes

February 3: Arena Day, No Preschool Classes

February 8: Equity Steering Committee, 5:30 PM, Presentation Room

February 9: Progress Report/Update for Focus Group, 5:00 PM

February 20-24: February Vacation, No School

Please click the following links for directions on how to translate the newsletter.

Here is the link for the master directions in English.

Here is the link for Spanish.

Here is the link for French.

Here is the link for Russian.

Here is the link for Arabic

Here is the link for Portuguese.

Here is the link for Chinese (traditional).

Here is the link for Tamil.

Here is the link for Telugu.

Haga clic en los siguientes enlaces para obtener instrucciones sobre cómo traducir el boletín.

Aquí está el enlace para español.

Here is the link for Spanish.

Veuillez cliquer sur les liens suivants pour savoir comment traduire le bulletin d'information.

Voici le lien pour le français.

Here is the link for French.

Пожалуйста, нажмите следующие ссылки для получения инструкций о том, как перевести информационный бюллетень.

Вот ссылка на русский.

Here is the link for Russian.

Clique nos links a seguir para obter instruções sobre como traduzir o boletim informativo.

Aqui está o link para o espanhol.

Here is the link for Portuguese.

單擊以下鏈接以獲取有關如何翻譯時事通訊的說明。

這是西班牙語的鏈接。

Here is the link for Chinese (traditional).

செய்திமடலை எவ்வாறு மொழிபெயர்ப்பது என்பது குறித்த வழிமுறைகளுக்கு பின்வரும் இணைப்புகளைக் கிளிக் செய்யவும்.

ஸ்பானிஷ் மொழிக்கான இணைப்பு இதோ.

Here is the link for Tamil.

వార్తాలేఖను ఎలా అనువదించాలో సూచనల కోసం క్రింది లింక్‌లపై క్లిక్ చేయండి.

స్పానిష్ కోసం ఇక్కడ లింక్ ఉంది.

Here is the link for Telugu.

انقر فوق الروابط التالية للحصول على إرشادات حول كيفية ترجمة النشرة الإخبارية.

هنا هو الرابط

Here is the link for Arabic