Good evening parents and families,

I hope that everyone had an enjoyable weekend. I'm happy to share that our teachers and administration have been working through the weekend on the development of a plan that will lead to more structured learning for students that will begin to take shape this week with new modules scheduled for Monday, April 6th. Tomorrow each Principal will be meeting with the leadership team at each school, comprised of general education and special education teachers, in order to thoughtfully finalize the schedule for students and to answer any remaining questions.

For tomorrow we ask that students continue to explore the enrichment resources that have been shared. My hope is to have some additional structured guidance on Tuesday for the remainder of this week and then a distinct plan in place for our new remote learning schedule for Monday, April 6th.
This week I will be sharing some additional guidance for parents and families. Most importantly, I want to assure you that North Reading students will continue to receive the top level education that they are accustomed to receive from the very best teachers that the Commonwealth has to offer. I am in constant communication with local Superintendents and I am confident that we are on par with all other districts and that our remote learning experience will be designed with the best interest of North Reading students and families in mind and we will continue our "pursuit of excellence" in this new and exciting format.

It is also important to me that I clarify that we are not attempting to replicate school and instead are designing new remote learning opportunities for students that will be guided and structured by our teachers and administrators. Technology will continue to be a tool for us to use as we explore remote learning but it is not the only tool that our teachers will employ. I wish to thank our North Reading Educator Association union representatives for working so closely with us on this plan.
We have successfully distributed technology devices to those in need and I ask anyone who has not completed this form (or wishes to change their responses)to complete this brief online survey as soon as possible.

Our food services program continues to prepare meals for those who need them and if you need to complete or update that form you may do so here.

I wish you the best as we enter into our third full week of school closure and continue to
be available to you for any questions or concerns at any time at pdaly@nrpsk12.org or 978-664-9557.

Thank you,

Dr. Daly

Dear North Reading School Community,

It's been another very eventful week for us and I appreciate the efforts of everyone in our community. I want to thank all of the doctors, nurses, drivers, food and grocery workers, safety, town administrators and other essential providers in our community for all that they are doing to support us during this challenging time.

I have been continuously impressed with the dedication of our food services team who prepared lunches for our families this week as well as our digital learning team who prepared Chromebooks for those who needed them. I am overwhelmed by the outpouring of creative and inspirational and motivational thoughts that have been shared with me from our school community, including the giving and thoughtfulness of so many individuals. Many have expressed the positive aspects that they are thankful for in these otherwise challenging times. I'm in a group of friends posting daily thoughts of gratitude. It's been a wonderful experience and I highly recommend journaling and capturing the highlights of this experiences with your children.

Following the information we have received this week from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education our teachers and administrators have been hard at work developing a plan to begin to transition in the coming weeks to remote learning opportunities for our students. We appreciate the many comments and suggestions that have come from our parents and staff and we will be working through the weekend and into early next week to thoughtfully develop a plan that meets the needs of all of our learners in North Reading. We thank you for your patience as we develop this model for our students.

Please see the attached letter from our Merrimack Valley Superintendent's Association. This is a joint statement of the unified vision that North Reading shares with our surrounding districts as we all look to take the next steps with remote learning.

Thank you and have a wonderful weekend. I will be in touch next week with many more details about our remote learning plan.

Dr. Daly

File attachments:
MVSA Statement 3-27-20 .pdf

Good Afternoon North Reading Families,

I am writing with a very brief update on an extension of the school closures in Massachusetts that was just declared by Governor Baker and Commissioner Riley a few moments ago. The original closure was declared through Tuesday, April 7th, and that has now been extended through Monday, May 4th. There are clearly decisions being made at the state level in response to the rapidly changing data on this virus, the result of which was that superintendents and educators learned about this extension at the same time as everyone else. 

As promised by Commissioner Riley, we are expecting further documentation and guidance tomorrow morning from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education that will speak to our responsibility and ability to provide an equitable educational opportunity for ALL students. We will be working diligently to unpack that information in the days ahead, and I will provide further details about any changes you can expect for your child(ren)'s learning experience through the extended closure by early next week.

