McGovern News!

The temperature is definitely falling and I would like to remind families that we try and go outside every day for a 25 minute recess. The only reasons we would stay inside are extreme cold/wind or it is raining. Please be sure your child comes to school with a winter coat, mittens/gloves, a hat and when snow is on the ground, snow pants and boots. It is not negotiable for students to wear coats outside in the winter-- it is a must.

If you need assistance with winter gear, please reach out to our School Adjustment Counselor, Angela Gallivan at agallivan@medwayschools.org.

Have a great weekend!

Best,

Amy McDonald, Principal

We are in the thick of December which brings a lot of excitement and joy at the Elementary level. Students are eager to share their upcoming plans, traditions, and holidays. Much like you at home, we juggle the balance of providing enriching winter activities and providing predictable structures. We are looking forward to celebrating with our students as we lead up to winter break.

Winter Break is a time for families to both celebrate and hopefully find time for extra relaxation. Both kids and adults need time away from the bombardment of our typical weeks. During these times kids have opportunities to both relax and discover new interests. Keeping regular routines help students be able to better step away and step back into school, and prevent regression. This is true for not only behaviors but academics as well. Keeping a simple agreement for reading times and math practice a few days over break can really help students. For those families who are looking for different ways to incorporate learning opportunities, this quick article from PBS has some good suggestions which may be useful to try or get ideas from
7 Family Time and Learning Tips for the Holidays

Mrs. Holt and I will hold our next coffee hour on December 12th from either 9:00-10:00 am or 4:00-5:00 pm and our focus will be on math. We will review the math curriculum and standards, share a math game to take home, and we will of course leave time for general updates and questions from families. We hope to see you on Monday!

Please mark your calendars for upcoming coffee hours this year:

January 23, 2023

March 13, 2023

May 8, 2023

I hope to see families at our coffee hours this year!

Report cards from our first trimester are coming home on 12/21. Teachers will assess students on the standards taught so far this year and assess where students are in their progression to mastery. We would not expect many students to have completely mastered grade level standards at this point of the school year, so do not panic if you see lots of "1s and 2s" on your child's report card. If you have any questions about your student’s report card after you receive it, please reach out to your student’s teacher.

After break, students will engage in their middle of the year assessments. This includes iReady and 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 and making sure we spread these out over time to provide students with a balance of assessment and continued learning experiences.

All Medway Public Schools will have an early release on 12/23. Our dismissal time will be 12:00 PM for kindergarten and first grade. AM preschool will dismiss at 11:30 am and there is no PM preschool.

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.

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.

Our Winter Brochure is slated to be in Medway mailboxes in early December. Once again, many programs are offered for all age groups, whether one-night enrichment or multi-session fitness and wellness. Social media posts will update families when registration opens. Please visit our website to register via FamilyID/Arbiter Sports. Mark your calendars - registration for the 2023 Summer Adventures Camp opens on Wednesday, February 1.

Student attendance can be one of the biggest predictors of student success and challenges. On Monday we will send home attendance letters to any student who has 5 or more absences. Below is a link to the elementary student handbook which outlines the Elementary attendance policy.

Elementary School Handbook pages 16-17

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 do need your help to ensure that families and our district receive all the financial resources for which it qualifies. Please fill out and submit the application for free and reduced price school meals. When a family qualifies by completing this form it provides additional support both locally and through the state. In addition, financial support to the Medway Public Schools is impacted based on the number of students who qualify for free or reduced priced meals.

The information you provide is confidential. We follow strict federal rules to keep your information private.

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.

MPS requests that all guardians complete the Online Registration process, better known as the “beginning of year packet”, within the Parent Portal. Please complete the application by September 30, 2022. Completing the online registration ensures we have the most accurate and up to date information for your child(ren) and helps us stay in touch with families. To access the Online Registration Process, please login to the Parent Portal via a computer. This is the URL address https://medwayma.infinitecampus.org/campus/portal/medway.jsp then choose MORE > Online Registration from the left menu. Follow the prompts to review and confirm the information we have on file. Please note that it may be difficult to complete the forms via a smartphone. Guardians without a portal account can email parent@medwayschools.org for an activation code.

December 12: Principal's Coffee Hour; 9-10 and 4-5

December 16: Ugly Sweater Day

December 19: Wear blue

December 23: Wear pajamas

December 23: Early Release, 12:00 PM for K and 1; 11:30 AM for preschool

December 24-Jan 2: Vacation

January 3: School Resumes

January 6: Arena Day, No Preschool Classes

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

As a friendly reminder to parents, please do not let your child out of the car at morning drop off unless there is an adult at the cone. In addition, please do not pass cars during drop-off or pick up. This is for everyone's safety.