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McGovern News!
December 18, 2020
This has been a whirlwind week! We had our first FULL Wednesday! Students were so excited to be here for the full week and there was certainly a buzz on Wednesday with the impending storm.
In addition, our IT department worked incredibly hard to push out chromebooks to all McGovern students this week. This is super exciting and we know they will be an asset to our students' learning both in and outside of the classroom. As a reminder, chromebooks will be sent home every Friday and we ask that you please return them, fully charged and with the charger in the plastic bag, each Monday. This will allow students to use them in school during the week and at home on the weekends, if you choose.
We also experienced the first major snowstorm of the season! As a reminder, students MUST have snow pants, boots, a hat, mittens and a winter coat to go outside for recess. This will ensure that students can have fun outside in the snow during recess and continue learning for the rest of the day in dry clothes! If your child needs snow gear, please reach out to Mrs. Jacobs at ajacobs@medwaypublicschools.org and she will be happy to help get items for you.
Finally, as this is the last newsletter of the 2020 school year, I want to wish you all a happy, safe, and healthy end to the year. Many of us would like to put 2020 behind us, but I also encourage you to find even the small positives this year has brought to you and your family. Professionally I am incredibly proud of the work we have done in Medway to keep students safely in school. We have an incredible team within the Medway Public Schools and I am partial that McGovern has the greatest group of educators! Personally, I am grateful for the extra family time with my husband and daughters. We have hiked, baked, painted, and spent LOTS of quality time together. I am thankful for the memories we have made.
I am wishing you all joy and peace in 2021!
Best,
Amy McDonald, Principal
Spread Kindness not Germs!
Family Conferences and Report Cards
First term report cards will be distributed via students' backpacks on December 22, 2020. Please know that teachers are providing grades based on the end of the year standards. Therefore, it is not uncommon for students to receive an "Introduced," "Beginning," "Not Addressed" or a "2" at this point in the school year. By the end of the school year, students should be at grade level proficiency, which is a "M" or "3" on the report card. If you have any questions about your child's progress, please connect with your child's classroom teacher.
McGovern Spirit Days
Dec 21: Ugly sweater day
Dec 23: Pajama Day (must wear shoes to school, no slippers)
Coding at McGovern School
"Hour of Code" which takes place each year during Computer Science Education Week. This year the Computer Science Education Week is December 7-13th.
Yearly Student Information Update - Online Registration- ACTION REQUIRED!
We request that all families complete the beginning of year packet [Online Registration] in the parent portal to ensure we have the most up to date information for you and your child. To access OLR in the portal, login and choose MORE > Online Registration. Please follow the prompts to complete this information. If you are new to Medway or in need an access code to create an account, please email support@medwayschools.org.
We are only at an 18% completion rate and it is critical that all families update their information so that we have the most up-to-date contact information.
Parent Pick-Up
When there is inclement weather or it is too cold, students will wait inside and be called out to the colored cones for pick-up. Thank you in advance for your patience.
Nurse's Notes
As many of you are aware, Massachusetts now requires that all students, pre k - grade 12, receive an influenza vaccine by December 31, 2020. The only exceptions allowed are for medical or religious reasons.
Please provide this documentation to me as soon as you are able. It may be sent to school with your child, scanned and emailed to pmckay@medwayschools.org or faxed to 508-533-3263.
Feel free to contact me with any questions at the above email address or at 508-533-6626 x5354. I am at school every day and available to meet with parents to discuss health concerns, develop health plans, and receive medications and paperwork. Be aware that, at this time, all in-person meetings will take place outside of the building. I am also available to speak with you on the phone or communicate via email.
Thank you and stay healthy!
Penny McKay, Nurse
The Lion Den Cleans up Trails around McGovern!
cleaned up the nature trail loop behind the playground.
Snow Days
- Dr. Pires will provide the notification of school not meeting
- Students will follow a full remote schedule for that day
DISTRICT NEWS!
