Reopening Updates

Dear parents, guardians, and caregivers of new or incoming students,

Welcome to our District! While we are still rolling over our systems to the upcoming school year I will communicate to you via gmail and forward important Blackboard Connect messages to you this way. You should also follow us on our website, Twitter, and my blog and feel free to email me at any time with questions at pdaly@nrpsk12.org.

 These last few days without rain have made for some wonderful weather and I hope that you are enjoying your summer with family and friends. As we enter into August I am sure that there are many questions emerging about our plans for returning to school in the fall and so I wanted to briefly address this topic and share some information with you this afternoon.

This week I met with the Director of Public Health, Public Health Nurse, Police Chief, Fire Chief, and the Town Administrator to review the local numbers as well as the latest recommendations from the Department of Public Health (DPH) and Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). We have also had preliminary discussions with the School Committee prior to the release of the guidance and some initial conversations with our Teachers’ Association.

At this time the North Reading Public Schools will be following this guidance that has been prepared jointly by Massachusetts DPH and DESE. I have also participated in conference calls with the Commissioner of Education who explained why Massachusetts, with it’s higher vaccination numbers and lower case counts, was able to arrive at this guidance as opposed to some of the more restrictive language coming from the CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics, who must also address the needs of the entire country.

We will continue to review the numbers both in Massachusetts and North Reading as we consider whether there is any need to make changes to our approach. As communicated by the Town of North Reading earlier today there has been a recent uptick in cases and we are continuing to watch this information very closely and I will be participating in the August 12, 2021 meeting of the Board of Health as well as the August 16, 2021 School Committee meeting to review the very latest details. I have also continued to update our dashboard to share any recent cases of staff and students in the North Reading public schools. 

In addition, we will continue to offer vaccination opportunities periodically for our eligible students who would like to receive the vaccine. Our next clinic is August 13, 2021 at the Batchelder School at 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. No appointment is necessary but please complete the attached form prior to arrival.

As the school year approaches you will be hearing from both me and the school principals on several topics and we will address additional questions that may arise. Our first day with students is September 8, 2021 and we are excited to prepare our schools to welcome our students and staff back soon. Enjoy the remaining weeks of summer and stay safe.

Dr. Daly

File attachments:
Covid Vaccine Consent Form fillable web download (1).pdf

End of Year Updates

Dear parents, families, and guardians,

I'm writing today to thank you for all of your support in guiding our students through a successful year and to provide you with a few updates.

Mask and Distancing Requirements

Effective Monday, June, 21, 2021 students and staff who are fully vaccinated will no longer be required to wear a mask either outdoors or indoors. It is still strongly recommended that those students and staff who are not vaccinated wear a mask, though it is not required at this time. We will continue to follow many safety recommendations and guidelines for our summer programs this year and anyone who chooses to wear a mask this summer will be allowed to do so. We will also continue to follow guidelines for hand hygiene, staying home when sick, and connecting with our school nurses when we have any questions regarding our health.

At this time due to the low number of COVID-19 cases in Massachusetts we are not aware of any masking or distancing guidelines that will be in place for the fall. We have been informed that there may be updates in the summer and I will keep you informed of any news or information as I receive it. For those interested, our last reported positive case in NRPS was on May 24th. I have attached the latest updates from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to this message for your review.

Vaccination Clinics

We have consolidated our 2nd dose COVID-19 vaccination clinic to run on one day: June 28, 2021. We will have more information to share soon but I believe that anyone in need of a first or second dose who is at least twelve years old will be eligible to sign up. This is completely optional and offered for your convenience. More information and a link will be coming soon.

Summer Programs

We will have a variety of supports and programs available to students as extended school year and summer programs and those students and families have already been contacted about those programs and dates. 

In addition, we will be identifying students at each school for an intensive acceleration academy during the week of August 23-27, 2021. These programs are grant funded through the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and will serve 10-12 students per identified grade at each school for those entering grades K, 1, 2 (early Literacy) and 3, 4, 8, and 10 (Mathematics). We will be in touch with those selected for these programs in the coming weeks with more information. 

NRPS 2025

On Tuesday, June 22, 2021 we will be hosting two repeated sessions (attend one) in order to involve all of our stakeholders and school community in the visioning process for our district strategy. A link will be shared with everyone who completes this form. I'm thrilled to have nearly 100 responses already! If you are unable to attend the sessions but would like to provide some feedback please complete the form above as well.

THANK YOU!

