Superintendent's Field Memo
February 27, 2021
Good afternoon East Greenwich students and families,
These past months of the pandemic have been some of the most challenging our school community has ever experienced. Through the challenge, I’ve been continuously amazed by the inspiring stories of success by our students – a credit to our families, teachers, and staff.
As Superintendent, my priority has been keeping our students learning as safely as possible. As we begin to see declining rates of COVID-19 statewide, and a more robust vaccine rollout, I feel confident that we are moving toward a brighter future.
Our school district has been in ongoing discussions and planning for how we can invite more of our students back to full in-person learning as soon as it’s safely possible – our ultimate “back to normal” goal.
I’m writing today to update you on our progress to bring back more in-person learning. Beginning on Monday, March 22, asynchronous Mondays will shift to a hybrid in-person day. Based on current groupings, students will attend 3 days one week and 2 days the next week. Building principals will communicate the schedule details to their school communities.
This is an important step for our students, our schools, and our community, and an important step toward our goal of getting all students back in their physical classrooms full-time. Though our best efforts to engage and instruct students through distance learning have proven meaningful, it is clear that in-person learning best supports students’ emotional development and educational success.
As we continue working through the COVID-related spacing and logistic challenges our middle and high school buildings face, I will keep you updated on additional steps toward our goal.
We remain hopeful more of our community will gain access to the COVID-19 vaccines soon, including our dedicated faculty and staff, and I will continue to advocate for access on their behalf. From the start, I said that it will take the understanding , kindness and partnership from our school community to successfully navigate this challenging time on behalf of the students that we care for so deeply.
Please reach out to me should you have questions. Thank you for your continued engagement and support for our students.
Respectfully yours,
Mrs. Meyer
Superintendent of Schools
The EGHS PTG hosted Dr. Claire Nicogossian this week for a session titled, Feeling Overwhelmed Parenting Your Teen During the Pandemic? You Are Not Alone: Join for information, tips, skills and strategies on how you can support your child during the pandemic and beyond. Please find the session recording below.
Dr. Claire is a licensed clinical psychologist and clinical assistant professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown University and the author of Mama, You Are Enough: How to Crate Calm, Joy and Confidence Within the Chaos of Motherhood. A book about managing the emotions of parenting with skills, strategies and support. Dr. Claire's writing can be found at MomsWellBeing,com, as well as HuffPost, Thrive Global, Motherly, Scary Mommy. Her most cherished role is being a mom to four daughters.
Instagram: @MomsWellBeing
The guidance for music performance and theater for K-12 schools was updated on February 15, 2021. You can find the latest update on page 21 of the Back to School RI Guidance document.
Family Survey Window is Open Until March 31st
The Rhode Island Department of Education is currently administering its yearly SurveyWorks Parent Survey, which is an opportunity for parents/guardians to provide feedback about our schools. This survey is important for several reasons
The Rhode Island Department of Education is currently administering its yearly SurveyWorks Parent Survey, which is an opportunity for parents/guardians to provide feedback about our school. This survey is important for several reasons:
It gives you an opportunity to share your thoughts and ideas about your child's school experience.
The results give the district feedback regarding strengths and opportunities for growth as we look to build district and school improvement plans and programs in the years ahead.
The survey results help us to build and maintain a positive district and school culture
3 Easy Steps to Complete Your Family Survey
Step 1: Visit: bit.ly/ridefamily
Step 2: Select the school specific to your child, from the drop-down menu.
Step 3: Complete and submit the survey for each of the schools your child attends
Schoolhouse.world is a new online platform from Sal Khan, the founder of Khan Academy, that matches students around the world with free tutors. The tutors provide small-group math and SAT prep tutoring for students in grades 6-12, building on the Khan Academy curriculum. Rhode Island is one of two state-level partnerships offering this opportunity to students across the state. Registration is now live on the All Course Network (ACN) and students can sign up here on EnrollRI. There is no deadline for students to sign up (though schools will still need to approve their enrollment via the ACN), no cost to LEAs or students, and no requirement to participate. Please help us spread the word to your students, teachers, parents, and communities! More information on the partnership can be found here.