McGovern News!

Happy New Year! I hope that you each found time to relax and reconnect over the vacation. As I am sure you are aware, we have seen an increase in COVID-19 positive cases at McGovern School. We know that school is the most important place for students, especially at this age, to be and we will continue to diligently implement our mitigation strategies. Our main priority is to keep students safe while providing an enriching learning experience for all.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me.

Reminder: No School Monday or Tuesday, January 17-18, 2022

There will be no school on Monday, January 17 in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and on Tuesday, January 18 as we facilitate professional development for our faculty and staff.

Best,

Amy McDonald, Principal

Our preschool supports and educates three and four year old students who have been identified with a disability, along with a limited number of “community peers”. Eligibility for peers with a disability is determined through the IEP Team Process.

To be considered for the Integrated Preschool Lottery you must complete and submit either an electronic or paper-based lottery form by 12:00 PM on February 4, 2021. Please use the below links:

Preschool Lottery and Registration Information Packet

Link to online Preschool Lottery Form

Completing the form does not guarantee entrance into the program. The lottery will be held on February 8th from 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. An email notification will be sent with the results of the lottery for your child. If you do not obtain a seat during the lottery process, you will be added to the waitlist.

If your child is selected through the lottery process, registration for students attending the Integrated Preschool must be completed by April 14, 2021. Please call the McGovern School with questions at 508-533-3243 or email amcdonald@medwayschools.org.

You can view the Preschool Registration Process here.

When we return from break, we will share the registration packet via our website so families can register for the lottery.

The temperatures are dropping and winter is coming! Please make sure your students are dressed in appropriate jackets, gloves, and hats and when appropriate, boots. We continue to make every effort to be outside throughout the school day. This will continue as the snow hits as well. Please make sure your child's winter belongings are labeled with their first and last name !

If you family has a need for any of these items, please contact mparrella@medwayschools.org

Dr. Pires recently sent a communication to the District about updated health and wellness policies related to COVID and information on our Direct practice as well. That email can be found here

Some important information includes:

• Antigen tests are now accepted for testing purposes

• updated memorandum from the state.

• New COVID-19 Quarantine Requirements

• Differences in protocols for vaccinated individuals vs unvaccinated individuals

That email contains important information and I encourage all families to take time to read it and please reach it and reach out if you have questions. I recognize this is a challenging time for parents and students, and we want to ensure all families have the needed information about our school policies and mitigation strategies.

Please see the COVID Safety and information section below for other updated information.

After almost 2 years, Charles River Bank's School Banking Program will return to the McGovern School. You should have received a packet of information from Charles River Bank about our school banking program. In that packet are directions on how to open a Charles River Bank savings account for your student. The bank will donate their first $5 to their account! Students can make weekly deposits here at school and visit our local branch here in town as well.

On Wednesday mornings, students can stop by the lobby and "deposit" their money with a bank employee. This will be a quick and efficient process. This program is a great opportunity to take the first steps in real-life financial literacy by teaching our students about a savings account at a young age. You can view this School Banking Video or this flyer about the program.

If you have any questions about the program or how to open an account please reach out to Ann Sherry from Charles River Bank at asherry@charlesriverbank.com

Medway T.H.R.I.V.E. has partnered with Medfield Public Schools to bring the film Chasing Childhood to our parent communities. Families will have the opportunity to watch the film from January 14-18. On January 19, Dr. Peter Gray, featured in the film, will give a presentation for parents from 12:00-1:00 p.m. To register to watch the film and attend the parent presentation please click here.

It is a difficult time to be a parent of young children. Finding that balance between scheduling experiences and providing less structured opportunities can sometimes feel impossible. In developing this event with THRIVE, I watched this film. I think as both a parent and educator that it is a worthwhile opportunity for any parent of young kids.

Following an audit of our Grade 6-12 and K-5 Literacy programs during the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years respectively, Medway Public Schools has partnered with Hill for Literacy to support our efforts to continuously improve our practices and ensure that our resources for teaching and learning are best aligned with these practices.

We are excited by the learning and work that Hill has brought to our K-5 teacher teams so far with professional learning focused on the science of reading, facilitating rich data teams, and the implementation of a new universal screener, DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills).

We will be entering into a new K-5 curriculum resource review following the break that will include the evaluation of commercial curriculum resources highly rated for quality, coherence, and usability.

We are excited that registration for our Winter After School programs opened, Friday, January 7, at 5:00pm. Flyers sent home on Monday in your child's backpack. Community Education strongly encourage families to click on the link below to view all exciting programs available beginning January 24th. Many programs fill quickly due to limited spaces.

TO VIEW FLYER: https://p19cdn4static.sharpschool.com/UserFiles/Servers/Server_31136071/File/All%20School%20Flyer%20Winter%202022%20-%20Google%20Docs.pdf

TO PAY: https://unipaygold.unibank.com/transactioninfo.aspx?TID=16414

The Medway Public Schools, at the advice of the Energy and Sustainability Committee, are exploring the possibility of adding solar canopies to the schools' parking lots. Installing solar canopies would provide onsite renewable power generation and provide long-term financial benefits to the Medway Public Schools.

We are seeking the opinions of the community to better understand overall interest, questions, and concerns that may be connected to projects like this. To gather this information, we are asking that you complete the Solar Canopy Survey. The survey will be open until Tuesday, January 4. The results from this survey will help inform decision making on this topic. Thank you for your participation in this survey.