It's been quite a year and I appreciate your continued support for our students, staff, and schools. Our Educators and Administrators have worked so hard and every member of our staff (Nurses, Custodians, Food Service, Paraprofessionals, Administrative Assistants!) have truly gone above and beyond. It's been a pleasure working so closely with our entire School Committee, Bargaining Units, and Town Officials. Our Town Administrator, Michael Gilleberto, Police Chief Michael Murphy, Fire Chief Don Stats, Director of Public Health Bob Bracey, Public Health Nurses Donna Hovey and Pam Vath, and our Lead Nurse, Coleen Reska have been so important this year as we've navigated every decision. Sean Killeen, Cynthia Conant, Dan Downs, and Michael Connelly have been invaluable members of our Central Office Team. Our Principals, Asst. Principals, and Leadership Team have been amazing. And I would especially like to thank Scott Buckley, School Committee Chair; Peter Kane, NREA President; and Nancy Scioli, NR Federation of Paraprofessionals President, who were all on speed dial for the ongoing discussions and decisions this year. It was a truly collaborative effort.

We are so grateful for the cooperation and support of everyone in our community. The students, parents, guardians, families and entire school community came together to make this year the best it could possibly be!

On those last days our Central Office team was able to visit all of our schools and we heard a consistent message from all of our staff and students. They were all pleased to have ended the year in person for so many of our students and to have been able to offer supports to students in-remote throughout the year. I know that Michael and I felt like celebrities signing those fifth grade yearbooks! It was a wonderful day for everyone to see those smiling faces, and as I said to this year's graduating class, All's Well That Ends Well.

Have a wonderful summer and be well.

Dr. Daly

Student Vaccination Clinics

Dear North Reading Parents, Guardians, and Families,

The North Reading Health Department and the North Reading Public Schools  are pleased to announce that we are partnering with Pelmeds Pharmacy to offer the 2 dose Pfizer Covid-19 vaccination series to our students ages 12 and up.

It is important to clarify that this opportunity is completely optional for students and that our goal is to provide a convenient and timely option for those who are interested.

The Pelmeds team of vaccinators will be assisted by some of our school nurses and will come onsite, outside, after school at the L.D. Batchelder elementary school grounds to provide immunizations on:

•            June 7, 2021 from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm – 1st shot clinic

•            June 8, 2021 from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm -1st shot clinic

•            June 14, 2021 from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm  - 1st shot clinic

•            June 15, 2021 from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm -  1st shot clinic

 

Appointments can be reserved by utilizing this link: : https://calendly.com/info3-2/north-reading-school?month=2021-06

After registering you will receive a link with a user name and password. If you click on my vaccine in the email and log in you will see a screen with all of the info that you input. Click next and then you should be able to print the consent form. Please make sure to print and sign the consent form and have the student bring it to school on the day of the clinic. Parent or Guardian signatures are required for any students under the age of 18.  

All students will be vaccinated free of charge regardless of insurance coverage. If insured please enter insurance information in the online registration. Once registered online there is no need to bring an insurance card to the clinic. A follow up clinic for second doses will be on:

•            June 28, 2021 from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm – 2nd shot clinic

•            June 29, 2021 from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm – 2nd shot clinic

•            July 5, 2021 from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm – 2nd shot clinic

•            June 6, 2021 from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm – 2nd shot clinic

 

An additional registration link will be provided to register for the second dose at a later time. Students who have already received their first dose of the Pfizer series at another location are welcome to register for either date to receive their second shot as long as there has been at least 3 weeks between doses.

Thank you to Mr. Bracey, the Pelmeds team, and all of our nurses for their support of this opportunity for interested students.

Be well,

Dr. Daly

May 6, 2021 Updates

 Dear North Reading Public Schools Community,

I've enjoyed visiting classrooms in all five schools in recent weeks and it has been wonderful seeing so many of our students return to in-person learning. I especially enjoyed May the 4th (be with you) and seeing students of all ages (and staff!) with their Yoda ears and Star Wars t-shirts!

As we've communicated in the past there is a second opportunity for students to return in-person on May 10, 2021. Those students who selected to remain in remote have all been contacted and are confirming their choice to remain in remote through the end of the year or to return in person on Monday. If anyone has any questions about this process please feel free to contact me at any time.

The 2021-22 school year calendar has been updated to reflect the proper start and end times for half day Kindergarten. 

Please remember that May 28th is a half day early release for professional development and there is no school on May 31st for the Memorial Day holiday. I have shared the end of year schedule for students again below.

Please continue to follow all safety precautions with our students when outside of school, when carpooling, and at small gatherings with friends. This week has been a very good week thus far with no new reported positive cases in our schools. Thank you to everyone for your continued efforts to keep our students and schools safe.

