Patrick C. Daly, Superintendent

Around the Schoolyard Updates from the Schools Although our school buildings are closed now through the end of the school year, the essence of our “schoolyard” still exists and is present each day through the community of teachers, students, families, and staff working to ensure that each child’s experience is the very best it can be in this challenging time. Ideas for Class of 2020 Seniors I continue to be so impressed with the outpouring of support and creative ideas that have been shared by so many members of our community with respect to the graduating class of 2020. Mr. Loprete, Mr. Hehn, the Senior Class Advisors, and the Student Class Officers have been meeting regularly to plan memorable events for this spring and there are many great ideas that will make these events a success. This group and other important contributors continue to work together with a singular focus: to provide an opportunity to conduct as many of our senior events as possible with the framework of a SAFE ...

Good afternoon, Earlier today, Governor Baker announced that public and private schools (not including residential special education schools) will  stay closed through the end of the school year .  We agree with the Department  of Elementary and Secondary Education who wrote that, "this is a necessary step to keep everyone as healthy as possible." While perhaps expected, news of this extension may still be difficult  for our students and families, especially our seniors. I can assure you that Mr. Loprete and I are connecting on this topic daily and we will work with our class officers to provide memorable opportunities for our students while maintaining the safety guidelines and restrictions communicated by the Commonwealth. I ask our parents and community to help to assure our students that the schools are very much attuned to the social emotional needs of our students and that we are aware of the many questions that remain. Please com...

The Social-Emotional Impact of School Closure The last several weeks have been unprecedented times for our students and staff as well as all of the families in our community. While much of my communication to date has been about the logistical implications of our school closure, I am writing this week to discuss some of the more social-emotional aspects of our current situation. Seniors Last week I joined others on social media and “tweeted” my senior picture as a sign of solidarity with our North Reading High School Seniors. I promise that even though it is black and white we did have color way back then! Transitions at all levels are challenging and we’ve heard from our students that this school closure has been particularly difficult for our seniors. As a teacher for over a decade who worked primarily with seniors I came to better understand the emotions and feelings that bring our students together in their last year of high school, especially as we approach the final months. There...

Dear North Reading Public Schools Community, Last evening the North Reading School Committee voted to accept the recommendation to take only Monday, April 20, 2020 and Friday, April 24, 2020 as vacation days next week.  This means that Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of next week will be remote learning days. Each school will be sharing more information soon about what those days will look like at each level. The School Committee also decided not to change our end of year date at this time as we may need to use some or all of the additional three (3) vacation days in the future if the school closure is extended beyond May 4, 2020. If we do not use those additional three (3) vacation days we would end our year three (3) days earlier. Once we have more information about whether there is to be an extension of the school closure we can identify additional breaks and a last day of school. Our Remote Learning Plan is now in its second week. We continue to offer structured lea...

Good morning North Reading Public Schools Community, Thank you all for your patience and hard work in week one of our Remote Learning Plan. Our teachers, administrators, paraprofessionals, and related service providers are all working so hard to create and implement this plan and I truly appreciate their efforts. Our Digital Learning Team has never been so important and they have truly risen to the occasion, and I would like to thank Dr. Downs for his leadership in organizing professional development, supports for teachers, and for working with me to distribute devices to those families in need. I also am so appreciative of the efforts of the students and families who are following our plan each day.  I understand that there are also families who are facing challenges helping their students complete the assignments, share devices, and meet the needs of all student learners in their homes. As a parent of three boys under ten years old, each with his own learn...

Hello North Reading Public Schools Community! Thank you, everyone, for all of your great work and dedication to our students as we’ve transitioned to remote learning. I continued to be so impressed with our school community and how they have all stepped up to do what is best for our students. I hope that you had a wonderful first day! In this update I hope to provide more information on some important topics: Assistant Superintendent Search, April Vacation, Good Friday, and Chromebook Devices. Chromebook Devices:  We hope to distribute devices to those in need by Wednesday of this week. As a last call to those in need  please complete this form no later than 12pm tomorrow, April 7, 2020.   Assistant Superintendent Search:   Tomorrow we will be conducting interviews with our three impressive internal candidates (Dr. Downs, Dr. O'Connell, and Mr. Killeen). Thank you to our search committee for their time with these virtual interviews. We hope to cont...

Good afternoon, This is Patrick Daly, Superintendent of Schools. As previously discussed, we have prepared a remote learning plan for our students in North Reading that will begin on Monday, April 6th. I would like to thank our administrative team, curriculum and special education leaders, and union leadership in developing this comprehensive and thoughtful plan. We believe that this plan is FLEXIBLE and will meet the needs of our students and educators socially, emotionally, and academically during these challenging times. Please visit this site  to read the details of our Remote Learning Plan and expect more specific information, including flexible remote learning schedules, from your principals and teachers in the near future. https://sites.google.com/ nrpsk12.org/remotelearning/ home Sincerely yours, Dr. Daly