BBRSD District-Wide Weekly Update
April 9, 2021
Berlin-Boylston Regional School Committee
VACANCY
The Berlin-Boylston Regional School Committee is seeking a qualified candidate to fill one vacancy on the committee for the period May 10, 2021, through election day in 2022*.
Any interested candidate must be a Berlin resident and should submit a letter of interest and resume of relevant experience to Mr. James Spencer, Chair of the Berlin-Boylston Regional Transition School Committee no later than April 29, 2021, for review and consideration to his email address.
The Berlin-Boylston Regional Transition School Committee will interview all applicants at its regularly scheduled meeting on May 4, 2021, at 6:30 p.m. The successful candidate will be chosen by member vote at that meeting.
Any questions or concerns should be directed to Mr. Spencer.
*Election Day to be determined
Click here to view and print this press release.
James Spencer, Chair
Berlin-Boylston Regional School Committee
Superintendent's Office
Greetings,
It is time to celebrate the return of spring as we enjoy this beautiful weather and are reminded of good things to come. As we prepare for the re-entry of all of our Tahanto middle and high school students on Monday, April 12th, I would like to reiterate expectations related to attendance and live-streaming at all levels, PreK-12.
If your child is absent due to illness or for any reason other than the need to quarantine due to COVID-19 exposure, they may not live stream into classes during that time. The live stream option is only available to students who must quarantine due to COVID or if a family has chosen to live stream for the remainder of the year. (Please note that the window for that decision at the elementary level closes today, Friday, April 9th, and the decision at the middle/high school level closes on Friday, April 16th).
While we appreciate parents’ interest in keeping their students engaged in school activities and routines from home, it is our belief that if a child is too sick to come to school, then, he/she should rest and not participate in live-streaming. In addition, this is disruptive to the routines and instruction taking place in the classroom for those students who are in-person and already scheduled for live streaming.
Finally, there have been questions about next fall and whether or not a live streaming option will be available. At this time, our intention is for all students to return to school-based upon the requirements of the Massachusetts Department of Education without an option to live stream. The Commissioner of Education has made it clear that the waiver for a remote learning option only remains in place until the end of the year. If at that time, we receive guidance from the Department that alters that direction, we will notify all families and staff as soon as possible in the summer and update everyone as information becomes available.
We continue to keep concerns about COVID contact and spread of the highest priority in our district. We do not assume in any way that the pandemic is over, and we will continue to operate in our schools with all of the necessary precautions that we have had in place during the year.
Please know that we are very excited to have most of our students back in our school buildings. Our staff and principals have awaited their arrival with great anticipation and hopes for a positive experience for the remainder of the year. With that, our first priority is to keep our students and staff safe. We must all do what we can to take proper precautions and to ensure that all will be well.
Enjoy your weekend.
Respectfully,
Business Office
Transportation Update
Tahanto bus routes have been posted here:
https://www.bbrsd.org/Page/1574
Please be aware that the posted bus routes show estimated pick-up and drop-off times for each stop on the route. The times are estimates generated from the bus routing software, and actual times will differ from what is shown. Accordingly, please allow for at least an additional 10 minutes before and after the estimated time posted for a couple of weeks, until revised routes settle into a routine.
Please check the routes, and do not assume that the same bus stop location is in place without verifying. While I expect that these "full-in" routes are very similar to the cohort routes, during the process of creating these new routes, some changes in bus stop locations may have occurred, for a variety of reasons.
If you need to find out the assigned bus stop for your child please contact the Principal’s Office at Tahanto. If you previously requested that your son or daughter be added to a bus, and it does not appear that they were added, please contact the Principal's Office. New requests for additional riders may take some time to complete.
Feel free to contact me via email (rconry@bbrsd.org) or phone (508-869-2837 x 1103) with any other questions that you may have.
Remote Meals!
Thank you to all of the households that participated in our remote lunch program during the hybrid model! Our food service team distributed 16,500 remote meals to the community since the beginning of the school year. As we switch back to the all-in learning model, eligibility for our remote meals will change. Free remote meals will continue to be available to students in the full remote learning model that are enrolled in the district. Each child continuing to learn remotely is eligible for 5 breakfast and 5 lunches per week. Students choosing to return to the full in-person learning model will be offered free breakfast and free lunch each day they learn onsite, and will not be eligible for remote meals. This change was effective April 5th for elementary students and is effective April 12th for middle/high school students. Pickup windows for fully remote students will be reduced to one-day pickup on Tuesday 4/13 from 11:00 am-1:00 pm.
Please fill out the form below (1 form per child) to specify your weekly order and pickup details. If you are unable to pick up during the available pickup windows please email: lstaples@bbrsd.org to arrange alternate plans. Pickup windows were created to reduce wait times, and improve traffic flow.