Thank you for your patience during these trying times. I have also been collaborating with local superintendents and I thank thank them for their support in sending a similar message to all of our communities.

Sincerely yours,

Dr. Daly

Good afternoon North Reading Parents/Guardians and School Community,


I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone-- parents, teachers, and students-- for such a remarkable response in these challenging and unprecedented times. From what I’m seeing online and on social media teachers have compiled incredible resources and parents are assisting students in engaging with these enrichment activities. This has worked very well this first week and I appreciate everyone’s hard work and support.


Dr. Downs has helped to compile many of these resources on this site.


As we look to the next two weeks, through April 7th, we must begin to consider that there is a possibility that the recommendation will be for schools to remain closed for a longer period of time. We are awaiting further guidance from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) about what teaching and learning will look like in the event of an extended closure.


I will be meeting on Monday with a large group of Merrimack Valley Superintendents who will draft, as one of my colleagues wrote, “expectations for staff, students, and families, and at the same time minimize the comparisons between districts.”


One of the main reasons why we are not already engaged in “online learning” the way they appear to be in other states is that Massachusetts has issued clear guidance on the equity issues that need to be considered. This involves both concerns within our district and also among other districts in Massachusetts. For example, there are some districts in Massachusetts who do not have access to broadband. There may be students within the district with limited access at home. There are also concerns that any online or virtual learning may be in conflict with the reality that every single student deserves access to a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). Therefore, to date, we have closely followed the DESE recommendations about these being non-school days and providing students access to “opportunities for learning.”


Moving forward we will continue to work closely with our teachers unions and all staff members to ensure that we have clear guidance around expectations and develop the best plan to keep all of our students moving forward while also being mindful of all equity concerns.


Teachers and support staff will continue to reach out to students and you may begin to see more optional group “hangout” sessions for social interactions in the coming days. I hope to have more concrete guidance for teaching and learning by the middle of next week that I will communicate to everyone in our school community.


At this time, I would appreciate it if parents could complete this brief online survey about technology readiness. Classroom teachers may also be reaching out to families to also identify individuals with questions or concerns about internet or device access at home. I also want to remind everyone that many internet providers are providing no cost options and support and relief during this challenging situation.


As always, thank you all so much for all of your support for our students. I’m looking forward to communication next week with our teachers and staff and with our student representatives.


Sincerely yours,


Dr. Daly

Out of an abundance of caution, our schools will be closed March 13 to March 27, 2020 as we continue a deep cleaning and disinfecting of all buildings. I am in contact with the North Reading Board of Health who continues to work with us and advise us on next steps.  Until further notice all events and activities are cancelled and there should be no staff or students reporting to the buildings. All afternoon and evening activities for this period of time are cancelled.
We have compiled this list of FAQs that will be regularly updated. We hope that you find this a helpful resource in these unprecedented circumstances.

Thank you to my amazing administrative team and our union and town leadership, as well as our school committee, who have all contributed and supported the development of this document.
This document will be continuously updated so please check in periodically.
Once again, at this time no known COVID-19 illness is present in our schools and this action is out of an abundance of caution.

Thank you for your support and cooperation as we work together to keep our schools and students safe. I’m looking forward to communication next week with our teachers and staff and with our student representatives.

Patrick C. Daly, Superintendent of Schools

March 13, 2020 Update

Good afternoon,

Please see the attached letter from the Merrimack Valley Superintendent's Association. North Reading, along with other member districts, have decided to close all schools through at least March 27, 2020.

I realize that there are many questions and so I ask you patience over the next few days as we finalize the FAQ document that our incredible Administrative Team has been working on all day. This document will hopefully address many of the questions that parents, teachers, and students will have about what those two weeks will look like.

I will say at that this time that North Reading Public Schools will treat these two weeks (March 13th through March 27, 2020) as non-school days that will be paid days for all employees who would have been regularly scheduled to work on those days. Pay will follow the typical weekly and bi-weekly pay schedule that employees are on. If you do not have direct deposit you will have your check mailed to you.

