Dear HM Families,
I hope this letter finds you healthy and safe. It certainly has been hot (and mostly dry) and filled with uncertainty about what the next few weeks and months will bring. Now that the School Committee has voted on choices for the return to school (hybrid or distance learning plan), I thought it would be important to update you on summer at HM and the planning that will take place over the next few weeks.
If you’ve tried to stay informed at all about our return to school, you know that there are still a fair number of details to be worked out for any plan that we implement, and I don’t have answers to many of the questions you might have. Please know that we will be hard at work over the next few weeks to more clearly define our plan.
Below are some highlights:
Facilities - During July and early August, I worked closely with David Stickney, Director of Facilities, and our Head Custodian, Kathy Hylander, in order to ensure classroom spaces are set up with six foot distancing for students/teachers - as well as pathways in each classroom that will minimize congregation of students.
The Facilities Department has conducted full servicing on the ventilation system and checked to make sure all of our windows open. Everything is in good working condition and air exchange in classrooms is higher than the recommended levels. The city also ordered upgraded filters, which will be installed as soon as they arrive. In addition:
- Four hand washing stations have been installed in our 2nd floor hallway and dispensers for hand sanitizers are being installed throughout the school.
- We are removing and relocating walls in several classrooms to increase square footage in selected spaces. This work is ongoing and should be complete within the next two weeks.
- The district has ordered two large tents for each school. These tents can serve several purposes such as student snack time, learning spaces and staff gatherings.
- Finally, we are also installing sound panels in the cafeteria and changing the location of several of our classrooms, including the library, the art room, our literacy space, and some grade level classrooms.
Fall Planning - We are making plans in a variety of areas that I wanted to quickly summarize. I will offer much more detail on these as we become certain about what school will look like.
- Placement - Given the HYBRID model, class placement will look different than it might under normal circumstances. I have already received several requests from families asking for students to be placed in a particular cohort (A/B) for a variety of reasons. Should you need to make such a request, please email me directly. I will do everything I can to honor your request. The staff and I worked hard in the spring to honor student placement requests for your child (friends, separates from - and match your child with a supportive cohort of students). Given all that has transpired - the "placement puzzle" has become much more complex. I must let you know that even though I will try, I simply will not be able to honor all requests (including some from the Spring survey). We would like to inform families on placement decisions as soon as possible, but we still don’t have a date set to let you know who your child’s teacher will be.
- Staffing - Some of our staff have indicated that they will only be able to teach remotely right now (for health reasons, family care, etc.). We are working to determine the impact of these decisions. I will announce more specific updates to our staffing as we get closer to our start date.
- Scheduling - We are developing schedules for both a REMOTE LEARNING PLAN and a HYBRID learning plan. These include details about specials (Library, Music, PE, Art), services, academic time, recess, collaboration, and much more. The goal is to have more predictable schedules for students and families.
- Safety Protocols - We have worked to develop a handbook that will outline all of our updated procedures, including arrival/dismissal, bathroom use, recess, etc. Our custodians have also spent hours and hours rearranging and setting up furniture, repurposing spaces, cleaning, and doing maintenance.
- High Needs - I’m working with special ed administrators and our school team to identify students who qualify as High Needs. We are then drafting plans for what services will look like and also formulating a plan for communicating this information to families.
- Professional Development and Growth - Teachers have been taking courses offered by the district in a number of different areas, including technology, culturally responsive teaching, trauma, and subject specific disciplines. Each of these areas is intended to help teachers prepare for the fall. One important item to mention is that a sizable group of HM staff have met every Tuesday night this summer to engage in conversations about race. The focus has been on personal growth in this area, and the discussions are entirely planned and led by staff. A huge thank you to LoriAnn Akdag, Mike Feldstein, Karen Sandison, and Sara McSwiggan for taking the lead in planning the weekly sessions.
I fully recognize the challenges faced by families and staff during this time. Both personally and professionally, I share the feelings of apprehension about going to school and NOT going to school, as well as the concerns about managing childcare, schedules and work demands. I know that the uncertainty in our planning also creates anxiety and holds up the planning that you are trying to do on your end. I can only tell you that our team will do the best we can to maintain a safe school environment, foster connections and a sense of community, and provide opportunities for equitable academic engagement as we plan for reopening under these difficult circumstances.
I also want to apologize that I haven’t written to you all more often, but it has been important that you hear directly from district leadership so as not to send mixed messages or confuse people about what is happening this fall. I appreciate your patience, and I will do my best to keep you updated as new and concrete information becomes available.
Best Wishes,
Mark Nardelli
Principal