Have a great day,

Patrick

Dates	School	Event	Dismissal Time
June 15	Pre-K at Hood & Little School / PM Kindergarten Batchelder	Last Day	Normal dismissal time
June 16	Batchelder School (Full Day Kindergarten, AM Kindergarten, & Grades 1-5)	Last day	11:15
June 16	Hood School & Little School (Full Day Kindergarten, AM Kindergarten, & Grades 1-5)	Last day	11:35
June 16	High School (Grades 9-11)	Last day	12:00
June 16	Middle School (Grades 6-8)	Last day	12:21

Lunch Information
June 15	Batchelder, Little, Hood, Middle, High Schools	Last In-School lunch served
June 16	Batchelder, Hood, Little Schools	Grab and Go lunch served at elementary schools only

April 16, 2021 Updates

 Dear parents, guardians, and families,

I’m writing today with a few important updates and reminders.

Safety Precautions

In recent weeks I've continued to communicate about the positive cases in our schools. We have not seen any increases or changes in transmission due to having more students in school at a distance of three feet, which is great news. However, there are still many positive cases identified and it's so important, as more adults become vaccinated and the state moves into Phase IV, that we continue to follow all safety precautions for our children including mask wearing, social distancing, and hand washing. This continues to be integral to our mission to remain in person in our schools. Please continue to complete our Daily Health Screener in order to provide additional information to our school nurses about COVID-related concerns.

FAQs about Travel 

On March 22, 2021 the Massachusetts Travel Order was updated to a Travel Advisory. However, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has confirmed that schools can continue to follow and enforce the advisory in order to maintain the safest possible environment for learning. Many parents have expressed their concerns about students and staff who travel, especially during the April vacation week.

Until further notice the North Reading Public Schools will continue to follow the same process we have been adhering to all year and continue asking students who travel to produce a negative PCR test before returning to school.

A notable difference is that this does not apply to anyone returning after being out of state for fewer than 24 hours.

We understand that this is an additional request of many travelling families but we believe that this allows more students to safely remain in person at school and this is our main objective.

Students travelling out of state for more than 24 hours over April vacation must have a PCR test prior to returning to school. If students are unable to receive those results prior to their return then they should take a test when they return to Massachusetts and remain home in quarantine until they have the results.

Since this would be a COVID-related quarantine, students in this situation would be able to remotely access the classroom via livestream in the same way as other students who are unable to attend school for COVID-realted reasons (isolation, quarantine, etc.). 

Parents and guardians of students travelling over the vacation week should alert the school nurse or building administrator in order to inform them of the potential need for students to access school remotely for up to two days following the vacation while awaiting test results. (If there are extenuating circumstances requiring additional days to await test results those should be discussed with the building administrator at that time.)

The remote experience for students will be a livestream access to class and may be slightly different than the hybrid experience but will provide all students the access they need to continue learning while in quarantine for travel or other COVID-related reasons.

Pooled Testing

Through the support of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the outstanding efforts of our school nurses, the pooled testing program will continue through the remainder of the 2020-21 school year.

This program has been very successful in the weeks since it has been introduced and all students and staff who are participating have been doing a wonderful job. We strongly encourage anyone who would like to participate who is not yet enrolled, especially those who are student athletes or participating in other programs or activities, to enroll by following the instructions in these directions.

2021-22 School Start Times

Last evening the North Reading School Committee approved the proposed changes to the school start times for next year. In order to make these changes we have added additional buses to the runs which allow us to have the middle and high school start times aligned and all anticipated students who typically request busing continue to receive bus transportation. Our recommendation incorporated the feedback received from parents, guardians, students, and staff from the surveys and forums that we've held on this topic. The approved times for the 2021-22 School Year are:

Elementary School 8:00 a.m. - 2:15 p.m.

Middle and High School 8:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

We will continue to review bus routes, schedules, drop off and pick up, and many more aspects of the logistical considerations to make these changes move forward as smoothly as possible. Our Start Times Committee will continue as a group to collect data, make recommendations for improvements, and continue to offer opportunties to educate our community about the benefits of the later start times for middle and high school students.

This group, made up of representatives of parents from all grade spans, a North Reading School Committee member, administrators, and a teacher representative have spent many hours since 2018 discussing schedules, impacts to afterschool programs, considerations for childcare etc. and will address many of these concerns at the forum. The group has a website that also contains helpful information as well as the history of our exploration of this concept for our schools.

As always, thank you for your continued support. The transition to full in-person learning at all levels K-12 has been smooth and we are excited to bring all of our students back excited for learning following a much needed break next week.  

