January 31, 2021 Updates

Dear North Reading Public Schools Community,

COVID-19 Safety

As we head into February I’m writing to remind everyone how important it is to continue to follow our safety guidelines and maintain physical distancing of at least six feet, wear masks, and wash your hands frequently. We continue to report a number of recent cases of positive staff and students but it’s important to clarify that we are still seeing very little evidence of any transmission in our classrooms or schools.

What we are seeing is transmission within the same household and among those participating in outside activities such as youth sports and dance. Please remember to use the same measures to prevent transmission when gathering with anyone outside of the household, including wearing masks when carpooling and limiting or avoiding small gatherings as well as larger gatherings with friends indoors.

As we look to the Superbowl next weekend we strongly encourage everyone to avoid gatherings with anyone outside of your immediate household. Remember that whenever you are indoors with those outside of your household you should wear masks and maintain six feet of separation, as both are essential to preventing the spread of COVID-19, especially when masks are lowered for activities such as eating or drinking.

Weather

Monday evening looks to be bringing with it a lot of snow. We should prepare for afternoon and evening activities to be cancelled tomorrow.

I am inclined to call a traditional snow day for Tuesday if the accumulation is in the 8-10” range as they are predicting. Students and staff should bring any devices home with them on Monday in order to conduct remote learning this week if necessary due to the continued inclement weather.

COVID-19 Testing

On Tuesday evening, February 2^nd at 7pm the district will host a virtual forum to present updates on COVID-19 Testing on YouTube. Since this event is virtual this will likely be held even if there is no school that day. For those unable to attend at this time please note that this session will be recorded. A brief survey will be sent to everyone following the forum to collect additional data from our staff and families related to COVID-19 testing.

Thank you for your continued efforts to keep our students safe and I hope that everyone stays warm and healthy!

Be well,

Dr. Daly