Good Afternoon, Reading Public School Community

I hope that you had a great week.  Attached, please find this week’s edition of the Pathways Newsletter.  This week’s edition has the following information:

• Schools honor veterans at assemblies
• School Committee hears update on Elementary Space and Enrollment Study
• RMHS Graduate speaks to students from Madagascar
• RMHS Drama Club Presents Chicago this weekend
• An article from Erin Walsh titled, Understanding Your Child’s Behavior-Four Things to Remember When Your Kid Falls Apart
• Superintendent Office Hours Continue This Week
• Reading Education Foundation Grant Cycle Now Open
• RMHS High Fives for the Week
• METCO Family Dinner
• RMHS Girls Swim Team Wins Middlesex League Championship
• Stepping Stones
• Blazing Trails

Have a great weekend!  Thank you to all of our Veterans for their service to our country.

Pathways Newsletter V7N7

Good Morning,

Below is the presentation that was given by Gienapp Associates at the November 7, 2019 School Committee Meeting with an update on the Elementary Space and Enrollment Study.

In the future, we will be holding public comment sessions on the different options of the plan to give the community the opportunity to give feedback and ask questions.

If you have any questions, please email Superintendent of Schools John Doherty at john.doherty@reading.k12.ma.us

GA_Presentation_SchoolCommittee11-07-19

Below is the presentation that was given last evening to incoming kindergarten parents for the 2020-21 school year.

If you have any questions, please contact the Reading Public Schools Administrative Offices at 781-944-5800.

Distict Incoming Kindergarten Presentation 2020

Good Afternoon,

Below are the School Committee packets for the November 6, 2019 and November 7, 2019 School Committee meetings.  The November 6th meeting will be at 7:00 p.m. at Town Hall and the November 7th meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m. at the RMHS Schettini Library.

SC MEETING _ FinCom 11.6.19

SC MEETING 11.07.19

Good Afternoon,

Attached please find a final press release from the Town of Reading on the Boil Water Order that happened this past weekend.  The release is a detailed outline of the weekend.  You can also access it on the Town website, https://www.readingma.gov/.

A special thanks goes out to all of the Town and School Representatives who worked tirelessly on this situation all weekend and into Monday morning.

boil_water_order_lifted_corrected (1)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                                    CONTACT:

NOVEMBER 4, 2019                                                    JAYNE WELLMAN

                                                                                         781-942-6637 o

                                                                                         978-726-3359 m

BOIL WATER ORDER LIFTED

Guidance issued to aid in flushing household system

(READING, MA – NOVEMBER 4, 2019) – Early this morning, based on sample results, MassDEP has determined that the drinking water no longer poses a threat to public health and has lifted the boil order.

The Town anticipates that further information will be released later today. In the meantime, the public should take the following steps:

What to do after a Boil Water Order is lifted

Residents are advised to “flush” their water following the lifting of a boil order in order to clear plumbing of potentially contaminated water. Flushing your household and building water lines includes interior and exterior faucets; showers; water and ice dispensers; water treatment units, etc. Please use the following guidance:

Cold Water Faucets:

Run tap water until the water feels cold, one minute or more, before drinking, brushing teeth, or using for food preparation.  If you have a single-lever faucet, set it to run the cold water first.

Hot Water Faucets:

To clear hot-water pipes and water heater of untreated water, flush the hot water line for a minimum of 15 minutes for a typical household 40-gallon hot-water tank, 30 minutes for an 80-gallon hot water tank or larger.  Hot water is then safe to use for washing hands, and for hand-washing of dishes, pots and pans, etc.  Never use water from the “hot” faucet for drinking, cooking, or other internal consumption purposes.

Dishwashers:

After flushing hot water pipes and water heater, run dishwasher empty one time.

Humidifiers:

Discard any water used in humidifiers, Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP), oral, medical, or health care devices, and rinse the device with clean water.

Food and Baby Formula:

Discard baby formula and other foods prepared with water on the day or days of the boil order.  If unsure of the dates, contact your water department at 781-942-9092.

Refrigerator Water-Dispensing Machine:

Water dispensers from refrigerators should be flushed by at least one quart of water.  If unsure of your dispenser’s capacity, refer to manufacturer specifications.

Ice Cubes:

Automatic ice dispensers should be emptied of ice made during the boil water order and run through a 24-hour cycle, discarding the ice to assure purging of the icemaker water supply line.  For medical, dental, and food-service establishments, please refer to the guidance from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

Due to the flushing of the lines by residents and the flushing of the hydrants, some customers may experience a lack of water pressure and/or discolored water. However, this is an expected result and does not pose an immediate health risk. Contact your local water department if you have any questions.

This notice is being sent to you by the Reading Water Department. PWS ID# 3246000

UPDATE Boil Water Order

POSTED ON: NOVEMBER 2, 2019 – 2:14PM

DRINKING WATER WARNING

One Sample of Reading Water Tested Positive for E. coli

BOIL YOUR WATER BEFORE USING

** UPDATE 2:10PM – PLEASE NOTE: The Town will have a limited bottled water distribution from Noon until 4PM tomorrow, Sunday, Nov. 3, at the Department of Public Works facility located at 75 New Crossing Road. The Reading Public School System is prepared to open Monday morning with bottled water for the students and staff.  The next expected update is Monday morning according to Mass DEP testing protocols.  Updates will follow if there are any changes to the schedule.

