Dear Staff, Parents and Community Members:

Over the weekend, the Reading Public Schools was notified that two of our students and a staff member have tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19).  Because of our phased in hybrid model, neither student was in school last week and our staff member, who is located at the high school, did not have any direct/close contact with high school staff or students.  In school settings, close contacts include other students and staff who were within 6 feet of the student or staff member for at least 15 minutes in a classroom, in other school spaces, on the bus, or at an extra-curricular activity.  Contact tracing has been completed, and any close contacts have been notified and will be followed up by the Reading Board of Health. We have not received any reports of other students or staff members experiencing illnesses with symptoms resembling those of coronavirus. 

COVID-19 is thought to be spread via person-to-person contact through contaminated air droplets from coughing and sneezing by an infected person. As with controlling the spread of other viruses, we urge everyone to take the following preventive measures:

• Wash your hands regularly, especially after using the restroom and before preparing or consuming food. Using soap and hot water, wash for about 20 seconds. Be sure to also wash your fingertips.
• Avoid coughing or sneezing into your hands or in the air. Always try to cough or sneeze into a tissue, then throw the tissue away. If you don’t have a tissue, cough/sneeze into your arm.
• As much as you can, avoid touching your eyes, mouth, and nose.

The symptoms of coronavirus are similar to the regular seasonal influenza and include fever, coughing, and shortness of breath. Some people with coronavirus have reported additional symptoms, such as a runny nose, sore throat, nausea, lethargy, lack of appetite, vomiting, and diarrhea. In some situations, the virus can develop into pneumonia.   We encourage you to get a molecular COVID-19 test if you or your child(ren) have these symptoms.

Individuals who need medical care should call their medical provider to report their illness prior to seeking care at a clinic, physician’s office, or hospital. Parents of students exhibiting flu-like symptoms or staff exhibiting flu-like symptoms are asked to contact their physician.

We are closely monitoring this situation and will provide you with updates as we know more. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

John F. Doherty

Superintendent of Schools

Good Afternoon, Reading Public School Families,

I hope you are enjoying your weekend.  Here are this week’s updates:

1. Community Forums This Week-As we continue to phase in students, we are holding Zoom community forums this week to answer questions you may have.  The dates, times, and links are as follows:
   • Tuesday, October 20^th, 5:00 p.m.-The zoom link is below.

https://readingpsma.zoom.us/j/81327818280

• Wednesday, October 21^st, 5:00 p.m.-The zoom link is below:

https://readingpsma.zoom.us/j/82340703622

• Thursday, October 22^nd, 8:00 a.m.-The zoom link is below:

https://readingpsma.zoom.us/j/82860172789

2. Student groups this week and next week-This week, we welcome back our Cohort A Grades 1, 2, 6, 7, 8 for all schools.  Next week, Grade 11/12 will be coming back with a modified hybrid schedule.  Principal Boynton will be sending out more information as to the modified schedule change this week.

We are working on a plan to phase in Grades 3-5.  Because of our staffing vacancies at this grade level, it may look different.  We will have more details this week.

3. Middle School Back to School Nights This Week-The middle schools will have their Back to School Nights on Thursday, October 22^nd at 5:30 p.m.  Principals Marchant and Shankland will be sending out Teams links to the event this week.
4. November 3^rd–Because of the National Election, Tuesday, November 3^rd will be a full remote day for all students, including Preschool, Kindergarten, and High Needs students.

Have a great rest of the weekend and week ahead.

Take care.

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.