Harrington Happenings
January 30, 2022
Happy Sunday Harrington Families
Well Harrington, we have officially past the halfway point of the school year, with January 24th being the 90th day of school. It is hard to believe we are at the end of January already, and I can say that after yesterday's 24 + inches of snow I am quite ready for the warm mornings of Spring! With Groundhog Day being this coming Wednesday, my fingers are crossed he doesn't see his shadow and we can look forward to an early Spring. As we come to the end of January, students completed a very busy month of working very hard to complete their Mid-year Assessments. I have been reviewing the data from the assessments and am very pleased to see the impressive student growth that our students have made in their academics. They have all worked incredibly hard this year and the data shows it. I am proud of them all!
As a district, we continuously strive to be a district that recognizes each staff member, student and family for who they are, where they come from and the diversity they bring to our community. Through this approach, we create an environment where students and staff members of all backgrounds are made to feel welcome and encouraged to succeed. We continually assess policies and practices and resources based upon fairness and confirm that all students get what they need to be successful. Our district has been holding diversity, equity, and inclusion trainings for staff to foster deeper understanding of these issues so that we may continue to move forward in providing a fully inclusive learning environment for all.
With that being said, Harrington will adopt a different approach to recognizing Valentine's Day this year. Rather than students purchasing Valentine Cards as they may have done in the past, we will use the day as a day of appreciation. As we strive to show every day, the focus for this day will be to show gratitude and appreciation to each other. With this simple readjusting of the day, teachers will encourage our students to use Valentine’s Day to communicate what they really appreciate about each of their classmates through creative and interactive activities. After an incredibly challenging two years, these genuine and rewarding expressions of kindness from classmates will make every student feel special and valued. This simple, gesture will also help the students learn one of life’s greatest lesson, on a much deeper level: that genuine kindness can make a difference in the world.
Please continue to stay vigilant in monitoring any and all symptoms of any sickness. We ask that you adhere to best practices for COVID precautions to be a responsible HES school community member. Please make sure that you follow all protocols upon your return and evaluate any illness or symptoms that your child might display and keep them home. We want to continue to provide a safe and full day, in-school learning experience to all students. In order for us to successfully manage the learning environment, we need to make sure that all of our staff and students in attendance are healthy and free from exposure to illnesses. Please remember to share your child's vaccine status with myself or Karen and we will get that information to the nurse's office.
Once again, remember to…"Push through your day, Smile, Be Happy, Stay Positive!"
Be safe! Stay well!
Rob & Karen
Let's Stay Connected!
COVID Update for Harrington Families
Our district will be transitioning from the Test and Stay program to providing weekly at-home
rapid antigen tests for all interested students and staff. This new at-home testing option is
voluntary, however highly recommended for all vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals in our
school community. We will discontinue contact tracing and the Test and Stay program once we
receive and distribute at-home rapid antigen test kits to individuals that elect to participate in
this new program. We will continue our weekly Pool Testing initiative, providing all interested
students and staff with the ability to receive two (2) weekly COVID tests – 1 at-home rapid
antigen test and 1 PCR test through the Pool Testing initiative at school. While we strongly
encourage students and staff, regardless of vaccination status, to participate in weekly pool
testing, students and staff may opt-in to receive at-home rapid antigen test kits even if they do
not participate in pool testing.
Please remember to:
- STAY HOME IF NOT FEELING WELL
- If experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, test immediately and isolate until results are back
- If identified as a close contact, please follow the testing and quarantine protocols
- If diagnosed with COVID-19, please follow the updated 5-day isolation protocol
- Wear a mask while indoors (masks should fit snugly around the nose and mouth)
- Frequently wash hands with soap and water and/or use hand sanitizer.
- When feasible, maintain physical distance from others
Lastly, we strongly encourage those eligible to be vaccinated and to receive the booster! The COVID-19 vaccine and booster will increase the level of protection against the virus. The vaccines have undergone, and will continue to undergo, intensive safety monitoring. Covid 19- vaccines are effective and can reduce the risk of getting and spreading the virus that cause Covid-19. There is strength in numbers! Getting the vaccine can protect families, communities, and our schools.
The collective health of our school community, and our community at large, relies on a collaborative partnership with our families. This partnership requires our families to follow the best practices and guidelines that we know will decrease the spread of the virus.
As always, thank you all for your cooperation and continued efforts to help stop the spread of COVID-19!
Winter Weather
Please ensure that your student(s) are coming to school with the appropriate clothing. Now that we have had a substantial snow fall, the proper snow gear should be brought to school. If you have extra sets of mittens, hats, and snow pants your student(s) will be able to leave them at school in their cubbies so they will not have to bring them back and forth to school. As long as we reach a specific threshold in regards to temperature, the plan will always be to go outside as much as possible for mask breaks and recess.
HPTO
Our next meeting will be Wednesday February 2 at 6:30pm in the Harrington Library and online. Follow our Facebook page for the link to join!
C. D. Harrington Elementary School
Email: asselinr@chelmsford.k12.ma.us
Website: https://harrington.chelmsfordschools.org/
Location: 120 Richardson Road, North Chelmsford, MA, USA
Phone: 978-251-5166
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/harringtonelementarychelmsford/