(READING, MA – NOVEMBER 2, 2019) The Reading Water Department recently detected E.coli bacteria in drinking water at a building at 295 Salem Street in Reading.  As our customers, you have a right to know what happened and what we are doing to correct this situation. On October 31, 2019 Reading collected routine samples at 10 locations throughout Reading. One sample from 295 Salem Street has tested positive for E. coli. Follow-up sampling confirmed the presence of bacteria. These bacteria can make you sick, and are a particular concern for people with weakened immune systems.  Bacterial contamination can occur when increased run-off enters the drinking water source (for example, following heavy rains). It can also happen due to a break in the distribution system (pipes) or a failure in the water treatment process.

What should I do? What does this mean?

DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST.

• DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST or USE BOTTLED WATER

Bring all water to a rolling boil and let it boil for at least one (1) minute or use bottled water.  You may cool the boiled water before using.  Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, food preparation, pets, brushing teeth and washing dishes until further notice.  Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water.

• Refer to the attached notice for additional precautions you may take.  This information is also located on the MassDEP website:

Consumer Information on Boil Orders https://www.mass.gov/service-details/consumer-information-on-boil-orders

Boil Order Frequently Asked Questions https://www.mass.gov/service-details/boil-water-order-faqs

• Discard all ice, beverages, uncooked foods, and formula made with tap water collected on or after October 31, 2019.

• It IS OK to wash hands with soap, wash laundry with detergent, and shower as long as you don’t consume the water or get it in your eyes.

• Food establishments must follow MA DPH procedures and the direction of their local board of health, which may be more stringent than the DPH guide.  MA Department of Public Health – Guidance for Emergency Action Planning for Retail Food Establishments (pg. 30) http://www.foodprotect.org/guides-documents/emergency-action-plan-for-retail-food-establishment/

• Fecal coliforms and E. coli are bacteria whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes. Microbes in these wastes can cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms. They may pose a special health risk for infants, young children, some of the elderly, and people with severely compromised immune systems.

• The symptoms above are not caused only by organisms in drinking water. If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, you may want to seek medical advice. People at increased risk should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers.

What is being done?

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) was notified of the positive results, and the MWRA and the Town of Reading is investigating what caused the E. coli positive samples. Another set of water samples for the whole town were immediately collected on November 1, 2019 per specific DEP protocol. Sites upstream and downstream tested clean, however the initial site retested positive for a low level of coliform bacteria. Further samples will again be collected, and we will inform the public when the boil water order is lifted.  For precautionary measures and by MassDEP Regulation Reading will maintain the Boil Order until at least Monday morning November 4, 2019.

For more information, please contact the Reading Water Operations Center at (781) 942-6663 or check the Town website for updates at: https://www.readingma.gov/water-division. You may also follow up for further information with Reading’s Water Quality Supply Coordinator, Erik Mysliwy via email at water@ci.reading.ma.us or write to the Water Division at Reading DPW: Water Division, 16 Lowell St., Reading, MA 01867.  A separate message will be sent out from the Reading Public Schools about any expected impact on the school district.

General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791, or by visiting the DEP website at: www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/massdep/water/drinking/consumer-information-on-boil-orders.html.

Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or by distributing copies by hand or mail.

This notice is being sent to you by the Reading Water Department. PWS ID# 3246000

This is an emergency alert from the town of Reading.

This morning Massachusetts DEP issued a BOIL WATER ORDER for the entire town of Reading, due to low level readings of e.coli bacteria detected at one testing site in Reading’s public drinking water system.

DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST

Bring all water to a boil, let it boil for one minute and let it cool before using, or use bottled water. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, pets, washing dishes, and food preparation until further notice. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water.

We will issue regular updates and more detailed information on this situation through the website, Readingma.gov, and social media.

For questions please call our water special operations center at 781-942-6663. Do not call the police department.

Good Afternoon, Reading Public School Community

I hope that you had a great week.  Attached, please find this week’s Pathways Newsletter.  Attached, you will find the following information and articles:

• Joshua Eaton Holds UN Day Celebration
• RMHS Drama Club presents Chicago
• Adopt a Family Program for the Holidays Underway
• Killam PTO Presents Child Cyber Safety Presentation on November 7^th.
• Superintendent Office Hours for This Week
• Reading Education Foundation Grant Cycle Now Open
• An article on Dealing Effectively with In-Person and Online Bullying
• An article on Dyslexia:  Myths, Look Fors, and Classroom Strategies
• An article on Educators Opening Up on Their Own Mental Health Issues
• RMHS High Fives for the Week and RMHS Vollyball Team Holds Volly for Cure
• Stepping Stones
• Blazing Trails

Have a great weekend!

Pathways Newsletter V7N6

Good Morning,

I hope that you are having a great week.  Attached is this week’s Journey Newsletter.  This week’s newsletter contains the latest information and articles:

• Fall Update from the Office of Learning and Teaching
• Reading Public Schools Announces New Director of School Nutrition
• Superintendent Office Hours Continue This Week
• Reading Education Foundation Grant Cycle Now Open
• Reading Public Schools STEM Week Events
• Friends of Reading METCO Announces Family Dinner in Boston
• Town Meeting 101 To be held in November
• An article from the Marshall Memo on how to prevent School Shootings
• An article on Trauma Informed Teacher Strategies
• Photos from the Parker Cornhole Tournament, Birch Meadow All School Play Day, and Parker Community Service Project for Pine Street Inn
• Stepping Stones
• Blazing Trails

Have a great weekend!

Pathways Newsletter V7N5