McGovern News

Dear McGovern Families

Welcome to the 26-27 school year! Our daily focus is on helping your child learn and build confidence through high quality instruction. While starting September brings new routines and changes, our team is fully dedicated to supporting your family as your child meets each milestone. Learning to read! Making friends! Being brave and independent! Because as Rita Pierson wisely said, "Every child deserves a champion—an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection, and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be." Your child's champion is in our building and we are so excited to get to know them!

Each morning, I will be greeting students who arrive off the buses with a big smile. You can remind them to look for me (Mrs. Holt) when they arrive and be ready for a fist bump, wave, high 5 (their choice!). We will have lots of staff ready to help your child get to their classroom. It's ok if they don't remember where to go. Please be patient and courteous with our bus drivers as they get underway with their new routes. If you're doing parent car drop off, prepare your saying good-bye routine and practice it a few times. We know it can be emotional, so pause to think about yourself as a parent too. Together, we got this!

To remind us of our school values (I CAN! include, cooperate, achieve, nurture), we also have a school pledge. I encourage you to practice and chant at home:

I can!

You can!

We all can!

Please reach out to your child's teacher, me, or the front office with any questions. We are here to help you get settled.

In partnership,

Shelby Holt

Dear Families,

We are so excited to welcome McGovern first graders to school on Monday 8/31, and Pre-K and K students on Tuesday 9/1. We have worked hard to prepare for a great year. We wanted to share some updates about preparation activities with you, as well as some information on changes that are important to ensure student safety.

Bathroom Updates

As we prepare for the start of the school year, we want to provide an update regarding our facilities. Work on our indoor bathrooms is still underway, as we continue pushing hard every day to get them fully completed as quickly as possible. We have continued to partner with the Town of Medway, the contractor, as well as the facilities department to support completing this project, while minimizing the impact to our students and staff.

As we have shared, while renovations are nearing completion, we will be using high-quality, outdoor modular restrooms starting on 8/31. Please rest assured that our team is prepared to ensure this temporary setup runs smoothly and securely for every child.

Here is what you need to know about our daily plan:

• Students will have regular, scheduled class bathroom breaks. Additionally, any child who asks to use the restroom outside of scheduled times will always be permitted to go with staff support.

• Mrs. Holt has prepared a brief video tour so you and your child can see the setup in advance:

• Here is the video tour of the modular toilets for Rooms 7-18. (Blue and purple pod classrooms).

• Here is the video tour of the modular toilets for Rooms 1-6 and for preschool rooms. (Green and yellow pod).

• Social Story Resource: To help prepare your child for what to expect, please review our visual Bathroom Outdoors Social Story available in English and Spanish.

• We have continued to prioritize safety and comfort of our students and staff. As this project continues we will have additional staff support both during the school day, as well as after hours. Additional staff will include paraprofessionals, school and district facilities staff, administrators, as well as members of the Medway Police Department who will be visible throughout the day.

We appreciate your patience and partnership as we cross the finish line on our indoor facilities.

Sincerely,

Patrick McIntyre, Director of Finance and Operations

Shelby Holt, Interim Principal

This is one of the modular bathrooms near preschool and classrooms 1-6.

This is our ADA compliant bathroom near preschool and classrooms 1-6.

This is the modular bathroom near the blue/purple pods, classrooms 7-18.

Please be sure you send your child to school with a reusable water bottle (not a Poland Springs or other store brand disposable water bottle). If you need a reusable water bottle, please reach out to Amanda Rice or Marisa Colombo, our school secretaries.

As we start the school year, I wanted to alert you to a change to procedures as a result of concern about student safety. Following recent discussions with district leadership and the Medway Police Department, we are updating our 3:00 PM outdoor dismissal procedures to enhance safety for all students. During dismissal dedicated McGovern Staff is managing getting students on buses and supporting students who are getting picked up in cars. In addition, families have been walking to pick up their child, or parking in the lower lot to pick up their child. It is our top priority to make sure that all children get to their destination safely.

Here is how we will dismiss students at 3pm:

• Bus students will exit with staff as their bus number is called over the PA. Bus students will exit through the main entrance.

• Walkers and car pick up students will be called to exit through the side door and sit at their assigned class cones under staff supervision.

• First: We will load and clear all vehicles in the car pick-up line first. Please make sure your car placard is visible on the passenger side window. We ask that

• Second: We will dismiss walkers from the cone area. Please note: walkers will be dismissed after all cars have been loaded. Walkers will wait safely at their class cones while cars are being loaded. Once all vehicles have cleared the pick-up line, we will dismiss walking students to their guardians. Please wait at the designated “Walker” cone sign. Please hold a name placard and give it to the staff member when requested.

Separating vehicular traffic from pedestrian traffic significantly reduces risks, especially considering that our walking routes can require crossing up to three lanes of moving traffic. Seeing that pedestrians cross up to three lanes of moving traffic underscores why a clear dismissal procedure is essential (photo below).

Finally, I am currently working with Massachusetts Safe Routes to School to conduct a comprehensive audit of our overall dismissal plan, and I will share any future safety enhancements as they develop.

Thank you for your cooperation and partnership in keeping our students safe.

K/1/AM & Full Day Preschool: Please drop off your child on time: 8:35AM. We begin unloading cars at 8:35. Students who arrive after 8:50 are tardy. If you are arriving before 8:30am, please make sure you allow space for all staff to enter the parking lot safely.

PM Preschool: Please drop off at 12:30.

All families should complete the McGovern transportation form by 8/31. This form lets us know your weekly transportation plans. All families: please complete by 8/31.

