New Adventures...update! SB 11-6-2020
Our Tropical Themed Friday was a bright and sunny way to celebrate Mrs. Schultz as she retires today after 55 years in education! Dancing Dismissal was set to Walkin’ on Sunshine which was wonderfully appropriate for today in every way. We will miss Mrs. Schultz very much and wish her all the best in her new adventures!
Translations via Google Translate
By now, you should have already received two other announcements from Stony Brook today so this update should complete the set. Earlier we sent out notification via BlackBoard connect of positive COVID-19 test result; If you did not receive that email, you can access the letter here: SB Nov 6 COVID Notification. We also sent a message through iParent that Progress Reports are now available. In that message, I wanted to say the following but it acted like an angry Twitter account and would only allow 300 characters curbing my verbosity...here I can go on and on forever:
As this marking period has been a new adventure for us all this year in terms of the delayed start to the year, the Hybrid model with rotating weeks as well as exploring what assessments and feedback looks like in the remote working environment, we designed very specific comments that more accurately articulate student progress at this point in the year. Typically, the majority of our Progress Reports reflect a Grade Range and not a specific letter or numerical grade. For this first Progress Report, the focus of the comments will be on Student Engagement, Student Work Ethic and Student Skill Development. Some teachers have included a comment reflecting the Grade Range in place of one of the previously mentioned categories, but while students have been receiving regular feedback on their work to date not every content area has accumulated enough quantified grades to provide an accurate snapshot of progress via a grade range. The Report Cards that will be issued in December at the end of the Trimester will include specific student grades. Here is where we are hopeful that the three comment categories will communicate more specific information about how your child is progressing in each class. As always, if you have a question about a comment, please reach out to the student’s teacher.
At one point during the week, I almost made the Theme for Friday “Bring your stuff to school Day” as we had more instances of students not being ready for school this past week in terms of forgetting to charge their chromebooks...forgetting their chromebooks...forgetting their whiteboard and marker...a bus driver forgot to come pick students up...wait, that is a different problem...at any rate, you get the picture. While I never thought it would be necessary to remind students to bring their chromebook to school actually charged...apparently that is something they need to be reminded. Of course, we are flexible and have chargers and other resources and isolated instances do not cause a problem. Patterns of forgetfulness begin to concern us.
In that same vein, although school is very different this year and the actual time that students are working synchronously with teachers is less than our typical school year, the Department of Secondary and Elementary Education has made it clear that students are expected to be school ready and engaged during the typical school hours which for us is 7:35-1:55 every day. There have been a few times already this year when teachers have made adjustments to the class schedule for multiple reasons. This is very typical in a middle school, one of the great benefits of being organized into smaller teams of students provides teachers with the autonomy to make adjustments in the organization of time to best serve the students needs and maximize the time that teachers have with them. We do it all the time when we are all in the building together. Our current structure makes that more challenging with at least 50% of our students working remotely and or asynchronously at a time. When we rolled out our Hybrid model we communicated that students are expected to be school ready from 7:35-1:55 everyday. Of course, we will continue to be flexible as families need to make adjustments during the asynchronous time to best support their needs, but teachers might on occasion ask students to log-in remotely at a different time than typically scheduled. These opportunities will continue as we continue to adjust and all of our teachers know that it might not be possible for all students to make the adjustment every time...have no fear, teachers will continue to be flexible in supporting every individual student.
This week’s Note from the Clinic brought to you by a tropical breeze…
I have tried to share updated information as I receive it. The Dept of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) had an update on Oct 12th under ‘Frequently Asked Questions’. I am copying and pasting two here that might help answer some questions for all of you about close contacts in the school setting as well as contacts of contacts:
1. If students are sitting exactly 6 feet from a student who tests positive for COVID-19, are they considered close contacts?
No, students sitting 6 feet from one another are not considered close contacts. A close contact in the school setting is defined as only those who have been within (less than) 6 feet of distance of the individual for at least fifteen minutes, while the person was infectious. Therefore, a distance of 6 feet or greater is not considered a close contact. As a reminder, the infectious period begins 2 days prior to symptom onset. If someone is asymptomatic, the infectious period is considered to begin 2 days prior to the collection of their positive test.
2. Does a student or staff member whose household member is symptomatic need to quarantine?
Only individuals who are symptomatic themselves or close contacts of those who are confirmed to have COVID need to self-isolate (quarantine). As outlined in DPH guidance, all individuals who are symptomatic should be tested and self-isolate until they receive their test results. This means that if an individual in the student/staff member’s household is self-isolating because they are symptomatic, but not confirmed to have COVID, the student/staff member should have limited to no contact with the symptomatic individual to the extent feasible. As a result, the student/staff member should continue to attend school if they are not symptomatic.
Today for the first time since we returned to school in September, Chris Chew sent out a letter confirming that we do have a positive case in our school. I have received several phone calls this afternoon and honestly do not mind if you would like to speak to me about any concerns you may have. As the letter clearly stated, if anyone had been considered a close contact, they would have been notified by the health department. No one here at Stony Brook was deemed a close contact. We will continue to have positive cases in our town and in our schools but all of the safety measures that have been put in place should reassure you that your children are safe in our buildings and on the buses. I am proud of how hard staff have worked and very grateful for how careful parents in our Stony Brook community have been. Thank you for doing the right thing even when it is not easy. Several students have been tested recently because of mild symptoms-coughs, sore throats. I am well aware that we are in allergy season and the flu is coming! Do not hesitate to call with a particular question about your child. Be well.
Sue Hanly, MSN, RN
978-392-6974 (direct line)
The weather is beautiful so enjoy some outside activities after you take a moment to read about the Westford Apparel sale sponsored by the SBPTO at the end of this week’s update :-)
Have a wonderful weekend,
Chris
Dr. Christopher Chew
Principal
Stony Brook School
STONY BROOK PTO Update
The Stony Brook PTO is holding its annual apparel sale through November 15th. Please check out the online store at https://westford2020.itemorder.com/sale . For additional PTO information, please see our first Newsletter at this link https://mailchi.mp/a6bf7350c066/new-stony-brook-pto