Superintendent's Message

Dear North Reading Public Schools Community,

Today is our last day of school for students for the 2019-20 school year. The weather is beautiful and summer is here. It's a bit strange to not see the school buses or the lockers being emptied out but I have enjoyed the virtual field days and other ceremonies that I have been able to view online this week. This spring did not turn out how any of us expected but I have to say that the North Reading School Community has certainly done an amazing job of stepping up and making the most of this challenging situation.

I've had the opportunity to visit students in online classrooms and I've told each of them how impressed I am with their level of engagement and commitment to learning in these circumstances. Thank you to the parents, guardians, and families who have worked so hard to continue the learning for our students in this new environment.

Thank you to those who made and delivered lunches, provided technology, administrative assistant support, and for those who are preparing our buildings for re-opening. Thank you to our administrators for providing such solid plans and such dedicated leadership. Our wonderful Paraprofessionals continue to provide support to our amazing teachers, who have been so incredible in making the adjustment to remote learning. Our Student Services team and Business Office have continued working non-stop to ensure that our schools continue to operate efficiently and that all of our students receive the supports that they need. The Nurses have worked not only for our schools but also for our town, and our counselors have been available for a variety of student and staff needs. Our Digital Learning Team, lead by Dr. Downs, truly stepped up and helped our teachers and students make the transition and I think that all of our school community, working together, has helped to make this as successful a spring as possible.

The School Committee has been supportive as well and I truly appreciate the collaborative relationships that I have developed with them as well as with the other local boards and town officials who have been meeting weekly since early March as we collaborate on this situation together as a community.

I appreciate the emails, calls, and conversations with parents in the community. I know that remote learning has been a challenge for many students and please know that our hope is to return to school in the fall in a manner that is safe and supportive and that resembles a typical fall reopening as much as possible. 

​There are many questions that remain as we await guidance about reopening but I know that we are on the right track with the formation of a working group for reopening that will be working over the summer to send surveys and information to families and to communicate important information about reopening. I ask that you please respond promptly to any surveys sent over the summer as this data will be very important to our decision making process and the design of the 2020-21 school year.

Have a wonderful summer and be well!

Dr. Daly

Class of 2020 Graduation Parade

The public is encouraged to cheer on the 2020 senior class along the parade route. Please

take into account the Governors Social Distancing Guidelines of remaining 6 feet apart from

one another, wearing a mask if you are unable to maintain the 6 feet of social distancing, and

please only have no more than groups of 10 people together.

https://www.north-reading.k12.ma.us/sites/g/files/vyhlif1001/f/news/hs_graduation_parade_public_document_1.pdf

Racial Justice Committee

Dear North Reading Public Schools Community,

Recent events in our nation have caused many to consider the best ways to address the challenging yet critical topics of racial inequality and injustice with our students and within our community. The North Reading Public Schools will be meeting on this topic and would like to have an initial meeting with students, staff, and community members this week before our last day of school for all those who are interested. Our first meeting will be virtual on Thursday, June 18th, at 3pm. Please complete the form below and you will be sent the information for the virtual session.

https://forms.gle/fjJotqmNFMrZn7ML6

School Reopening Working Group

Dear North Reading School Community,

At this time we are awaiting additional information from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in terms of guidance for the fall reopening of schools. We expect this information on or around June 15, 2020 and we believe that there will be very structured guidance from the Department that outlines the structure of the school environment, teaching and learning, operations and business services, and behavioral health and social emotional learning.

I understand that students, parents, and guardians have many questions about our return to school and so I have decided to proactively create a working group that will have representatives from all stakeholder groups in our school community. Our existing parent advisory council will serve as the backbone of this working group, which will also include student representatives, school committee members, teachers, paraprofessionals, custodians, secretaries, and food service. In addition, school and town leaders will also participate so that all voices are heard.

If you have any questions or concerns that you would like to share please feel free to email me at pdaly@nrpsk12.org and I will bring these items forward to our working group to consider. You may also share your thoughts with the parent association leaders at the individual schools or through the Special Education Advisory Council, as those leaders are members of our working group. The purpose of our group is to listen and to gain a common understanding of the questions and concerns for our North Reading students so that we have a strong foundation on which to design the best plans for the fall once the guidance is received in the coming weeks.

I imagine that there are many viewpoints and discussions to be shared on many topics and I can assure you that we will listen to our stakeholders, attempt to discover the root cause of the concern, and then do our best to design solutions that address those root causes. 

Our goal is, as always, to provide a safe and supportive learning environment for all of our students.

Thank you,

Dr. Daly

Resources to Support Students in the Conversation about Recent Events and Protests

Dear North Reading Public Schools Community,

Recent events in our nation have caused many to consider the best ways to address the challenging yet critical topics of racial inequality and injustice with our students. In the coming days we will be providing updates to our website with additional links and resources to support parents and educators in their conversations with students to discuss these critical topics.

I personally want to extend to our students and families my support and let you know that I hear and recognize your concerns. There are many teachable moments in these trying times and I know that many of our educators are already engaged in appropriate discussions with their classes.

Some may have seen the recent article by my high school friend and current colleague, Newton North Principal Henry Turner, that I shared on social media. Mr. Turner speaks from the heart and it was an enlightening read that I highly recommend.

