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McGovern News!
September 24, 2021
It has been great to build momentum into a 5 day week this week! As we look ahead to next week, we are excited to welcome you to our Curriculum Night on Thursday September 30th. Please see below for more information and as a reminder, you must register for this event. In addition, this is an adult only event.
The other big news for next week is that we are scheduled to begin faculty, staff, and student COVID-19 testing. Please see below for some important resources to support your student with the process.
Finally, in October, I will return to bi-monthly newsletters which will be sent at the beginning and middle of the month.
Have a great weekend!
Best,
Amy McDonald, Principal
Teaching and Learning Shout Outs!
Ms. Fogaren !
Ms. Piette !
Mrs. Barrows & Mrs. Kelly !
Mrs. Whitfield, Ms. Kennelly & Ms. Zulawnik !
Ms. Poole & Ms. Mispilken !
Ms. Guiou & Mrs. DeCristoforo !
Ms. Horan & Ms. Cowern !
Mrs. Overstreet, Ms. Tetreault & Ms. Parrotta !
Ms. Libbey !
COVID-19 Testing
To support students we have created the below resources. Teachers will also review the nasal swabbing process with students. You know your child best, if it is helpful to review again at home, please feel free to do so.
COVID-19 Testing Social Story: thank you Ms. Slevin!
Here is information that the district shared with families:
Dear Medway families,
As we begin to plan the start of pool testing at our elementary schools, we understand there is some fear among these younger students. Many students have experienced, watched or heard of COVID-19 testing and expect that what will happen in school is the same. We want to reassure our students that this is not like the nasopharyngeal swab specimen collection, which has a reputation for causing discomfort. Below you will find resources and tips for helping your younger student(s) prepare for pool testing.
● Video: 0:19-1:33
○ Gives more information about self-administered testing.
● Video
○ This video has a second grader explain and demonstrate how to self-administer a test.
● CIC Webpage
○ CIC Health is the company we are paired with for pool testing.
● Q-tips
○ The swabs look just like a Q-tip but with the softer end only on one side. We encourage families to let their students get more comfortable with the swab by getting a Q-tip at home for them to feel. You can run it over their hands and over their nose so they see that it does not hurt. You can try and have your student close their eyes while you run the Q-tip over the bridge of their nose or on their arms. This way, when the nurse is holding the swab the student understands it does not hurt but rather tickles!
■ This tip is for students to understand what the swab feels like as they cannot touch the sterile swab we will be using. Please do not attempt to do a practice test with a Q-tip and insert it into your students nose.
Q-tips are not a substitute for a medical swab.
● Connect with others
○ If your student has an older sibling, cousin or friend who is already participating in pool testing, encourage your student to talk with them! Our 5-12 students have done amazing with pool testing and we have seen them encouraging each other when they see a nervous peer. Allow your student to ask them questions and learn that this is a quick and painless swab.
If you are in need of more information, resources or answers to your questions, you are encouraged to reach out to Kylie O’Neill koneill@medwayschools.org or 508-533-3222 EXT 3156.
TEST AND STAY FLOW CHARTS
Test and Stay Flow Chart
CURRICULUM NIGHT Update
We are excited to offer an in-person curriculum night September 30th. Thank you to everyone who provided feedback through our survey. Curriculum Night is an opportunity to come into the school and hear about your students' classroom and school experience. Family conferences are scheduled for December of this year, as a time to have a meeting about your student. As always, if you have questions or concerns about your student, please reach out to the classroom teacher at any time. During curriculum night you’ll hear about your students' school programming and approach from the classroom teacher.
In order to welcome all parents and guardians, each classroom will run two concurrent sessions of presentations. Classroom presentations will be divided into two 30 minute sessions to meet distancing requirements. Per State guidance, all participants are required to wear a face covering. Please review our District face-covering policy to ensure your face covering meets the criteria.
Next week you will be sent registration information for the event. All families attending will need to register in order to participate in Curriculum Night. Please only register for one session time per family. This will be a first come, first served registration, with ten family slots per session. Due to the number of families within our school and spacing requirements, we will not be able to move session times for families.
In order to eliminate close contacts, we will distance families three feet from one another in the classrooms. Curriculum Night is an adult event. On the night of the event, parents and guardians will go straight to the classroom during their session times. We will have signs posted and staff available to help adults to the classroom. Once your classroom session is over, we ask that you exit the building in order for our staff to get prepared for the next session. Classroom teachers will share all of their presentations with all of their classroom families at the end of the week.
The administration presentation of the event will be pre-recorded and provided to all families. The administration will also host an additional virtual drop in session the first week of October. This is for additional questions that may have not been covered in the presentation.
We are looking forward to the event and thrilled that we can provide a safe in-person experience for families. Your feedback about the night was valuable in our planning. We also recognize there was a variety of preferences of format for the night. While it is not possible to provide all of these options, all families will be provided the same information, and we are committed to work to ensure that we are meeting the needs of all families.
Event Details:
PreK, K and 1st:
- Session One Classroom presentation 5:30-6:00PM
- Session Two Classroom presentation: 6:15-6:45 PM
Registration Links:
Kindergarten Registration Link
MEPTO
REMINDERS!
Face Covering Policy
On August 31st, School Committee voted to reinstate last year's Face Covering Policy. Click here for the complete policy. This outlines the types of masks to be worn in school and when wearing a mask is required. Please see the face covering requirements for anyone inside the school building:
A face covering that covers the nose and mouth must be worn by all individuals in school buildings and on school transportation. Bandanas, neck gaiters, single layer face coverings, and face coverings with vents, ports or perforations of any kind are not permitted as an approved face covering.
Additionally, face masks or face coverings will not be required:
during mask breaks;
while eating or drinking;
while outside.
Breakfast and Lunch
Every child needs a healthy, nutritious meal to learn. Medway Public Schools offers nutritious meals to children each school day and breakfast and lunch will continue to remain free of charge through this school year. Please be sure to check out the menu here to ensure your child likes what is being served that day. You can find the menus by clicking on this link.
Communication
Important Dates!
Sept. 25: Town Wide Yard Sale, 8:00-2:00 PM
Sept. 30: Back to School Night, time 5:30-6 PM or 6:15-6:45 PM
Oct. 1: No Preschool Classes
Oct 11: No School, Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples' Day
Oct 13: School Site Council, 3:15-4:15 PM
Oct 20: MEPTO Meeting, 7:00-8:00 PM, Memorial School Library
Oct 24: MEPTO's Pumpkin Fair, 12-4 PM, Medway Middle School
Do you need the Smore Newsletter Translated?
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Here is the link for French.
Пожалуйста, нажмите следующие ссылки для получения инструкций о том, как перевести информационный бюллетень.
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