Solar Canopy Survey

Due to the snow day on Friday, January 7, 2022, the last day of school for the 2021-2022 school year will now be Tuesday, June 21, 2022. There is no school on Monday, June 20, 2022 in observance of Juneteenth. Should we need to cancel school again this year, this date will move again.

The Medway SEPAC board is seeking feedback from families about how we can best support you and your child(ren). Please take a moment to complete this brief survey to share your thoughts with us. The link may be found here.

MEPTO
Please click on the link for the December MEPTO Newsletter.

MEDWAY PERFORMING ARTS GEAR IS HERE!

The MPFA is excited to announce the arrival of Medway Performing Arts gear! Use the link below to access the online ordering site for a variety of items including t-shirts, sweatshirts, blankets and more. Time to show off some pride for the talented Medway students in Band, Chorus, and Drama.

A portion of all orders will directly benefit the MFPA to help us support the Performing Arts at all Medway Schools.

https://www.customapparelcai.com/medwayperformingarts

VaxAbilities is hosting disability-friendly events across Massachusetts. These events will have extra staff on hand to provide skilled support to persons with disabilities or sensory support needs. For more information and to register for a clinic near you please visit www.vaxabilities.com

As your elementary and middle school children become fully vaccinated we ask you to please share proof of their vaccination with our school nurses by completing this form: K-8 Vaccination Status Response. If your student attends Medway High School and we have previously reached out to you for proof of immunization and you have yet to respond you may share their information through the use of this form: 9-12 Vaccination Status Response.

Pediatric Vaccine now available for children 5 to 11

If Medway's vaccine clinic does not work for your family next Thursday, please read below about how to schedule a vaccine appointment for your child.

How to find a Pediatric COVID-19 vaccine appointment:

1. Parents who prefer to have their child vaccinated by their primary care provider should call their provider’s office directly.
2. Visit the VaxFinder tool at vaxfinder.mass.gov for a full list of hundreds of available locations. Residents will be able to narrow the results to search for locations that are offering the Pfizer Pediatric COVID-19 vaccine, with some appointments available now for booking. Additional appointments will be available online in the coming days. Many locations will be booking appointments out weeks in advance.
3. For individuals who are unable to use VaxFinder, or have difficulty accessing the internet, the COVID-19 Vaccine Resource Line (Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 6 PM, Saturday and Sunday 9 AM – 2 PM) is available by calling 2-1-1. The COVID-19 Vaccine Resource Line is available in English and Spanish and has translators available in approximately 100 additional languages.

All state supported vaccination clinics will offer low-sensory vaccinations for children with disabilities.

Visit www.mass.gov/covidvaccinekids for more information. To view more information from the CDC, please click here.

Vaccines are widely available across the Commonwealth. Getting vaccinated remains the most important thing individuals can do to protect themselves, their families, and their community. The COVID-19 vaccine is safe, effective, and free. Individuals do not need an ID or health insurance to access a vaccine and do not need to show a vaccine card when getting a vaccine.

Massachusetts leads the nation in vaccine administration, including adolescent vaccination, with over 80% of youth ages 12-17 having received at least one dose. Over 4.7 million individuals are fully vaccinated, with more than 92% of all adults having at least one dose.

Everything related to the Medway Public School's COVID can be found on our HUB by clicking here.

Our Wellness Department developed Flow Charts to better explain how our Test and Stay program will work. Please see the the information below to understand how the program will work.

Test and Stay Flow Chart

On August 31st, School Committee voted to reinstate last year's Face Covering Policy. Click here for the complete policy. This outlines the types of masks to be worn in school and when wearing a mask is required. Please see the face covering requirements for anyone inside the school building:

A face covering that covers the nose and mouth must be worn by all individuals in school buildings and on school transportation. Bandanas, neck gaiters, single layer face coverings, and face coverings with vents, ports or perforations of any kind are not permitted as an approved face covering.

Additionally, face masks or face coverings will not be required:

• during mask breaks;

• while eating or drinking;

• while outside.

The Parent Portal within Infinite Campus, our student management system, is a vital resource to help families stay up to date on students’ assignments, grades, and contact information. If you are a family that does not have an account, please email parent@medwayschools.org and we will forward a personal activation code to create one. ALL families are asked to please complete the Online Registration [OLR] option, better known as the “beginning of year packet,” within the parent portal system. This process allows parents to see the information we have on file and make updates if needed. We also require review and sign-off of our Responsible Use Policy and Handbook as part of this process. If you haven't already, please complete this process by selecting MORE (on the left menu) then Online Registration from the menu options.

Every child needs a healthy, nutritious meal to learn. Medway Public Schools offers nutritious meals to children each school day and breakfast and lunch will continue to remain free of charge through this school year. Please be sure to check out the menu here to ensure your child likes what is being served that day. You can find the menus by clicking on this link.

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.

Jan 14-18: T.H.R.I.V.E. Event: Family viewing of Chasing Childhood, documentary, available. Details to be shared soon

Jan 17: No School: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Jan 18: No School: Professional Development Day

Jan 19: T.H.R.I.V.E. Event: A presentation and conversation with Dr. Peter Grey, Chasing Childhood contributor, 12:00 p.m., Virtual, Details TBD

Jan 26: School Site Council, 3:30-4:15 PM

Feb 4: Arena Day, No Preschool Classes

Feb 9: Kindergarten Night of the Arts, 5:30-6:30 PM

Feb 21-25: No School, Winter Vacation

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