As you have likely read, we have had 3 positive COVID-19 cases over the last 2 weeks at McGovern School. Later today Dr. Pires will share the COVID-19 metrics for the district and you will see that McGovern had it's first case of in school transmission. As we have stated since the beginning of the school year, maintaining a safe school environment for staff and students is one of our primary goals.
Our school structures and procedures are set up so that students and staff remain at 6 feet throughout the school day. As has been communicated, there are circumstances that will require proximity between individuals at less than six feet. Some examples of this could include: school transportation, students who are toilet training, students who work closely with staff and receive additional supports through an Individualized Education Plan, and/or students who have behavioral support or needs, to name a few.
As a staff we continue to reflect on our safety practices. While this situation was unavoidable, we took the opportunity to discuss with McGovern staff the continued importance of adhering to all guidelines. We know how hard it is for all students, especially young students, to remain distanced from their peers, faculty and staff. It is in their nature to gravitate to each other, be social, and play with others! We will continue to work diligently to remind students that they need to stay 6 feet apart, continuously wear their mask, and practice good hand hygiene. In addition, now that the weather is getting warmer, classroom windows can be more fully opened and filters will remain on throughout the day and overnight.
Our goal has always been and will continue to be open and transparent with our community members. If you have any questions or would like to talk with me further, please do not hesitate to reach out via phone or email.
I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Best,
Amy McDonald, Principal
Staffing Updates
Updated Transportation Guidance: Bus Service for the Remainder of the Year
If you are interested in moving your child onto a bus for the remainder of the school year, please reach out to our transportation director, Don Aicardi daicardi@medwayschools.org to see if there is room on your child's bus. He will communicate with you and the school if moving to school bus service is possible.
Thank you to all of our families who have been so patient with our drop off and pick up procedures!
The Pandemic Effect: Student Social/Emotional Challenges
Join on Zoom:
https://bridgew.zoom.us/j/97840259737? pwd=VXhTRFR3azRrbXAzNk8vWlZqT1Z1Zz09
Kindergarten Registration
Medway Public Schools is happy to announce our Online Student Registration for Kindergarten is LIVE! If you are looking to register a kindergarten student for the 2021-2022 school year, you can view the Online Registration directions here. If you already have children in the district, you can simply add the new student to your existing profile by logging into your existing Parent Portal account. Click MORE from the left menu, click Online Registration, and during the OLR process add the student as described in Step 2 of the Online Registration Directions.
If your child is in preschool and matriculating up to kindergarten, you do not need to complete the registration process, as your child is an existing student.
Families New to MPS can start the registration process using this website: Infinite Campus Online Registration Portal. The link to Registration directions can be found in the previous paragraph. To help with this process, we have included a Virtual Registration Checklist. If you have any questions about registration, please contact Karen Downing at kadowning@medwaypublicschools.org . If you have technical questions about the online registration process, please email parent@medwayschools.org to assist with the technical process.
Finally, please click here for a list of all of the events (including Kindergarten Camp) on the Road to Kindergarten.
Welcome to Medway Public Schools!
Kindergarten Camp
The summer kindergarten program, Kindergarten Camp is for incoming Kindergarten students; it will be held during the week of July 12-16, 2021. The program will introduce our incoming kindergarten learners to the kindergarten experience and help them to begin to feel comfortable with a typical kindergarten day. This experience also allows the students to become better acquainted with the McGovern School. You can find out more information about our program by clicking on the Kindergarten Camp Flyer.
Preschool Lottery and Registration
Families have been notified about the results of the preschool lottery. The next step is to confirm you seat by filling out the Google Form that was emailed to you. Finally, students that have been identified as getting a preschool seat through the lottery process must register online by April 14, 2021.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at the school at 508-533-3243 or via email amcdonald@medwayschools.org.
Updated Music Guidance
The state guidance can be found here.
Travel Reminder
From Dr. Pires' recent communication:
As a friendly reminder, as you prepare for February break, please keep in mind the State’s travel policy and general guidelines. The Governor’s order requires you to quarantine for 10 days or produce a negative COVID-19 test result that has been administered up to 72-hours prior to your arrival in Massachusetts. If not obtained before entry to Massachusetts, a test may be obtained after arrival. However, all such arriving travelers must immediately begin the 10-day quarantine until a negative test result has been received.
