Green Meadow Update
Robert Rouleau
Happy Sunday!
The staff at Green Meadow has worked and continues to work very hard to welcome all students back into the building. We are looking forward to seeing everyone bright and early tomorrow morning.
If you missed our last newsletter, please take a few minutes to read through some important reminders which I have posted regarding the procedures for our return to in-person learning.
Back to School Reminders
What is the schedule?
- Classes begin at 8:30.
- School is dismissed at 2:50.
- Starting April 5: Grades K-3 will attend 8:30 - 2:50, Monday thru Friday.
What are the student schedule details?
- Teachers will communicate any changes to the schedule with families prior to April 5th.
- Specials will be on a two week rotation schedule.
- Students in the building will receive Art, Physical Education, Technology and Library.
- Remote students will be receiving live Music lessons and optional pre-recorded lessons in Art, Physical Education, Technology and Library.
What if the student is absent for many days due to Covid quarantine?
- Teachers will be supplying students with work packets who are quarantining or out for extended periods of time.
- If your child will need to attend classes remotely due to quarantining, please notify your child’s teachers.
Can we use the playground?
- The playground will remain open for students to use.
- Students are expected to sanitize their hands prior to and after using the playground facilities.
- Students are also required to wear a mark while out on the playground.
What will happen if recess needs to be indoors due to weather?
- Staff will remain with their students indoors, in their classrooms.
- Students will need to remain masked.
What about breakfast?
- Breakfast will continue to be free for all students this year
- Students who are interested in eating breakfast, should arrive at school between 8:15 - 8:25 (if possible) to allow time for eating before class begins at 8:30.
When is lunch and recess?
- Kindergarten: 11:30 - 12:30
- First Grade: 11:00 - 11:45
- Second Grade: 11:30 - 12:15
- Third Grade: 12:00 - 12:45
- Lunches will continue to be free for all students this year.
- Students may also bring their own lunch from home.
Are the bubblers still closed?
- Yes, students should bring a bottle of water to school every day.
What’s for lunch?
- Bagged pre-packed lunches similar to what is currently distributed for take home lunches.
- Lunches will continue to be free for all students this year.
- Students may also bring their own lunch from home.
How will lunch work?
- Students will grab a bagged lunch as they enter the cafeteria.
- The lunch will not have to be warmed up.
- Students will have assigned seats and be grouped by class.
- Students will sit 6 feet apart unless divided by a plexiglass barrier.
- Students will sanitize when they leave their classroom.
- Allergy tables will be set up.
- Lunch spaces will be sanitized between uses.
How will students enter/exit the building?
- Parent Drop Off/Pickup
- Parent drop off and pickup will remain the same for all grades.
Bus Students?
- Students who ride the bus will enter through the front doors if they would like to eat breakfast.
- All other students will enter the building as they have been.
- Kindergarten and grade 3 students will be entering by the right hand side of the building.
- Grades 1 & 2 will be lining up at the left hand side of the building according to their classes.
- Teachers will be present to guide students.
- During inclement weather students will be directed to enter the building immediately upon arrival.
Dismissal?
- Bus students will be dismissed at 2:45.
- Parent pick-ups will be dismissed promptly at 2:50.
Why are students being spaced 3 feet apart?
- The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) recently changed their guidance. They determined based on data accumulated this academic year that there was no noticeable difference between 3 feet and 6 feet in deterring in-school transmission.
- For more information visit:
- https://www.doe.mass.edu/covid19/on-desktop/in-person-learning-guide.docx
- https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/operation-strategy.html
How will contact tracing be handled?
- Students will have assigned seats in all classes and at lunch.
- Our Nurse, Sarah Bernardi, will be handling all contact tracing according to the state’s guidelines.
How are classrooms cleaned?
- Classrooms will continue to be cleaned daily with 2x/week deep cleanings mid-week and Friday evenings.
What about mask breaks?
- Teachers will continue to provide mask breaks, and generally these will be outside - weather permitting.
Should my child bring his/her computer to school?
- As of April 5th, grade 1 will be returning their computers to the Technology Department at Green Meadow.
- All other grades will be returning their devices to the Technology Department as soon as their Technology classes begin.
- Students will be notified by the Technology Department as soon as it is their time to return their device.
How many students are remaining fully remote?
- Over 20% of our students will be remaining remote for the remainder of the school year.
Who do I contact for bus information?
- Please email bus@maynard.k12.ma.us
SEL Book Drive
Help Green Meadow Elementary School bring Social Emotional Learning Books into their Classrooms!
Silver Unicorn Bookstore, Acton is partnering with us to fill a Wish List of SEL books for each class ~ Pre-K through Grade 3 ~ (created by the guidance dept).
Between Friday, March 26th & Friday, April 16th, go to the Silver Unicorn link https://www.silverunicornbooks.com/?q=p.green_meadow and purchase one of the amazing books on the Green Meadow page. If you would like, you can dedicate the book “in honor of” or “donated by” an individual or family. (Prices range from $16 to $19)
When you find a book you like, you can click on it and more information (including some with comments in blue from the staff at Silver Unicorn) and an area to purchase the book will appear below that book’s picture.
At the end of the Book Drive, the books will be picked up by staff and delivered to Green Meadow to be distributed, by grade, to the classrooms for the children to enjoy!
