Good Afternoon, Reading Public School Staff,

I hope that you are enjoying this beautiful weekend!  Below are some updates as we continue to move forward with our fall reopening.  I want to thank all of you for your flexibility, hard work, and patience, as we continue to phase in all of the grade levels.  We are working as diligently as possible to phase in all of our students.

• Revised Calendar-Attached is a revised school year calendar.  There have been two minor changes in Professional Development Dates.
  • January 15^th Inservice has been moved to January 19^th
  • March 19^th Inservice has been moved to March 26^th

The reason for doing this is to balance the number of in person days for Cohort A and Cohort B.  With these two changes, beginning on October 13^th, Cohort A will have 61 in person days and Cohort B will have 63 in person days.

Please note that this calendar may change depending on ever-changing conditions.

• Phase in schedule-The current phase in schedule is as follows:
  • October 13^th–Grades 1 and 2 (Except for Birch Meadow), Grades 6, 7, and 8.  This will be a Cohort B in person week.
  • October 19^th–Grades 1 and 2 for Birch Meadow.  This will be a Cohort A in person week.
  • October 19^th or 26^th (Tentative)-Grades 3-5 and Grades 9-12.  We are currently working on a plan for these grade spans.

• SEPAC Meeting on October 13^th–The Reading Special Education Advisory Council will be hosting a presentation titled, Basic Rights Presentation: “Evaluation and Eligibility”, which is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, October 13, 2020 at 7: 00 PM.  These Basic Rights Workshops that the SEPAC puts on provide invaluable information for parents of children receiving special education, as well as for parents who think their children may be in need of special education.  A flier is attached.  Please register ahead of time at the link below:

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAvfu-grjwpGNDovnaFCoNxpJkEytrXbu5Q

• Health Precautions-As more and more staff and students begin to enter the schools, we want to remind you to follow all safety precautions.  A safe return to in-person school environments will require a culture of health and safety every step of the way. Specifically:​
  • It is not one mitigation strategy but a combination of all these strategies taken together that will substantially reduce the risk of transmission. No single strategy can ever be perfect, but all strategies together will reduce risk. In addition, Governor Baker has announced that the Commonwealth will remain in Phase 3 of Reopening Massachusetts in significant part to help support an overall environment for the safe return to our schools for as many students, staff and teachers as possible.  Further with the announcement of the municipal specific COVID-19 metrics produced weekly since August 5, there is additional information on the collective continued vigilance towards health and safety measures to continue to contain COVID-19.
  • Staff must monitor themselves for symptoms daily and students, with the assistance of families, must also be monitored daily for symptoms. Staff and students must stay home if feeling unwell. Everyone must do their part to protect others and not come to school if they are exhibiting any COVID-19 symptoms or are feeling sick.
  • Masks are among the most important single measures to contain the spread of COVID-19. We require students second grade and above and all staff to wear masks that adequately cover both their nose and mouth. Whenever possible, students in pre-kindergarten through grade 1 who can safely and appropriately wear, remove, and handle masks should do so.  Exceptions must be made for students with medical, behavioral, or other challenges who are unable to wear masks/face coverings.
  • Hand hygiene is critical. Students and staff are required to exercise hand hygiene (handwashing or sanitizing) upon arrival to school, before eating, before putting on and taking off masks, and before dismissal. Handwashing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds is the best practice. However, hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol should be substituted when handwashing is not available. Hand sanitizer stations should be set up where school staff are typically present, such as common areas, hallways, and classrooms.  While the application of hand sanitizer may be necessary throughout the school day (especially if hand washing is less accessible) and does not require specialized instructions for use, districts and schools should avoid placing sanitizer stations in areas that are not typically supervised through the regular presence of staff. 
  • Physical distance greatly reduces the risk of transmission. Physical distancing is a critical tool in preventing the spread of COVID-19. The CDC[1] and DPH[2] recommend 6 feet of distance between individuals.
  • Cohorts/assigned seating. Students organized in groups/classrooms and other cohorts help mitigate transmission of the virus. Assigned seating is important because it effectively creates even smaller groups within cohorts which minimize transmission. Assigned seats can also assist with contact tracing. Wherever possible, seats should be assigned (including classroom, bus, meals).

• Masks-We ask that families pack additional masks each day for their children.  Although we do a have a supply of masks available for students in case of emergency, we are discovering that some students are using multiple masks per day.  

Have a great rest of the weekend and week ahead!

John F. Doherty

Superintendent of Schools