Be well,

Dr. Daly

April 9, 2021 Important Updates

 Dear parents, guardians, and families,

I’m writing today with a few important updates and to share some good news about pooled testing.

Safety Precautions

As more adults become vaccinated and the state moves into Phase IV it is important that we continue to follow all safety precautions for our children including mask wearing, social distancing, and hand washing. This is so important in all aspects of their lives but integral to our mission to remain in person in our schools. Please continue to complete our Daily Health Screener in order to provide additional information to our school nurses about COVID-related concerns.

 

FAQs about Travel 

On March 22, 2021 the Massachusetts Travel Order was updated to a Travel Advisory. However, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has confirmed that schools can continue to follow and enforce the advisory in order to maintain the safest possible environment for learning. Many parents have expressed their concerns about students and staff who travel, especially during the April vacation week.

Until further notice the North Reading Public Schools will continue to follow the same process we have been adhering to all year and continue asking students who travel to produce a negative PCR test before returning to school.

A notable difference is that this does not apply to anyone returning after being out of state for fewer than 24 hours.

We understand that this is an additional request of many travelling families but we believe that this allows more students to safely remain in person at school and this is our main objective.

Students travelling out of state for more than 24 hours over April vacation must have a PCR test prior to returning to school. If students are unable to receive those results prior to their return then they should take a test when they return to Massachusetts and remain home in quarantine until they have the results.

Since this would be a COVID-related quarantine, students in this situation would be able to remotely access the classroom via livestream in the same way as other students who are unable to attend school for COVID-realted reasons (isolation, quarantine, etc.). 

Parents and guardians of students travelling over the vacation week should alert the school nurse or building administrator in order to inform them of the potential need for students to access school remotely for up to two days following the vacation while awaiting test results. (If there are extenuating circumstances requiring additional days to await test results those should be discussed with the building administrator at that time.)

The remote experience for students will be a livestream access to class and may be slightly different than the hybrid experience but will provide all students the access they need to continue learning while in quarantine for travel or other COVID-related reasons.

 

Pooled Testing

I’m very happy to share that, through the support of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the outstanding efforts of our school nurses, the pooled testing program will continue through the remainder of the 2020-21 school year.

This program has been very successful in the weeks since it has been introduced and all students and staff who are participating have been doing a wonderful job. We strongly encourage anyone who would like to participate who is not yet enrolled, especially those who are student athletes or participating in other programs or activities, to enroll by following the instructions in these directions.

 

2021-22 School Year Calendar/Start Times

Please follow this link to review the calendars for both this year and next year.

The first day of school for students in 2021-22 is September 8, 2021.

The School Start Times Committee, which has been actively exploring the research-based advantages for high school students starting school no early than 8:30 a.m., shared an update at a forum on April 6, 2021.  

This group, made up of representatives of parents from all grade spans, a North Reading School Committee member, administrators, and a teacher representative have spent many hours since 2018 discussing schedules, impacts to afterschool programs, considerations for childcare etc. and will address many of these concerns at the forum. The group has a website that also contains helpful information as well as the history of our exploration of this concept for our schools.

In addition we are also collecting any feedback from our staff, parents, and guardians about the three models discussed in the presentation and will use this information to help inform our recommendation to the school committee. Please complete this brief survey as soon as possible but prior to April 13th so that we can include your feedback in our presentation.

Please be sure to view/review the video of the forum as well as the website prior to completing the survey to ensure that you have the latest information to help inform your feedback.

 

As always, thank you for your continued support. The transition to full in-person learning at the elementary level has been smooth and we are excited to bring our students back to full in-person at the middle and high school next week!  

Sincerely yours,

Dr. Daly

School Start Times Forum Video and Brief Survey

The School Start Times Committee, which has been actively exploring the research-based advantages for high school students starting school no early than 8:30 a.m., shared an update at a forum on April 6, 2021.  

This group, made up of representatives of parents from all grade spans, a North Reading School Committee member, administrators, and a teacher representative have spent many hours since 2018 discussing schedules, impacts to afterschool programs, considerations for childcare etc. and will address many of these concerns at the forum. The group has a website that also contains helpful information as well as the history of our exploration of this concept for our schools.

In addition we are also collecting any feedback from our staff, parents, and guardians about the three models discussed in the presentation and will use this information to help inform our recommendation to the school committee. Please complete this brief survey as soon as possible but prior to April 13th so that we can include your feedback in our presentation.

Please be sure to view/review the video of the forum as well as the website prior to completing the survey to ensure that you have the latest information to help inform your feedback.

Thank you,

Dr. Daly