We lose ourselves in books, we find ourselves there too!
Board of Health Guidance
Guidance for people who are fully vaccinated against COVID19
Source: Mass.Gov/covid19
What it means to be fully vaccinated:
People are fully vaccinated for COVID-19 if they have received two doses of either the Moderna or Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines or a single dose of the Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) vaccine more than 14 days ago.
This guidance does not apply to fully vaccinated individuals who have symptoms of COVID-19.
Gathering with other people:
Continue wearing a mask and avoiding close contact with others in public.
COVID-19 vaccination will help keep you from getting sick from COVID-19 but experts continue to conduct more studies about whether the vaccines also keep people from spreading COVID-19. Wearing masks and social distancing help lower your chance of spreading the virus to others. Together, COVID-19 vaccination and following CDC’s recommendations for how to protect yourself and others will offer the best protection from getting and spreading COVID-19.
You may visit other people who have been fully vaccinated.
You may visit with other fully vaccinated people indoors in private settings without wearing masks or physical distancing.
For example, if you are fully vaccinated, it is likely a low risk for you to invite other fully vaccinated friends to dinner inside your home.
Take precautions when visiting people who have not been vaccinated.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health recommends following CDC guidance which says you may visit in a private setting indoors with unvaccinated people from a single household who are at low risk of severe COVID-19 disease without wearing masks or physical distancing. For example, fully vaccinated grandparents can visit indoors with their unvaccinated healthy child and their healthy children without wearing masks or physical distancing, provided none of the unvaccinated family members are at risk of severe COVID-19.
If the unvaccinated people are from multiple households OR are at increased risk of severe COVID-19, everyone involved should take precautions including wearing a well-fitted mask, staying at least 6 feet away from others, and visiting outdoors or in a well-ventilated space. For example, if a fully vaccinated individual visits with an unvaccinated friend who is seventy years old and therefore at risk of severe disease, the visit should take place outdoors, wearing well-fitted masks, and maintaining physical distance (at least 6 feet).
Follow state guidance on participating in large gatherings, like weddings and concerts.
Everyone, even people who have been fully vaccinated, should adhere to current guidance on gathering limits, as well as sector-specific safety rules for activities such as concerts. Review the latest orders on Limits on Gatherings.
Isolation, quarantine and testing:
You do not need to follow the Massachusetts Travel Advisory.
The advisory for all visitors entering Massachusetts, including returning residents, to quarantine for 10 days upon their arrival does not apply to people who are fully vaccinated.
Stay home and get tested if you feel sick.
While vaccines are highly effective there is still a chance you can get COVID-19 even after you get the vaccine. If you develop respiratory symptoms like runny nose, cough, or loss of sense of smell or taste, these are not side effects of the vaccine and you should consider getting tested for COVID-19 or talk to your healthcare provider. Stay home if you are sick and avoid close contact with others. You may wish to check with your employer about how this will impact your work.
Isolate if you test positive for COVID-19.
If you test positive for COVID-19 you need to isolate. The COVID-19 vaccines will not make you test positive on viral tests.
Monitor for symptoms if you are a close contact to someone with COVID-19.
If you do not live or work in a congregate setting (e.g., correctional and detention facilities, assisted living residences, nursing and group homes), you are not required to quarantine following an exposure. However, you should still monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 for 14 days following an exposure. If you experience symptoms, isolate yourself from others and contact your healthcare provider or seek testing.
Source: Department of Elementary & Secondary Education
Frequently Asked Questions, Week of March 22, 2021
If I am fully vaccinated, do I still have to distance and wear a mask? Can I eat lunch with others?
At this time, individuals who are fully vaccinated must still follow the same safety protocols as individuals who are not vaccinated. The only exception is that individuals who are fully vaccinated do not have to quarantine (as long as they remain asymptomatic) if they are a close contact of someone who tests positive for COVID-19. Otherwise, fully vaccinated individuals must wear masks and follow distancing requirements.
How has the travel order change impacted current school policies?
As of Monday, March 22, the Massachusetts Travel Order is replaced with a Travel Advisory. This new travel advisory urges all persons entering Massachusetts, including returning residents, to quarantine for 10 days upon their arrival if they have been out of the state for 24 hours or more.
Please note, travelers in the following categories are exempt from the quarantine advisory:
- Children younger than 10 years old
- Anyone returning to Massachusetts after being out of state for fewer than 24 hours
- Travelers who have received a negative COVID-19 result on a test administered not more than 72 hours prior to their arrival in Massachusetts. Travelers may also test out of the quarantine advisory after arrival in Massachusetts, as long as they quarantine until receiving a negative test result.
- Workers who enter Massachusetts to perform critical infrastructure functions (as specified by the Federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) during required commuting to or from work and while at work.
- Travelers who are fully vaccinated (i.e. who have received two doses of either the Moderna or Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines OR who have received a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, 14 or more days ago) and who do not have symptoms.
updated 03/30/2021
About Us
Email: rrouleau@maynard.k12.ma.us
Website: https://www.maynard.k12.ma.us/o/green-meadow-school
Location: 5 Tiger Drive, Maynard, MA, USA
Phone: (978) 897-8246