O'Maley Family Focus
Updates from Principal Lynne Beattie - September 22, 2020
Hello, O'Maley Families!
I have a couple of important updates for you today regarding back to school forms, our first full remote instruction day tomorrow, and student illness:
SCHEDULES
As a reminder, beginning tomorrow, all students will learn remotely on Wednesdays every week. See schedules below for students enrolled in both the full enrollment hybrid and full remote programs. There is a slight difference between the two based on how the classes coordinate with the numbers of teachers.
If you have not received them already, students should look for emails from their teachers with links to Google Meet for the day.
FORMS TO COMPLETE:
I have included links to electronic versions of our back to school forms. Please be sure to complete them as soon as possible. We are sending hard copies of student profile forms home with students Thursday (mailing to remote learning families), and our handbook will be coming to you as soon as it's approved by the school committee.
Forms to complete:
- Student Health and Emergency Form
- Student Responsible Use Policy Parent/Guardian and Student Signature Page
- Parent Opt-Out Form
A number of questions have come up as to what to do when your child is ill. I have shared some Information below with a checklist to use for sending students back to school.
As always, please reach out with questions or concerns!
Best,
Lynne
What to Do When Students Are Ill: Minimizing COVID-19 in Our Community
As we try to minimize Covid-19 in our community and our schools it is essential that parents/guardians communicate with school if their child is out, sharing the details of why you are keeping your child home.
Below is the full list of symptoms for which caregivers should monitor their children:
Fever (100° Fahrenheit or higher), chills, or shaking chills
Cough (not due to other known cause, such as chronic cough)
Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
New loss of taste or smell
Sore throat
Headache when in combination with other symptoms
Muscle aches or body aches
Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
Fatigue, when in combination with other symptoms
Nasal congestion or runny nose (not due to other known causes, such as allergies) when in combination with other symptoms
A student may return to school with documentation (see below) after COVID-19 symptoms
After they have tested negative for COVID-19, have improvement in symptoms, and have been without fever for at least 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medications, or
If a provider makes an alternative diagnosis for the COVID-19-like symptoms, the individual may return to school based on the recommendations for that alternative diagnosis (e.g., influenza or strep pharyngitis), or
If a student or staff member presents COVID-19-like symptoms and chooses not to be tested, they may return to school 10 days from start of symptoms, as long as their symptoms have improved and they have been without fever for at least 24 hours prior to their return to school without the use of fever reducing medication.
Documentation after illness: Please use the list of symptoms above and include details in both your phone communication and the written note for return to school. We have created a form to use for your note. Please link here: Student Return to School After Illness
NOTE: If multiple symptoms occur, a physician's note or negative COVID-19 test is needed in addition.
SCHEDULES
SchoolBrains and Google Logins
Student Logins: All students will be using their gloucesterschools.com Google accounts AND their Schoolbrains Community Portal accounts. To get ready for school, logging in now to be sure everyone remembers their passwords will be very helpful.
GPS Google Accounts: Students login to all Google apps with their school credentials:
Username, All Grades: firstnamelastname (on Chromebook; GPS email from other devices)
Passwords, Grade 6: Combine 0s and Student Lunch ID to reach 8 characters (Example: 4567 = 00004567, or 34567 = 00034567)
Passwords, Grades 7 & 8: Students created their own passwords last year.
If students have forgotten their passwords, please complete this form: O’Maley Password Request Form
Schoolbrains Community Portal: For login information for the community portal, please go to omaley.gloucesterschools.com and pull down the Schoolbrains tab for information on how to login and for access to the portal.
Username, All grades: GPS email address
Password, All Grades: Student ID#
Drop off and pick up at O'Maley is in the rink parking lot ONLY. DO not drive up to the front of the building or drop off in the driveway.
All Students Must Wear Masks to School.
Health and Safety at O'Maley
S.A.I.L.S. AND SAFETY:
Maintaining a safe and sanitary learning environment is a community responsibility and we will all work together to ensure that our school remains healthy. Our S.A.I.L.S. principles guide us to respect and take part in our community through Service, Acceptance, Integrity, Leadership, and Success. Actively following our safety guidance individually and supporting and encouraging others to do the same are great examples of Leadership and Integrity that will ensure our Success.
6' DISTANCES
We have worked diligently to design a model in which we will sustain 6' of distance among all of our community members, both staff and students. Classroom seating is arranged to provide this spacing and hallways will be marked for traffic flow. Students will be assigned a seat in each class the first day of school and will retain that assignment unless directed differently by the teacher.
Students should not stop, remain stationary, and/or congregate less than 6' apart when moving about the building. While they may at times pass by one another at a slightly lesser distance, they must maintain the maximum distance possible in hallways and when entering and exiting classrooms, staying as close to 6' apart as possible. Traffic flow and expectations for transitions between classes will be reviewed with students by teachers within each House team.
