Good Afternoon, Reading Public School Community,

As you probably know by now, Governor Baker has ordered the closure of all public and private schools (except for residential schools) for the remainder of the school year.  This announcement has and will create a range of emotions for our students, staff, and families.  For the health and safety of our staff, students, and families, it was the right thing to do.  However, emotionally and educationally, we are feeling a void right now.

Over the last few weeks, our teachers and staff have be reinventing school and have been doing some amazing things in a virtual environment.  I have seen firsthand the amazing videos, stories, and lessons that they have been sharing with your children.  As we have all learned during this closure, attending physical school is more than just going to classes.  It is the connections that our students make with each other and with our teachers.  Unfortunately, this pandemic has eliminated that social connection that we have all been accustomed to as educators.  My heart goes out in particular to our Senior Class of 2020, our 8th grade students, our 5th grade students, and our preschool students who were putting closure to different stages of their educational journey and will not have those full opportunities to celebrate moving on.  At the appropriate time, we will do everything that we can to acknowledge and celebrate those milestones.

As we continue to strengthen our remote learning, we will continue to communicate our plan for the next phase of this closure.  As you know, we have been following the guidance of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education through their remote learning guidelines and we will continue to follow their guidance in the upcoming weeks.  We expect to hear more information from them soon.  We will also be working closely with the Reading Teachers Association and other bargaining units as we continue to expand on our current learning opportunities during this next phase.

Over these last two months, we will use this health crisis as an opportunity to make the best opportunity that we can for our students.  Although our school buildings are closed for the year, the learning is not.

Please be safe and healthy

Take care.