The schools are closed for two weeks and staff, students, and parents should not be coming to the buildings. The FAQs will communicate more very soon about teaching and learning during this period of time.

Thank you all for your support and patience during this time.

Sincerely yours,

Patrick Daly

File attachments:
MVSA School Closure Press Release FINAL VERSION .pdf

Press Release from MASS Superintendent's Association

COVID-19 March 12, 2020 Update

Good afternoon North Reading Public School’s Community,

As previously communicated, at this time there are no known instances of COVID-19 illness present in our schools. However, we have been receiving information this morning about staff members who may have been in close contact with those exposed to COVID-19 as well as students and staff who have recently returned from travel to countries now designated overnight as Level 3.

Out of an abundance of caution, I have made the decision to dismiss North Reading High School students beginning at 12:40 p.m. today and North Reading Middle School Students at 1:00 p.m. today in order to begin a deep cleaning of the schools. Our elementary schools will have already dismissed by this time due to the previously scheduled conferences (which are now cancelled.)

We will remain closed tomorrow, March 13th, at all schools so we can do a second deep cleaning and disinfecting of all buildings. I am in contact with the North Reading Board of Health who continues to work with us and advise us on next steps. Schools and public health officials will be monitoring the ongoing circumstances this weekend and will communicate whether further school closures are necessary for next week. 

Once again, at this time no known COVID-19 illness is present in our schools and this action is out of an abundance of caution.

For students taking bus transportation, buses will be available for them to take home. If there are students who need a ride, school leadership will be available at the school to assist them and make sure they have a way to get home. Please contact your building principal with any questions.

All afternoon and evening activities are cancelled. If you have children in the YMCA after-school programs you are encouraged to please arrange to pick your child up as soon as possible this afternoon so that we can continue to clean the buildings.

We will continue to communicate with you as information becomes available.

Thank you for your support and cooperation as we work together to keep our schools and students safe.

Patrick Daly, Superintendent

March 11, 2020 COVID-19 Update

Good evening,

Please see the attached informational update from the Town Administrator, Michael Gilleberto. As noted, there are no known cases of COVID-19 for staff or students in the North Reading Public Schools.

At this time we will continue to operate our schools and classes as we would typically do with increased focus on handwashing and prevention, as has been previously shared. There will be changes to performances, events, and trips and this will be communicated via our building principals. I will also be providing updates regularly to centrally communicate some of these cancellations/modifications to events. 

Please also understand that there will be some changes, for the time being, to our use of parent volunteers and for parent and community attendance and participation at school events and performances. For those events that we are not cancelling we may restrict attendance from anyone not typically in the schools (educators and students) in order to comply with the recommendations and guidance we are following. We ask that you please respect and adhere to these restrictions in order to provide the safest possible conditions for our students and our school community. Details will again be provided by principals with respect to specific events and performances.

We continue to closely follow recommendations from CDC, the Department of Health, and DESE about school cancellations or closure. At this time we are not considering anything above and beyond the guidance we have received but we are closely monitoring all information as it becomes available.

Our custodial team continues to do a tremendous job at keeping our buildings clean and we are reviewing all processes with Wayne Hardacker, Supervisor of Buildings and Grounds, at our Administrative Council meeting tomorrow.

If you have any questions or concerns please share them with me or your principal who will then share with our entire Administrative Council. We appreciate your patience and support and everything that you do for our students. 

Patrick

Town of North Reading Update Regarding COVID -19

March 11, 2020 at 4:30 PM

On Wednesday, March 11, 2020, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) notified the Town of North Reading’s Board of Health that a North Reading resident, who attended the recent Biogen conference in Boston, has tested presumptive positive for COVID-19.  The resident was tested for COVID-19 by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health on Saturday, March 7, 2020. 

At this time, the case investigation has indicated that the resident has been in self-isolation and there is no connection to the North Reading Public Schools.  The resident has contact with a child care facility in another community.  The North Reading Board of Health has notified that community, which will conduct the appropriate investigation and outreach within that community.

