Through the extension of the Seamless Summer Meal program, started in response to COVID-19, we are able to offer all Reading Public School Children FREE meals for the entire 2020-2021 school year.

What this means for your family–

–  Your school-age children will receive a healthy breakfast (at Coolidge, Parker and RMHS only,) and lunch every school day, at no cost, in a safe and welcoming environment. This applies to students who are attending classes in school. 

–  Our other option for FREE meals for children, ages 0-21, is meal distribution.  This includes remote learners, learnings participating in a hybrid learning mode, or any other children in your home.  These meals will provide breakfast and lunch for each day, including weekends.  Our meal distribution is provided under the bridge at Reading Memorial High School every Wednesday from 2:30 – 3:30 pm or Friday from 11:00 am – 12:00 noon.

This program allows Reading School District to provide the most nourishing and appetizing meals possible for your children. When your children eat school meals, it helps the school system by providing federal funds to the district. The more meals we serve, the more funding we receive, allowing us to focus on providing wonderful, nutritious meals for your family. If your children have never participated in school meals, consider trying the program this year!

The School Nutrition Office will be monitoring participation.

If you have any questions please contact Danielle Collins, School Nutrition Director, at Danielle.Collins@Reading.k12.ma.us or 781-670-2822

Good Afternoon,

Here is the public attendee link for tonight’s School Committee meeting which will begin at 7:00 p.m. on Microsoft Teams.  For public comment, you will need to use the live chat feature on Teams.

Thank you.

Good Afternoon, Reading Public School Staff and Community,

I hope that you are enjoying the long weekend.  Below is additional information regarding our Fall Reopening.  If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at john.doherty@reading.k12.ma.us.

• Phase In for The Next Two Weeks-We are so excited that more students will be phased in person to our schools over the next two weeks!  Here is the phase in plan:

1. October 13^th-Grades 1, 2, 6, 7, 8 (Cohort B).  Birch Meadow Grade 1 and 2 Cohort B will not begin hybrid this week due to the modular classroom project completion being moved to October 15^th.  Birch Meadow Grade 1 and 2 Cohort B will begin in person on October 26^th.
2. October 19^th-Grades 1, 2, 6, 7, 8 (Cohort A).  All schools, including Birch Meadow.

• Next Phase In-We are pleased to announce that Reading Memorial High School will begin their hybrid phase in on October 26^th with Cohort B (Grades 11 and 12).  Because we have several vacancies still at the High School, we will be slightly changing our hybrid model to the following:

1. We will continue with a one week on/one week remote model.  High needs students will continue to be in person both weeks.  The one week in person model is going to look a little different due to staffing vacancies.
2. For the week of October 26^th, approximately half of each class for Grades 11/12 will be in person for the entire school day on Monday and Tuesday.  The other half of the class will be live streamed into the class with a combination of synchronous and asynchronous lessons.  Each class will switch on Wednesday and Thursday with the students who were remote on Monday and Tuesday being in person and the students who were in person on Monday and Tuesday being remote.
3. Grade 9 and 10 will be remote during the week of October 26^th.
4. Friday will be a remote day for all students. 
5. Grade 9 and 10 will follow a similar schedule for in person during the week of November 2^nd.  Grade 11 and 12 will be remote that week.
6. Principal Boynton will send out more information regarding which students will be in the Monday/Tuesday group and which students will be in the Wednesday/Thursday group.

Essentially, with this change, we have moved the satellite classrooms from school to home, which requires us to have less satellite classrooms at the school.  The disadvantage with this model is that students are only in person 2 days out of 10 days instead of four days out of 10 days.  The biggest advantage is that students are coming to school in person.  We worked with the RTA on reviewing other models for RMHS, but collectively felt that this model was the best option of the least optimum options.

• Grade 3-5 Phase In-We are looking at a similar model as above for Grades 3-5.  What makes this a little more challenging for this grade span is the developmental age of using live streaming with these students.  We are working with teachers and administrators on a plan to phase in Grades 3-5.  We hope to have more information at the end of this week.

Our plan is to go to our original model once we are able to hire more staff.

• Reading Public School Job Openings-We currently have several long term substitute teacher, substitute teacher, paraeducator and tutor positions available in our school district.  All of our positions are posted on the Talent Ed website, which you can access here.  Please pass this information along to those who may be interested.