Medway Public Schools COVID-19 Information Hub
To provide families with the latest information and resources related to COVID-19, we have created a COVID-19 information hub, which can be accessed here, and by visiting our district’s homepage. Please visit this site for information about school/community COVID-19 health data, positive test reporting, student protocols, and local testing sites.
Covid Response Hotline
In order to ensure confidentiality and begin Contact Tracing as soon as possible, the District has established lines of communication if ever you need to report a positive COVID Test.
Report a student positive COVID test results by either emailing or calling the hotline below:
- covid@medwayschools.org
- 508-321-4779
Reminders!
Nutritional Support / Remote School Lunches
In order to ensure that children’s nutritional needs are satisfied during this period of remote learning, we are offering any Medway resident under the age of 21 the opportunity to access free school meals every day of the week and/or food to prepare meals at home. For more details about these offerings and to sign-up for remote meals please click here.
Dressing for Recess and Outdoor Time
Please be sure to dress your child in layers. Students go out for recess daily for 25 minutes. In addition, students may have music or wellness classes, which are also taught outside for 40 minutes.
Here is a helpful graphic to ensure that students are arriving to school with the best layers and apparel as we transition from warmer temperatures to the crisp cooler air. What is also hard is weather like this week and have a 23 degree morning on Thursday as compared to a 46 degree morning on Friday. Please remember that we keep windows open on the bus and in the classroom to increase air flow. When it is really cold outside, teachers will have one window that is cracked. Even this can increase the air flow throughout the classroom.
Finally, on snowy days, students will need boots, snow pants, a hat, mittens, and winter coat. Flexibility... the key word to this year! Students can always take a layer off if they are hot, but the same can't be said if they are cold.
Communication
Remote Learning Guidelines for Families and Students
As we work to bring more synchronous (virtual, live, scheduled) time to our students during their at home learning days and also continue to enhance our practices to ensure readiness SHOULD we need to transition to a fully remote learning model, we have crafted some "rules of engagement" to support students, their families, and our faculty and staff. The success of this work is dependent on all of us working together to ensure compliance and partnership. Please sit and review the information found through the links below WITH your child, regardless of their grade level.
The second section of this form asks for your partnership and agreement with these guidelines in support of all. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me.
You can access the form here and we would like all students and families to electronically sign the form.
MEPTO NEWS!
Shamrock Shuffle!
Calling all Artists! Participate in the 2021 Shamrock Shuffle Logo Design Contest!
The Medway Elementary PTO is looking for logo design submissions for the 10th Annual Shamrock Shuffle. The winning logo will be featured on the official 2021 Shamrock Shuffle t-shirts and the winner will receive a $25 giftcard to the Muffin House! Entries should be relevant to both St. Patrick’s Day and the race; please include your name and age upon submission. All entries must be sent to MEPTOshuffle@gmail.com through January 31, 2021. Good luck!
The 10th Annual MEPTO Shamrock Shuffle is going virtual!
The pandemic can’t stop us – please join us for the 10th Annual MEPTO *VIRTUAL* Shamrock Shuffle in March! Details can be found here.
Important Dates!
Dec 21: ugly sweater day
Dec 23: Pajama Day
Dec 24 - Jan 3, 2021: Winter Vacation
Jan 4: School resumes
Jan 18: Martin Luther King Jr. Day, No School
Do you need the Smore Newsletter Translated?
Here is the link for the master directions in English.
Here is the link for Spanish.
Here is the link for French.
Here is the link for Russian.
Here is the link for Arabic
Haga clic en los siguientes enlaces para obtener instrucciones sobre cómo traducir el boletín.
Aquí está el enlace para español.
Here is the link for Spanish.
Veuillez cliquer sur les liens suivants pour savoir comment traduire le bulletin d'information.
Here is the link for French.
Пожалуйста, нажмите следующие ссылки для получения инструкций о том, как перевести информационный бюллетень.
Вот ссылка на русский.
Here is the link for Russian.