Wednesday's Words
January 6, 2021
Happy New Year!
I hope everyone enjoyed the brief December break and had time to relax and catch your breath a bit. It has been a very challenging and stressful year, as we continue to deal with the significant impacts of the Covid 19 Pandemic and juggle the demands of work, family, daily life and staying healthy and safe. I hope for all of you that 2021 brings brighter days and the restoration of a sense of normalcy and peace for our country.
We were excited to welcome our students back to school this week and look forward to rolling out changes to our hybrid and remote learning plans over the next few weeks. Our focus in the next phase of our Covid 19 learning plans is to increase students interactions with teachers and peers during their remote learning days and to add more live content instruction to those days. Teachers have begun this week to phase in additional live content instruction and to set up routines and expectations for this new component of virtual learning. Parents will receive specific details from their child's classroom teacher regarding changes to daily and weekly schedules. We believe that these adjustments to our learning plans will support children's continued academic growth and achievement, as well as their mental health and feeling of connection to their classroom community.
The new learning models will begin the week of January 11th, with full implementation the week of January 18th. The district will be sending a follow up survey to parents/guardians in approximately six weeks. Your feedback and comments are important and will help us continue to ensure that we are providing the best possible learning experience for our children, given the safety and health restrictions that we are faced with.
Wishing everyone the best for a healthy, happy and rewarding New Year!
Sincerely,
Ingrid Allardi
Reminder- Attendance Requirements for Remote and Hybrid learning
The Norfolk Public Schools remain committed to providing an outstanding education to each and every student we serve. Your child's participation in all aspects of his/her educational program is critical to achieving the best possible learning outcome. Regular attendance is a crucial component of successful learning and is the responsibility of parents/guardians and students.
As per DESE guidelines, students are expected to be engaged and present during regular school hours during in-person and remote learning days. During the remote learning days, students are expected to complete all assigned work by the due date, to log into all live lessons, and to participate in specials. Attendance will be taken each morning during the first live lesson (content or SEL/morning meeting) and student participation will be tracked throughout the day as students log into live lessons and submit remote work. Unless your child is sick or an absence meets the criteria for an excused absence as indicated in the Family Handbook (p18), missing live lessons as described below will be considered an unexcused absence.
If your child is not present during the morning lesson (content or SEL/morning meeting), he/she will be marked absent for the day.
If your child misses morning live lesson(s) or a special but attends an afternoon lesson or special they will be marked tardy.
If your child attends the morning live lesson or special but misses the afternoon live lesson(s) or special, they will be marked as early dismissal.
If your child will be absent for part or all of the day during the week, please notify the front office staff by 8:55 am.
**The expectations for attendance listed above also apply to our fully remote model as well.
Flu Vaccine Deadline Extended
Flu Vaccine Deadline Update-Just a reminder, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health is now requiring all students to receive a flu vaccine no later than February 28, 2021 in order to remain in school. Medical and religious exemptions are allowable. The flu vaccine requirement includes students participating in hybrid or remote learning model. Documentation of your child’s flu vaccine should be provided to the school nurse via email, sent into school with child or regular mail no later than February 28, 2021.
Help Wanted!!!
Full-Time Professional Positions:
H. Olive Day School Building Substitute (Massachusetts DESE License Preferred)
Regional Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (KP, Wrentham, Plainville, Norfolk)
School Psychologist
Full and Part-time Support Positions (No license required- Training provided by the district)
Daily Substitutes- District-wide
Paraprofessional Staff- Special Education all levels
*Competitive salary for all positions
If you are interested in learning more about employment opportunities in Norfolk, please contact Roxanne Verdeaux, Director of Human Resources at 508-528-1225, ext. 1229
Third Grade Students Celebrate a Remote Learning Pajama Day!
Norfolk Public Schools
Email: allardi@norfolk.k12.ma.us
Website: www.norfolk.k12.ma.us
Location: 70 Boardman Street, Norfolk, MA, USA
Phone: 508-528-1225