Superintendent Weekly Update

Good afternoon,

I hope your week has gone well. It's hard to believe that the first month of the school year is already behind us. The weather has been cooperating nicely with our Fall sports teams, which are in full swing. It's great to see the students actively engaged not only in their classes, but also in all of the extracurricular activities that the district is able to offer.

I have some important information to share this week regarding school safety and security and some upcoming events.

Have a great weekend!

-Brian

Dr. Brian J. Blake

Superintendent of Schools

Over the past few weeks, Officer Joe Perna, our School Resource Officer, met with each classroom at the elementary schools and all students at the middle and high school for the annual reminder/discussion on school safety and ALICE training at age appropriate levels. Drills are also being conducted in order for students to practice what they have learned. Information was also presented at curriculum nights for parents. The staff is in the process of completing the annual refresher on ALICE training while new staff are completing the entire course. The safety and security of our students and staff remains front and center throughout the district. As always, if you have any questions regarding the information provided to students or the drills we conduct, please reach out to your building administrator.

Just a friendly reminder that all visitors to the schools should be buzzed in to the main office. Please do not hold the door open for others to enter if they are not with you specifically.

Please reach out to the building principals if you have any questions.

Tomorrow is the Annual Doyon Spooky Walk. See the Flier attached for more information.

In Chapter 3, the author states "All children are by nature antifragile. Just as the immune system must be exposed to germs, and trees must be exposed to wind, children require exposure to setbacks, failures, shocks, and stumbles in order to develop strength and self-reliance. Overprotection interferes with this development and renders young people more likely to be fragile and fearful as adults."

How are we allowing our children to experience setbacks, failures and stumbles in order to grow into self confident, strong adults?

We are so excited to partner with Conley's Drug Store and offer flu clinics to students, staff, and families.

The first flu clinic date will be Tuesday, October 14 from 2-4pm at the Ipswich Middle/High School. Here is the link to register for that date:

https://form.jotform.com/252444529330151

On Wednesday, October 15 from 4-6 pm, flu clinics will be offered at the Winthrop School. Here is the link to register for that date:

https://form.jotform.com/252444835451155

On Thursday, October 16 from 4-6pm, flu clinics will be offered at the Doyon School. Here is the link to register for that date:

https://form.jotform.com/252445627439161

In addition to the flu vaccine, other vaccines are offered including the Covid vaccine.

Please register by clicking the link. The goal is to keep our community healthy so please feel free to choose a date/time/location that works for your family.

The MASS Partnership For Youth is has a video library available free to parents. It is now available in both English and Spanish. See the attached flier for more information.

The town of Ipswich has a partnership with the Mass Save-approved company Revise who is offering free home energy assessments and helping with rebates, installation of efficiency measures, etc. for Ipswich National Grid gas customers. Open the PDF below for more information and a QR Code.

Ready to make a difference? Check out our current openings and apply today! https://ipsk12.schoolspring.com/