For additional information, please refer to the gathering guidance and the Massachusetts Travel Form, click on the links below:
CDC Guidelines on Safe Celebrations
In addition there have been changes to the travel restrictions regarding children. Testing for children, 10 years and younger, who are traveling with an adult from their household is not required. Children 10 years and younger should mimic the quarantine requirement and testing options completed by the household adult they accompanied for travel. If the accompanying adult chooses to quarantine, the child must also quarantine. If the accompanying adult chooses to obtain a test, the child and adult must quarantine until the adult’s negative test result is received. The complete Travel Order can be found here.
Close Contact Guidelines Definition
Please see the below message from Dr. Pires regarding an update on the close contact definition.
DESE recently updated their guidelines to reflect an updated definition of a close contact. The new definition is An individual who was within 6 feet of an infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period.
An important caveat to this definition is that multiple brief or transitory interactions (less than a minute) throughout the day are unlikely to result in 15 minutes of cumulative contact and do not meet the definition of close contact.
This change will certainly make the definition of close contacts more challenging and will likely lead to more close contacts being identified. It is important that all staff are aware of this definition and take active steps to ensure that we are not unnecessarily creating close contacts, particularly with other staff.
Yearly Student Information Update - Online Registration- ACTION REQUIRED!
We request that all families complete the beginning of year packet [Online Registration] in the parent portal to ensure we have the most up to date information for you and your child. To access OLR in the portal, login and choose MORE > Online Registration. Please follow the prompts to complete this information. If you are new to Medway or in need an access code to create an account, please email support@medwayschools.org.
We are only at an 18% completion rate and it is critical that all families update their information so that we have the most up-to-date contact information.
Medway Public Schools COVID-19 Information Hub
To provide families with the latest information and resources related to COVID-19, we have created a COVID-19 information hub, which can be accessed here, and by visiting our district’s homepage. Please visit this site for information about school/community COVID-19 health data, positive test reporting, student protocols, and local testing sites.
Covid Response Hotline
In order to ensure confidentiality and begin Contact Tracing as soon as possible, the District has established lines of communication if ever you need to report a positive COVID Test.
Report a student positive COVID test results by either emailing or calling the hotline below:
- covid@medwayschools.org
- 508-321-4779
Meal Access for Remote Learners
As we prepare for more students to make their full return to school, remote meal distribution will now take place on Thursday mornings from 7 am to 9 am. Beginning Thursday, April 1, 2021 students who have opted for remote learning may pick-up meals at Medway Middle School on Thursdays from 7 am to 9 am at the Door # 24 on the Kelly Street entrance side of the building. A week's worth of meals will be offered during this pick-up date each week. Please see the food services website for menus. https://medwayschools.nutrislice.com/ Please contact Shawn Fallon at sfallon@medwayschools.org if you have any questions or concerns.
Dressing for Recess and Outdoor Time
Please be sure to dress your child in layers. Students go out for recess daily for 25 minutes. In addition, students may have music or wellness classes, which are also taught outside for 40 minutes.
Here is a helpful graphic to ensure that students are arriving to school with the best layers and apparel as we transition from warmer temperatures to the crisp cooler air. What is also hard is weather like this week and have a 23 degree morning on Thursday as compared to a 46 degree morning on Friday. Please remember that we keep windows open on the bus and in the classroom to increase air flow. When it is really cold outside, teachers will have one window that is cracked. Even this can increase the air flow throughout the classroom.
Finally, on snowy days, students will need boots, snow pants, a hat, mittens, and winter coat. Flexibility... the key word to this year! Students can always take a layer off if they are hot, but the same can't be said if they are cold.
Communication
Shamrock Shuffle!
Calling all Artists! Participate in the 2021 Shamrock Shuffle Logo Design Contest! The Medway Elementary PTO is looking for logo design submissions for the 10th Annual Shamrock Shuffle. The winning logo will be featured on the official 2021 Shamrock Shuffle t-shirts and the winner will receive a $25 giftcard to the Muffin House! Entries should be relevant to both St. Patrick’s Day and the race; please include your name and age upon submission. All entries must be sent to MEPTOshuffle@gmail.com through January 31, 2021. Good luck!
The 10th Annual MEPTO Shamrock Shuffle is going virtual!
The pandemic can’t stop us – please join us for the 10th Annual MEPTO *VIRTUAL* Shamrock Shuffle in March! Details can be found here.
Do you need the Smore Newsletter Translated?
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
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.
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.