If you absolutely need to change your child’s typical dismissal, picking your child up early, dropping off late or transportation routine, please fill out the Dismissal Change Request Google Form. The form will be open from 7:00 am-2:30 PM. We do not accept phone calls or emails for changes of dismissal plans unless it is an emergency. Note that children are not permitted to ride home on another child’s bus for the purpose of play dates. Please bookmark and save the dismissal change request form to ensure easy access to it to make dismissal changes for your child throughout the school year.

Preschool students and their parents will have the opportunity to attend an orientation at McGovern School on Monday, August 31 in two different sessions.

Full day and AM Preschool students and their parents can visit from 9:30-10:00 AM
PM Preschool students and their parents can visit from 1:15-1:45 PM

The first day of school for First Grade students is Monday, August 31, 2026 and it is a full school day. Kindergarten students and their parents are invited to an orientation on August 31st and the times can be found below:

9:15-9:45 AM: Liberto, Signore, DeCristoforo, and Loughlin

10:00-10:30 AM: Sarno, Biagetti, Whitfield, and Friel

Please click below to view the 2026-2027 Student Handbook. This contains important policies and information for all elementary students.

You are cordially invited to our back-to-school Curriculum Night on Thursday, October 1 at the following times:

• Preschool and Kindergarten will take place from 5:30-6:30 PM
• 1st Grade will take place from 6:45-7:45 PM

We will also have parent teacher conferences beginning in November.

Mrs. Rice will be here to process CORI forms if you intend to volunteer this year, this is a great time to complete your CORI form. Please bring your license with you to the main office.

Picture Day for all McGovern students is scheduled for Monday, September 28 with Tim Rice Photography. We will share ordering information as we get closer to school picture day.

Hi families, please see the SEPAC newsletter here:

https://app.smore.com/n/w1tq2

As you may recall, Medway Schools formed a School Start Time Committee last spring. This Committee, made up of teachers, family, and student representatives, is charged with making a recommendation to the School Committee on whether to maintain or alter school start times. To make an informed decision, the Committee is looking for family input and asks that you please review the research on school start times and complete this survey by October 9

Children need healthy meals to learn. Medway Public Schools offers healthy meals every school day. As you may know, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, through the recent passage of the state budget, will again allow local districts to provide breakfast and lunch for all students at no cost.

However, families who submit an application for free or reduced lunch which is approved based on income guidelines may qualify for discounts on specified school fees, including but not limited to athletic fees, transportation fees, and preschool tuition. A district cover letter, the application and instructions can be found here.

English

To open the SMORE newsletter, click on the link above. Then, to translate the SMORE newsletter, click on the “Translate” button at the top of the page. Use the drop-down menu to select your language. The newsletter will then be translated.

Portuguese

Para abrir a newsletter SMORE, clique no link acima. Em seguida, para traduzir a newsletter SMORE, clique no botão “Traduzir” no topo da página. Use o menu suspenso para selecionar seu idioma. O boletim informativo será então traduzido.

Spanish

Para abrir el boletín SMORE, haga clic en el enlace de arriba. Luego, para traducir el boletín SMORE, haga clic en el botón "Traducir" en la parte superior de la página. Utilice el menú desplegable para seleccionar su idioma. Luego se traducirá el boletín.

Arabic

لفتح النشرة الإخبارية SMORE، انقر على الرابط أعلاه. وبعد ذلك، لترجمة نشرة SMORE الإخبارية، انقر فوق الزر "ترجمة" الموجود أعلى الصفحة. استخدم القائمة المنسدلة لاختيار لغتك. سيتم بعد ذلك ترجمة النشرة الإخبارية.

Haitian Creole

Pou ouvri bilten SMORE a, klike sou lyen anlè a. Lè sa a, pou tradui bilten SMORE a, klike sou bouton "Tradwi" ki anlè paj la. Sèvi ak meni ki dewoule a pou chwazi lang ou. Lè sa a, y ap tradui bilten an.

• Community Update from the Superintendent, monthly
• McGovern News from me, bi-weekly
• Teacher newsletters, bi-weekly

All community updates and the McGovern News will be emailed and can also be found on the district and school websites or through our Medway Public Schools app which can be accessed through the QR Code below. Teachers will email their newsletters directly to their class.

Monday, August 31: First Day of School for 1st Grade

Kindergarten Orientation, 9:30 - 10:30 am

Preschool Orientation, Morning & Afternoon Sessions

Tuesday, September 1: First Day of School for Kindergarten & Preschool
Friday, September 4: No School
Monday, September 7: Labor Day - No School

Friday September 18: Arena Day (No Preschool)
Monday, September 21: Yom Kippur - No School

Friday September 25: Arena Day (No Preschool)

Monday, September 28: School Picture Day

Thursday, October 1: Curriculum Night (Back-to-School Night)

5:30-6:30 pm for Kindergarten & Preschool

6:45-7:45 pm for Grade 1

Friday, October 9: Arena Day (No Preschool)
Monday, October 12: Indigenous People's Day - No School

Wednesday, October 21: Early Release

11:05 am Preschool Dismissal

12 pm Kindergarten & 1st Grade Dismissal

Friday, October 23: Arena Day (No Preschool)

October 26-30: Fall Scholastic Book Fair, during Library block

Sunday, November 1: Daylight Savings, turn the clocks 1 hour back

Wednesday, November 11: Veteran's Day - No School

Thursday, November 12: School Picture Retake Day
Friday, November 13: Arena Day (No Preschool)

Tuesday, November 17: Parent/Teacher Conference Night, 5:30-7:30 pm
Wednesday, November 18: Early Release (Elementary Only)

11:05 am Preschool Dismissal

12 pm Kindergarten & 1st Grade Dismissal

Wednesday, November 25: Early Release

11:05 am Preschool Dismissal

12 pm Kindergarten & 1st Grade Dismissal

Thursday, November 26: Thanksgiving Day - No School
Friday, November 27: Native American Heritage Day - No School