Superintendent's Weekly Update 8/29/2020

August 29, 2020

Newsletter Highlights Include:

Cohorts

Back to School Information

Nurse Video

Technology

Website

Tracking Data


Hello,


I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. I am very happy that on Monday we welcome teachers back to school. It has been a long 6 months and their return marks a significant milestone to getting students back in school. We are one step closer to September 16, our first day for students.


Cohorts: This week we shared cohorts with you. There were two lists that went out; the first was the list to see which cohort you are in Cohort A (Monday and Tuesday) or Cohort B (Thursday and Friday) and the second was to see which day you will come to school as part of our phased in roll out. Just as a reminder for dates:


September 16: This is the first day for students and this will be a full remote day. Parents and students will receive information from principals and teachers via email and Google Classroom as to expectations for this day.


September 17, 18, 21, 22: For these days we will only have 25% of the students in school. This list went out earlier today. The purpose of these days is to slowly have students come back to school. This will allow for teachers to make connections in small groups with students, review new norms and expectations, review PPE guidance, review the schedule, and work with students. 


September 23: This will be a fully remote day for students.


September 24: This will be the first day of our 2-1-2 hybrid cycle.


Over the next few weeks principals will be working teachers on more specifics and will share these with you over the next few weeks.


Nurse: Our nurses have put out an informational video on guidelines for masks and student safety. Attached is a link to the video. https://youtu.be/BSc-5Aq7mXs


Technology: We will be handing out computers to students in two weeks. Please keep an eye out for dates and the process.


Website: Under the parents tab of the website there is a link to our COVID information as well as our district wide calendar of events. I hope you find this information helpful.


Tracking Data: I would like to share a few data points that I track on a daily and weekly basis to determine the safety of staying in school. These are just a few data points that DESE and the State have recommended for schools to track. 


  1. State Positivity Rating: The recommendation is for schools to stay open if the positivity rating is under 5%. As of August 28 the State is at a 1% rating. 

  2. Community Level COVID-19 Data Reporting: The Commonwealth is reporting enhanced community-level data on key COVID-19 metrics as part of the Baker-Polito Administration's efforts to partner with cities and towns to slow the spread of the virus. Based on the average daily cases per 100,000 residents, each city or town has been designated as a higher risk (red), moderate risk (yellow), or lower risk (green) community. Communities with fewer than 5 cases are not given a designation. As of this week Douglas has a 1.52 daily incident rate which places us in the gray category or a lower risk community.

I hope everyone has a great rest of the weekend.

Paul


 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Superintendent's Weekly Update July 24, 2020

Newsletter Highlights Returning to school information Community Forum Zoom links and information Information on the District’s plans if someone tests positive or is exposed to someone that tests positive Webpage updates Summer Learning Grant One Call   Hello,   I do apologize for the lengthy newsletter this week, but there is a lot of information to communicate with you. I am grateful for all the help and support from everyone on the school and municipal side in helping build a plan to get students back to school safely in September; their collaborative approach has been wonderful.    I want to state publicly that I know there are a lot of emotions and questions about coming back to school in September. People want answers and information so they can plan their lives; I fully understand that and I am cognizant of it. I also know that any of the three options that are selected will not be easy for some people to make work; again I am fully aware of that and understand that as a Superint
Read more

Back to School Survey July 15, 2020

Greetings, Over the last few weeks we have been working on creating a Blueprint for returning back to school in September. The purpose of this survey is just for us to gather information to continue planning for a safe, smooth, and successful return to school. There are 4 areas that I would like to get feedback on from you; will your student return back to school in September for in-person learning, will your student return to school in a hybrid model, will your student take the bus to school, and pre-school tuition. Please note that your responses are not binding and may change as more information becomes available to us in the next few weeks. Please fill out one survey per student so that we can have accurate information. The link to the survey is attached below. Thank you for your help with this. Paul https://forms.gle/hjSGZQSa4sTM88HD9
Read more

Superintendent's Weekly Update 7/30/2020

Image
Newsletter Highlights Include: Update guidance from DESE Two proposed back to school models Town Hall Forum and Zoom Links Student Forum   Hello,   This week I hosted both staff and community forums. In these 4 zoom sessions I had over 200 participate, offer feedback, and have the ability to ask questions. I thank all of those that attended, asked questions, and sent me emails. Your voice matters and is being heard. Many of your suggestions and feedback have been discussed with our administrative team and we have modified some of our thinking and planning as a result of it. THANK YOU. I have sent out in different emails and social media platforms some of the changes and new guidance that we have received from DESE this past week. Below are some highlights:   Transportation: Masks : All staff and students on the bus, regardless of age, are required to wear masks at all times.  Distance : Students should be seated no more than one student per bench, alternating sides for each row, which
Read more