The resident is recovering at home, is doing well, and will be monitored and supported by local public health officials.

As of March 11, according to MDPH there are 86 presumptive positive cases of COVID -19 in Massachusetts.  Massachusetts State Public Health Lab results are considered “presumptive positive” and are sent to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for final confirmation.  Six additional cases have been confirmed as of March 11^th.

For more information about COVID – 19 and the Town’s response, please visit the Town website at

https://www.northreadingma.gov/home/news/town-north-reading-coronavirus-covid-%E2%80%93-19-information.

Good evening,

Please see the important message, links, and information below from Town Administrator, Michael Gilleberto with respect to our Town’s unified response to COVID-19.

Additionally, I would like to share how this will impact North Reading Public School District events.

At this time the MIAA is still holding events, including the Girls Basketball Championship games scheduled for Wednesday, March 11th. At this time I will remind everyone of the Governor’s recommendation that is shared by the MIAA:

“The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) is moving forward to conduct the Basketball and Hockey Championship games scheduled on March 10-15. In accordance with the recommendations from Governor Baker to mitigate COVID-19, we encourage participants, spectators, workers and community members to practice good personal hygiene.  We support the recommendation for -those over the age of 60- and those with underlying health issues to stay away from large crowds”.  

Our school administration will continue to monitor this situation closely so please stay tuned for any possible additional communication from Principal Loprete regarding this event.

In concert with the Town of North Reading, all non-essential events and meetings scheduled to be held in the next thirty (30) days are subject to disruption, up to and including cancellation. 

Additionally, as of this afternoon, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has urged districts “to cancel any out-of-state travel that they have planned” and so we will be in communication soon about upcoming travel and trips. 

We understand that all of these decisions will have a number of impacts on the members of our school community. Our administrative team will be reviewing the specifics and clarifying and communicating this information through the principals, directors, and other leaders as the dates for these meetings and events approach.

As you are aware, this situation is fluid and I thank you all for your support and understanding at this time as we act in the best interest and safety for all of our staff and students.

Sincerely yours,

Patrick C. Daly

Superintendent

============================================================================================================

Town of North Reading Update Regarding COVID -19

March 10, 2020 at 7:15 PM

Although there are currently no presumptive cases of COVID – 19 in North Reading, Town officials continue to closely follow the guidance issued by the state and federal governments.  This evening, Town officials including Health, Police, Fire, Emergency Management, Schools, Parks and Recreation, Elder Services, Human Resources, Flint Memorial Library, and Administration held a planning and response meeting to discuss the impacts of Governor Baker’s declaration of a State of Emergency as well as next steps for the Town of North Reading

Based on the state’s actions cancelling in-person conferences, seminars and other discretionary gatherings scheduled and hosted by Executive Branch agencies involving external parties, residents should expect disruption to discretionary Town and School-sponsored activities, and to non-Town/School sponsored activities scheduled to be held at Town or School buildings over the next 30 days.  Information regarding specific cancellations or postponements will be issued by the activity’s sponsor or host.  It is important to note that Town government and departments remain in operation.

This is an evolving situation, and we will adjust our response as circumstances require.  As has been the case for the past few weeks, Town Officials will continue to update the community as new information becomes available.  The public’s patience and cooperation is greatly appreciated.

Residents are reminded of the following preventative measures recommended by the state that they should take:

• Wash your hands often
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth
• Clean things that are frequently touched
• Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze
• Stay at home if you are sick
• Older adults and those with health issues are urged to avoid large crowds and events. Individuals who live in households with vulnerable people, like elderly parents, should also consider avoiding crowds.
• Think ahead about how to take care of yourself and loved ones if the virus starts spreading in the community.

For more information regarding COVID-19 as issued from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, please click here: https://www.mass.gov/resource/information-on-the-outbreak-of-coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19

Previous updates from the Town of North Reading may be found below.

Michael P. Gilleberto, Town Administrator