Our schools will continue to provide support for students who need support and I recommend contacting your principals or me directly if anyone needs assistance from our counselors, administrators, or other support staff.

I have also included a brief message, below, from the Commissioner of Education.

Sincerely yours,

Patrick C. Daly

Superintendent of Schools

RESOURCES:

School Library Journal, June 2, 2020

Antiracist Resources and Reads: Lists for All Ages 

Library Journal, May 31, 2020

Antiracism: A Starter Booklist (Appropriate For Educators and HS students) 

Southern Poverty Law Center: Beyond the Golden Rule

TEDx: Beverly Daniel Tatum -- Is My Skin Brown Because I Drank Chocolate Milk

Family Conversations About Current Events

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Dear ­­­­Massachusetts Education Community,



Our country, already reeling from the unprecedented impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, is once again grappling with the senseless murder of an unarmed African-American man, George Floyd. I am not sure anything I can say will salve the pain, anger, hurt, and even despair brought on by this latest horrific event. But I want you to know that as Commissioner and as a fellow human being, I am determined to continue to work with you to address the inequities that stain our society.



Some people say “things” have gotten better in this country. And yet, we are reminded time and time again of the inequality, racism, and injustices that shatter people’s lives. We need to create a better world – a world of fairness and humanity. This is at the heart of our mission in public service and in education. I will continue my advocacy for equity and justice, so that our children can thrive.



As educators, we have a responsibility to help young people navigate the world. Now, more than ever, students need us to support them as they try to make sense of this tragedy. Over the coming days, DESE will be sharing resources to support educators in their conversations with students and colleagues. We also recently announced two new Multi-Tiered Systems of Support Academies for school and district teams focused on culturally responsive teaching and educational environments. We know DESE will benefit from this work too, and we will engage in training this fall that helps us strengthen our own policies and practices.



Despite the anger, sadness, and frustration that many of us feel, I hope we will use this moment to bring about much-needed positive changes. Thank you for everything you do to support our students.



Sincerely,



Jeffrey C. Riley

Commissioner

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Please see the attached letter regarding the district's decision to postpone the teaching of the Human Sexuality Units during this period of remote learning, K-12.

Also, as an update on graduation ceremonies for the class of 2020 I would like to thank Mr. Loprete, the high school administration, and the senior class advisors and officers for working collaboratively in planning the very best events for our students.

Mr. Loprete and I have been meeting regularly with town health and safety officials in order to determine the best plans for our graduates. As recently as last Thursday afternoon we received updated guidance from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education pertaining specifically to graduation ceremonies and we now need to take this latest information into consideration.

The group plans to meet tomorrow, May 27, 2020, and we hope to have additional details to communicate to the parents later this week.

For all other transitional grades our teachers and principals are also well aware of the importance of celebrating and recognizing our students and there are many things in place and in development as well for those students.

I hope that everyone is doing well and we continue to appreciate the support and efforts of our students, teachers, parents, support providers and our entire North Reading School Community.

Be well,

Dr. Daly

Good morning,

I hope that this email finds you well and that you’ve been able to enjoy some of this very nice weather these past few days. Michael and I wanted to write to you this morning to update you on some information from the School Committee meeting last evening, May 4, 2020.

School Calendar

Our school calendar was amended and approved last evening. Our last day of school for students will now be June 19, 2020. The previously scheduled half-days on May 22^nd  and June 5^th will now be full remote learning days. We will still have no school on Memorial Day, May 25^th.

Graduation activities are still being planned at this time as we await more information from Governor Baker on May 18^th which will greatly influence our options. Please stay tuned for more information and details. Thank you to Mr. Loprete, our Senior Class Officers,  town officials, and the high school team for their great work on this plan.

Budget

As many of you know, last night was our budget workshop. Due to the unforeseen circumstances related to COVID-19 and the impact on state and local finances we currently have a budget deficit from our modified level services budget of about $811,025. In order to close this budget gap there have been many suggested cuts and budget closing measures.

Despite these challenges, we have remained committed to our goal of keeping our employees whole during this period of closure. To that end, we recommended to the School Committee that our employees be paid their regular salaries through June 19, 2020.

Among the measures suggested during the workshop to close the budget gaps are to eliminate several new positions, to not fill some positions due to retirement, and to potentially postpone the start date of both the Assistant Superintendent and the Director of Facilities positions. While these are all difficult cuts and decisions we are trying to do our best to prevent cuts that will directly impact classrooms whenever possible. Our plan is to keep you informed of these and any other budgetary decisions as we continue to move forward in these uncertain times.

Refunds

Given the extreme hardships that many families are facing, last evening we also developed a plan to provide refunds to families for services that have been modified during this period of closure. This includes a full refund to students who paid a user fee for spring sports as well as some partial refunds for bus services, before school care, full-day Kindergarten, and full and half-day Pre-Kindergarten.

For those families who are eligible for the refunds you will be receiving a brief form via email to complete for each service. We anticipate that these emails will be sent later this week.

Since the district, in accordance with guidance from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and other local districts, is continuing to partially pay for the continuation of services for transportation, athletics, and other services we will certainly welcome any donations in lieu of refund from those families who are able to provide such a donation at this time. 

Thank you all for your support of our students and school community!

Be well,

Dr. Daly​