Pickup is at Tahanto Regional Middle/High School. Take the entrance nearest the softball/field hockey field, and idle at the cone near the dumpsters. Stay in your car, and the order will be brought to your vehicle.
Weekly remote meal ordering form link:
https://www.bbrsd.org/Page/1583
Any questions or concerns can be directed to Lauren Staples, Food Service Director 508-869-2333 ext. 2346 or lstaples@bbrsd.org.
Bob Conry, Director of Finance and Operations
Pupil Personnel Services
Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC)
Monday, April, 26th at 6:30 pm, the Berlin-Boylston SEPAC will hold an Online General Meeting. To join, send a message to info.bbrsd.sepac@gmail.com for more details. For more information: http://www.sepac-berlin-boylston.org
Technology Department
A new resource from the folks at Google:
A Guide to Google Meet for Parents and Guardians
With the COVID-19 pandemic, many parents and guardians have found themselves in the role of part-time teacher and IT technician — on top of their existing responsibilities at work and home. We created a guide to help make things easier for parents juggling their many roles at home.
Boylston Elementary School
We're finally back! The first week of school together had the same energy as we normally have the first week of school in the fall. I am confident the kids will sleep well tonight! The teachers and staff will as well. Our first day was a celebration with music (thank you Keith's Music House), balloons and streamers.
The focus of the week was getting reacclimated to routines, adjusting to class sizes (you wouldn't believe how long it takes a full class to wash their hands socially distanced), and re-meeting old friends. It has been a very welcome return.
And the fun will continue next week. The PTO is hosting a virtual Trivia night (Thursday 4/15) fundraiser in lieu of our typical spring dance. It promises to be a ton of fun with fantastic prizes - think local restaurants gift cards, BES swag, and MORE! The questions span grade levels so there is something for every student to feel like an expert. I hope you all consider joining us online!
Speaking of the new routines above, I am really happy with how arrival is going. The lunch process is getting smoother every day. The dismissal process is the one that continues to require attention. We've had to address some issues with buses passing cars, student safety, and streamlining the process. I've added a few reminders/additions below for our process.
Please pull all the way up when you reach the playground. The students will walk to you.
Please don't get out of your cars. The kids should jump right in and if they require help getting buckled you can pull over on the other side of the school.
Consider not arriving early. We notice that the line gets furthest down Sewall at the onset of dismissal. For those arriving closer to 2:50, your time in line is cut nearly in half!
Still plenty of seats available for afterschool. There is no longer a requirement for a 5-day commitment, however, it cannot be a drop-in service. Please commit to a day or more that you know you will use the service. Please email Mrs. Hatem to sign up. Every car out of that line is a good thing.
On our end:
We have painted a yellow line for students to remain behind while waiting for cars to pull up.
We've assigned more staff to monitor students and keep them behind these lines.
Buses have been reminded they need to follow traffic laws and not pass on the left.
The week ahead:
Tuesday (4/13)
School Committee Meeting
Thursday (4/15)
Friday (4/16)
Bobcat Pride heading into the break!
SEPAC Meeting
Monday, April, 26th at 6:30 pm, the Berlin-Boylston SEPAC will hold an Online General Meeting. To join, send a message to info.bbrsd.sepac@gmail.com for more details. For more information: http://www.sepac-berlin-boylston.org
BES Office: 508-869-2200
Welcome Back BES!
Electronic Folder
Trivia Night!
Berlin Memorial School
First Week Behind Us--We have survived!
Thank you to everyone for your patience as we have readjusted to full classes. As the first days of school in the fall, there were a lot of routines to be established, and procedures to re-learn. It was an exhausting but ultimately rewarding week.
There are still a few bus route kinks to work out, and our school lunch menu has been a bit out of whack, but other than that, we keep putting one foot in front of the other. Arrival has been very uneventful, and we’ve been able to dismiss students to parent pick-up with minimal delay.
A quick reminder for parents who are picking up their children - at the end of the day, be sure to have your identifying information - family name and SDM # - clearly visible in your car so that staff can call your child for dismissal. Nice big letters!
Questions? As always, call the school and we’ll help you out.
School Spirit Week
As is our tradition, the week before break is School Spirit Week. You can find the flyer for that here. Hope your child can participate - it is something everyone seems to enjoy.
Dates to know...
Monday, April 12 - 16 - School Spirit Week!
Monday, April 19- 23 - Spring Break!
BMS Office: 978-838-2417
Spirit Week
Parent Pick Up Reminder
School Closed
Tahanto Regional Middle/High School
Tahanto Full In Schedule, Starting 4/12/21
Odd week
I cannot believe that it has been over a year since our entire Tahanto family was together in the building. Finally, we are able to all be together again beginning April 12th. We have been working tirelessly to prepare for the transition. Desks have been moved, classrooms reconfigured, lunches added, safety protocols have been reviewed and we are ready!