• Health and Safety Protocols-Now that more students and staff are returning to school, we want to remind you of our health and safety precautions for in person learning.  We have attached a Return to School Tip Sheet from Boston Children’s Hospital.  Please make sure that you do the following each morning prior to coming to school for your child:
  1. Use the self-check for symptoms of COVID-19 and keep your child home if they exhibit any of these symptoms.
  2. Pack extra masks.
  3. Educate your child on the importance of hand hygiene, wearing a mask, and physical distancing of 6 feet apart.
• Substitute Teacher Shortage and Shift to Remote Learning-Similar to other school districts, we are having a substitute teacher shortage in the Reading Public Schools.  It is possible that due to the physical distancing requirements combined with a lack of substitute teachers that we may need to shift to a remote model in a school, class, or grade level for a particular day or multiple days if we have several teachers out sick in person. 

We have developed a series of procedures to address this situation with going to a remote day of learning as a last resort.  Here are some of the steps we will take:

1. There will be no professional development workshops during student learning time this year.
2. Use substitute teachers (if available)
3. Use non-teaching staff (i.e. paraeducators, tutors, administrators)
4. Reassign teacher duties, if applicable
5. Combine classes into larger spaces or outdoors, if available
6. “Reverse Remote” teaching where classroom teacher is able to teach from home and broadcasts into the classroom with another adult in the classroom.
7. If all above options have been exhausted and adequate coverage still does not exist, then the Superintendent will call a remote learning day for either the entire school, a grade level, a teacher, or a team.  Calling school for a remote learning day is a final option.

• Back to School Nights-We will be having our Back to School Nights virtually, beginning this week.  The evenings will begin at 5:30 p.m.  Here are the breakdown by level:
  • Elementary-October 15
  • Middle-October 22
  • High School-October 29

Your child’s building principal and/or teachers will be sending out specific links to the presentations.

Enjoy the rest of the long weekend!

John F. Doherty

Superintendent

Reading Public Schools

82 Oakland Road

Reading, MA 01867

781-944-5800

Good Morning,

There will be a School Committee meeting on Wednesday, October 7^th at 6:00 p.m. on Microsoft Teams.  The link to the meeting is below.

https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_Y2JjN2RhYzYtOWMzYi00MWRkLTkxZGUtYzIwYmQwMjgyNmEw%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%226b81bca4-cd59-4341-a904-ea2ff758fe2a%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%226ba7ff3f-8843-4420-abef-cb31933a3bf1%22%2c%22IsBroadcastMeeting%22%3atrue%7d

Good Morning,

The Birch Meadow Elementary School Internet and Phones are Down.  Some remote classes this morning may be delayed because teachers who were going to teach at Birch Meadow remotely today are travelling back to their homes to teach remotely.

If you need to call the school, call the Reading Public Schools Administration Offices at 781-944-5800 and we will make sure that the information is given to Birch Meadow.

Thank you.

John Doherty

Superintendent

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

• 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

Happy Friday Reading School Community! We wanted to make you aware that this weekend there is a Classic Car Rally in Downtown Reading on Sunday, October 4^th, beginning at noon. Face masks and social distancing are required. Also on Sunday, Reading Fall Street Faire Bingo launches – a fun, free two week challenge to support out local businesses.  All the details can be found at fallstreetfaire.com.

Good Morning,

There will be a School Committee meeting this evening at 7:00 p.m. on Microsoft Teams.  The link to the meeting is below.

The School Committee will not be reading emails publicly during the meeting.  Theose emails will be put in the next School Committee packet.  If you would like to give public input, use the live chat feature on the Microsoft Teams link below. 

https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_YWM2ZTBmM2YtZjdlNi00MDNkLThjZmQtZWMyYzRkNjU2ZDhl%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%226b81bca4-cd59-4341-a904-ea2ff758fe2a%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%220201fbad-7d69-4c02-99db-cffbb16751d6%22%2c%22IsBroadcastMeeting%22%3atrue%7d

This is a community notice from the Town of Reading.

Tomorrow, Tuesday, September 29, the town will hold a flu clinic at the Coolidge Middle School gym at 89 Birch Meadow Drive, from 4PM to 6PM.
Please note that this flu clinic is for Adults, not children and youth. Families should contact their primary care physicians or review other local resources, such as pharmacies, for flu shots for children and youth.

Please bring your insurance card. The vaccine is just $15 without insurance.

Please wear your mask and follow social distancing guidelines when on site.

For more information please visit ReadingMA.gov