MURSD District Update

Email: mcohen@mursd.org
Website: https://www.mursd.org/
Location: 150 North Ave, Mendon, MA, USA
Phone: 508-634-1585
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MURSDInspires/
Twitter: @mendonuptonrsd

Today we had a fantastic first day of school for our students! Backpacks were full with back-to-school supplies, students were smiling, and we are off and running. You could feel the energy and excitement as we welcomed back our students.

Earlier this week, I shared with our MURSD Team my opening welcome and remarks, with an emphasis on the importance of us all reconnecting with one another and our students this year as the top priority. We do this by fostering a safe and collaborative culture built on positive relationships. We do this by getting to know each member of our community so they are valued, have a sense of belonging, are celebrated, nurtured, challenged, and thrive. We do this by engaging our students in authentic experiences that are innovative and personalized. We do this by creating joyful and welcoming schools. We do this by partnering with our families and communities.

As part of our opening day festivities, we welcomed close to 25 amazing new teachers and staff who are joining our team and we celebrated 19 teachers and staff members who have provided more than 25 years of service to our district and our students.

Wishing all of you a great day 2 tomorrow before we head off for the long weekend.

Warm Regards,

Maureen Cohen, Ed.D.

Interim Superintendent of Schools

• September 1: Kindergarten and PreK Orientation
• September 3: No School-Labor Day Recess
• September 6: No School-Labor Day
• September 7/8: Miscoe Hill Picture Day
• September 13: School Committee Meeting
• September 14: Clough PTO Meeting
• September 21: Open House Clough and Memorial
• September 22: Open House Clough and Memorial
• September 23: Open House Nipmuc and Nipmuc Picture Day
• September 29: Open House Miscoe
• September 30: Open House Miscoe

Please refer to school websites and newsletters for additional school events taking place.

This portion of the newsletter will be dedicated to celebrating all members of our school community who are difference-makers. If you have someone you would like to highlight that is making a difference, please let us know by using the link below. Some will be highlighted here and everyone will receive individual recognition.

YOU INSPIRE ME: TECH DEPARTMENT!

Felipe Angel and Sam O'Neal. We received multiple #MURSDInspires submissions for our tech staff members this week- Felipe and Sam, who have been here, there, and everywhere supporting our students and staff as they get devices ready for the start of school. Thank you to our entire tech department: Felipe, Sam, Dave, and Joe who magical orchestrate a complex technology infrastructure from hardware of 1:1 device management and Wifi upgrades to multiple teaching and learning platforms.

"Sam and Felipe do their jobs with such patience, sincerity, humor, and skillfulness. Even though they are always slammed, they never make us feel like we are a bother. I really appreciate their general warmth and helpfulness, especially this past year."

"Sam's enthusiasm, positive attitude, and patience are infectious. No matter the problem he will always solve it with a smile!"

There are some adjustments to our school hours this year at Clough, Memorial and Miscoe Hill, which have increased our time on learning for students. Please take note of the changes in schedule below. We will be reviewing the new schedules to start the year to identify if any changes need to be made regarding bussing or the schedule and will be in touch if any changes are needed.

The Mendon-Upton Regional School District takes the health and safety of our entire school community very seriously. A safe return to in-person school environments requires developing and maintaining strategies that create a culture of health and safety every step of the way. Specifically, it is not one mitigation strategy, but a combination of all of these strategies taken together that will substantially reduce the risk of transmission. Our primary objective is to provide a safe and healthy educational and work environment for students and staff, while keeping as many students as possible in school buildings and engaged in productive in-person learning.

On July 30th, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and the Department of Public Health (DPH) released a joint memo on COVID-19 Guidance for Districts and Schools--Fall 2021. As outlined in the memo, all schools are required to be in-person, full-time, five days a week for the 2021-22 school year, and all previously released DESE health and safety requirements are lifted.

Guiding Principles
As we enter this school year, we maintain similar guiding principles for our Fall 2021 School Opening Plan that we have throughout the health crisis:

• Building Strong School Community Relationships: We will continue to focus on relationships with our students, families and staff to create a safe and supportive environment where all members can thrive and have a strong sense of belonging.
• Prioritizing Health and Well-Being: We will continue to prioritize the health and safety of students, staff, and the community, adapting as needed to shifting health metrics and local, state, and federal guidelines.
• Supporting All Learners: We will continue to support all learners to ensure they receive high-quality, engaging instruction of grade-level standards with just-in-time scaffolds when needed.
• Pursuing our Strategic Vision for Learning: We will continue to strive to create learning environments and programs where our students will engage in deeper learning experiences that are grounded in authentic tasks and meaningful connections to our Portrait of a Learner Competencies, despite challenges from the health crisis.

Based on DESE guidelines, we plan to maintain the layered mitigation strategies that had the greatest impact which include masking, ventilation and air filtration, cleaning and disinfecting practices, hand-hygiene practices, and distancing as much as possible while still keeping all students in school.

This year DESE has outlined three types of testing protocols. As a district, we will be implementing Symptomatic Testing and the "Test and Stay" Testing to begin the year.

The chart below provides an overview of the testing options. The Routine COVID Pooled Testing is something we are reviewing to see if it will be beneficial to implement in our schools, but it will not be in place to start the school year.

Consent for in-school testing is required and we will be in contact with families regarding the consent process. DESE and DPH have identified EXEMPTIONS to both testing and quarantine which are outlined here:

1. Asymptomatic, FULLY VACCINATED close contacts

2. Classroom Close Contacts - if both individuals were masked spaced at least 3 feet apart

3. Bus Close Contacts - provided that masks were worn and windows were open

4. Close Contacts who have had COVID-19 within the last 90 days

• DESE/DPH Protocols for Responding to COVID-19 Scenarios - SY 21-22
• DESE/DPH COVID-19 Guidance for Districts and Schools: Fall 2021-English
• DESE COVID Flowchart on COVID/Exposure/Testing

Device Distribution

iPad distribution took place on Wednesday. All new students, elementary students, and students transitioning to grade 5 or 9 with school iPads should have received an iPad today. If your child was expecting one and did not receive it, please fill out the MURSD Help Desk request form, and a member of the technology team will get back to you. You can fill out this form to request support throughout the school year.

iPad Insurance

MURSD has partnered with Securranty to provide families with affordable, no-deductible iPad insurance. You can find more information at https://securranty.com/MURSD-Warranty. If you previously purchased insurance, we recommend that you visit the site and log in to check your policy's expiration date.

You will need the iPad serial number to register. If your child is an elementary student, please fill out the Help Desk request form, and we will email you the serial number. For middle and high school families, you can find the serial number on the back of the device under the bar code.

General Inquiries

If you have any questions related to MURSD iPads or account access, please feel free to reach out to David Quinn (dquinn@mursd.org) with questions.

For those of you who like to receive information through Facebook notices, we just created a new district Facebook page to push out information and notices.

Facebook

Our district also has a Twitter page. Please follow us for updated postings regarding teaching and learning.