One of our biggest challenges will be student drop-off and pick-up. In order to ensure that drop-off and pick-up run as smoothly as possible it is crucial that you do not arrive before the designated times. Please do not arrive at the school for drop off before 7:25 am and for pick up, before 2:15 pm. Arriving at the designated times will help to alleviate dangerous traffic congestion on route 70. Parents will not be able to pull in and wait until the cones are moved beginning Monday, April 12th. Parents will be directed to continue driving and come back to the school at the designated time.
We thank everyone in advance for their continued support, patience, and understanding.
Tahanto Full Re-Entry Information
Tahanto administration met with all students in grades 6-12 on April 6th to review our full re-entry model and to answer any questions students had.
Please click HERE to view the presentation.
Important Clarification for Attendance Beginning April 12th
Beginning April 12th students who have chosen to learn in person are expected to attend school 5 days per week. In-person learners will not have access to live streaming if they are absent from school (unless COVID-related). Students who are live-streaming must follow the schedule and attend the entire class with their cameras on.
If a student stays home due to not feeling well, a parent may write a parental excusal which should be brought into the Main Office upon the student's return to school. If a live streaming student misses a class due to illness a parent must email an excusal note to Mrs. Boudreau at sboudreau@bbrsd.org.
School districts must take attendance for every student, every period regardless of the mode of learning. If your child is absent from school whether your child is remote or in person, please follow the same procedures:
Call (508)869-2333 x 2303 to report your child absent. If your child is absent due to a medical appt. (doctor or dentist) please bring a note to the main office from the doctor’s office the next day your child is at Tahanto.
If your child is going to be late to school for either remote learning or in-person please still call the above number and make us aware of this. Remote attendance will be taken within the first 10 minutes of class.
Each student has 3 parental excusals that can be used during each semester for absences that are not subject to a doctor’s visit. To use parental excusal please write a note and have your child bring the note to the main office on the next day your child is in person at Tahanto.
If we do not receive a call notifying us of the absence, the secretaries in the main office will be contacting parents/guardians.
If you need further clarification or need to ask a question specific to your child’s attendance, please do not hesitate to contact Sue Boudreau at (508)869-2333 or send an email to sboudreau@bbrsd.org.
Mandatory Daily Parent Screening Health Checklist
Questions? Contact Janet Sequeira, School Nurse at (508)869-2333 ext. 2303
Sign up NOW for Spring Sports
The deadline for sign-ups is April 15th
Sign-ups for Spring sports are happening now! Click on the link below to sign your child up for Spring sports. Spring Sports Sign-Ups
Important information from Athletic Director Matt Porcaro regarding Spring sports
Spring Sports Information Letter
Parent Volunteers Needed
Okay. Please don’t make us beg!!
Have you ever dreamed of overseeing 120 teenagers while they are eating lunch? Well, have we got an opportunity of a lifetime for you!
We are looking for parent volunteers for the remainder of the school year to help with lunch monitoring throughout the week. In order to keep a 6’ distance between students while eating, we need to create 4 lunch periods each day. Because of this addition, we are in need of lunch monitors to help with monitoring student safety and sanitizing spaces in between lunch periods. Lunches are 30 minutes in length and begin at 10:30 a.m. and end at 12:30 p.m. If you are interested in helping out, please contact Sue Boudreau at (508) 869-2333 or via email at sboudreau@bbrsd.org.
Counseling Office News and Resources
Middle School
High School News
Resources
Ms Ford’s virtual office - A great place to find coping strategies
Athletics
Tahanto/West Boylston Football News
West Boylston Varsity Football -
Previous Games
Saturday, April 3, 2021 - The West Boylston Lions beat Tyngsboro, 25-6, at Tyngsboro.
Upcoming Games
5:00 pm on Friday, April 9, 2021 - The West Boylston Lions play Hudson at Whitcomb Middle School.
West Boylston JV Football -
Previous Games
Monday, April 5, 2021 - The West Boylston JV Lions beat St. Bernards, 22-0 , at St. Bernards.
Upcoming Games
10:00 am on Saturday, April 10, 2021 - The West Boylston JV Lions will play Hudson at Shrewsbury.
Lunches
School lunch in the cafeteria is free to all students until 6/30/2021. Snack and extra meals are not included. Click here for more information.
Sally Stukuls, Assistant Principal
Tahanto Office: 508-869-2333
Contact Us!
Email: parentquestions@bbrsd.org
Website: bbrsd.org
Location: 215 Main Street, Boylston, MA, USA
Phone: 508-869-2837