FACE COVERINGS
All individuals are required to wear face coverings or masks when in school, on school grounds, and on school transportation.
Please follow these guidelines from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health when selecting a mask or face covering:
Cover your nose and mouth,
Fit snugly but comfortably against the side of the face,
Be secured with ties or ear loops,
Include multiple layers of fabric,
Allow for breathing without restriction, and
Be able to be laundered and machine dried without damage or change to shape.
Masks with valves should not be worn as they do not effectively filter breath a person exhales.
When putting on and taking off a mask, do not touch the front of it, only handle the ties or ear straps, and make sure you wash the cloth mask regularly. Wash your hands or use hand sanitizer after touching the mask.
Gloucester School Committee Policy allows for exceptions to this policy in certain circumstances such as students with medical, behavioral or other challenges. All exceptions must be approved by the building principal in consultation with the school nurse or the Gloucester Board of Health, and the superintendent.
SANITIZING
Hand sanitizer stations will be located at all entrances, stairwells, bathrooms, water fountains, and inside each classroom. Students are expected to sanitize their hands upon entering the building or any of the spaces noted above.
Bathrooms will be cleaned hourly.
Surfaces in the building will be cleaned each day following students' departure.
During the school day, classroom surfaces will be cleaned between classes. Teachers will spray student desks/tables with a sanitizing solution. Students will then be responsible for wiping down their own desk/table surface before leaving the classroom.
Supplies will not be shared interactively among students and will be wiped down between uses if they are not allocated to individual students. Items like textbooks and literature will be distributed to individual students and quarantined for at least three days when returned.
ARRIVAL AND DISMISSAL
Students should arrive to school at or after 7:30 a.m. and will enter the building directly upon arrival at that time. They will head straight to homeroom which officially begins at 7:40 a.m. Students should not arrive prior to 7:30 a.m.. In the event of an urgent and temporary situation where arrival before 7:30 a.m. cannot be avoided, students will be required to separate, standing on the dots on the courtyard, by at least 6' of distance. Please assist us in ensuring that unless there is a rare, temporary, and urgent situation, students do not arrive prior to 7:30 a.m.
Students will be dismissed at the end of the day in groups of walkers, pick-ups, and bus riders. Practices for social distancing while exiting will be instructed, reviewed, and monitored.
STUDENT GROUPINGS IN THE HYBRID MODEL
Students will remain in a grouping we call a "bubble" throughout the day. Each bubble is a House team and consists of about 80 students. There are 7 adults who oversee the 8 class blocks that occur over the course of two days, Monday/Tuesday and Thursday/Friday. There are no circumstances in which students are scheduled with other students outside of their bubble.
Our class size is 12 or fewer students. Students travel with various members of their House "bubble" during the day and remain in that bubble.
TRAVELING WITHIN THE BUILDING
Students will be assigned one or more designated bathrooms to use during the day. We will be implementing an electronic pass system called SmartPass which requires students to sign out through their Chromebook before leaving a class, and alerts them if the location is not available. For example, if the bathroom is full or if the guidance counselor is not available, the student will be alerted and unable to sign out of class until there is availability. This will reduce hallway traffic and prevent students from congregating while waiting to go into a room.
PRPTOCOLS FOR ILLNESS
COVID-19 Protocols developed by DESE will be followed. Development of a shorter, easier to use version for GPS is underway and will be published soon. Our nurses, Kim Cameron and Alycia Gossum are able to answer questions at any time. To read the DESE Protocols in multiple languages, link here.
Lockers and Supplies
LOCKERS
Students will not be using lockers this year and should bring backpacks.
WATER BOTTLES
Students should be sure to bring a water bottle to school. Bottle fillers will be available for use. Bubblers will not be available.
Any family who needs assistance with purchasing backpacks, water bottles, or general supplies should contact should contact guidance counselors:
- Grade 6 - Mary White - marywhite@gloucesterschools.com
- Grade 7 - Rebecca Matheson - rmatheson@gloucesterschools.com
- Grade 8 - Allison Alves - aalves@gloucesterschools.com
O'Maley Academy
Be on the lookout for O'Maley Academy Virtual Fall Session. Information should be out later this week. The fall session will begin October 5th, fully remote.
Information will be out soon about available options for O'Maley Virtual Academy for the fall. Stay tuned for messages from Ms. Alves.
Contact Information
Email: lbeattie@gloucesterschools.com
Website: http://omaley.gloucesterschools.com
Location: 32 Cherry Street, Gloucester, MA, USA
Phone: 978-281-9850
Twitter: @omaleyprincipal