Warrior Weekly
King Philip Middle School Newsletter
March 14, 2020
A Message from the Principal Regarding Our School Closure
District administrators are meeting early next week to further assess the school closure situation and to see how we can support students and their families while school is not meeting. Some of the items on our mind include food for students who rely on school lunches and work for students while the school is closed. Below you will find some helpful information. We will communicate with families as soon as we know more information.
Accessing Materials in Student Lockers
On Monday, March 16, from 8 AM - 12 PM, students will be able to access their lockers in order to pick up personal items and school materials that they may want at home during the school closure. Please come in through the main office doors.
Student Learning During This Challenging Time
We realize that many students will want to keep up with their studies during the closure. We also have teachers that will want to reach out to their students and potentially share extended learning resources.
We continue to work as an administrative team to address learning as there are many factors to consider: student online access, student and teacher capacity to work with online platforms as well as the current health of our students and teachers. As these are all equity issues, we will be carefully examining them and working with our staff to support all students.
Khan Academy https://www.khanacademy.org/ is a wonderful resource that can provide students with continued learning during this time. They offer content in many areas, including math, science and history.
Here are guides for parents that have been created by Khan Academy that may be helpful:
- Daily schedules for students ages 4-18 to keep learning using Khan Academy during school closures.
- Parent Quick Start Guide
- Parents: Frequently Asked Questions About Supporting Your Child’s Learning During School Closures
- A free webinar for parents is taking place Wednesday, March 18, at 8:00 pm ET / 5:00 pm PT. Recordings will be available for those who can not attend.
April Vacation and the Last Day of School
We will still have April vacation. We have to make up the snow day that we had in November, the March 13th closure, and three more days. Why are we only making up three additional days? Well, the state has updated their guidance on the 180-day rule. The days missed between March 16 and June 1 must be made up to ensure a 180-day school year or until the district has reached its previously-scheduled 185th day, whichever comes first. For KP, that means that our school calendar will remain the same; we just need to extend our year until our 185th day. Our last day of school is now June 24th. For more information on the updated guidance from the state, click here.
Food Services
Families rely on our school lunch program to feed their children. As mentioned above, our district administration will be meeting early next week to continue to work out a plan to support our community. Please also be aware that the KP Director of Food Services, Mary Ann Reynolds, has organized a donation of our produce and other perishable items to a local food pantry so that nothing goes to waste.
If you are in need, please reach out to KPCares by contact the advisor, Mrs. Rowe, at rowec@kingphilip.org. You may also donate to our families by contacting Mrs. Rowe.
Food Distribution
The Superintendents of King Philip Regional School, Norfolk Public Schools, Wrentham Public Schools and Plainville Public Schools understand that the closing of schools for the next two weeks may impact families in need who rely on school lunch for their children. To support families during this time, they have worked with their Directors of Food Services and local food pantries to put measures in place regionally and in individual communities.
Regionally, families in need from any of the four districts may access food distribution provided through the Plainville and Wrentham Schools:
Monday, March 16 and Thursday, March 19, 9-10 am
Anna Jackson Elementary School, 68 Messenger Street, Plainville (gym door)
Norfolk Schools will make grab and go lunches available for pickup by families indicating need:
Tuesday, March 17 and Thursday, March 19, 9-10 am
Superintendent’s Office, located at Freeman-Kennedy School, Boardman Street, Norfolk
Parents can contact the office directly at (508)528-1225 to request grab and go meals.
Local Food Pantries
Norfolk Food Pantry
Emmanuel Baptist Church, 63 Rockwood Road, Norfolk
Saturdays, 9:30-11:30 (Proof of residency required)
Plainville- Living Bread Food Pantry
16 East Bacon Street, Plainville
Wednesdays, beginning at 6:00 pm (Proof of residency required)
Wrentham Food Pantry
Original Congregational Church, 1 East Street, Wrentham
Saturdays, 10:00 am - noon (Proof of residency required)
Norfolk Community Dinners
Norfolk Grange
28 Rockwood Road
Norfolk
Free, dinner provided by The Gavel
774-291-6527
1st & 3rd Thursday,
5 pm-7:30pm
For a listing of Food Pantries, Community Dinners, and other food access resources, click here.
MCAS Dates
The Department of Education has not yet changed the window for our MCAS testing. We are awaiting further guidance on this matter from the Commissioner of Education, Jeffrey C. Riley.
Main Office & School Building
Outside of Monday morning, the main office and school building will be inaccessible during the school closure. Custodial staff will conduct a comprehensive and thorough disinfecting and sanitizing effort throughout the school building while the building is closed. If you need to reach either Mr. Alves or me, please contact us at alvesk@kingphilip.org or kreuzerm@kingphilip.org.
Please stay safe and healthy. Thank you for your understanding and continued support!
Sincerely,
Michelle
A Note About the Honor Roll
I sincerely apologize for this error. The updated list will be shared next week.
Happy Pi Day!
Pi Day is celebrated on March 14th (3/14). The number, Pi (π) is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. This ratio is approximately 3.14. Pi will always be the same for any circle of any size.
The Pi Day Challenge is a website with a set of puzzles related to your favorite irrational number, Pi (π). https://www.pidaychallenge.com/ If your children like math puzzles, perhaps they would like to give it a try? [Please note that an email log-in is required.]
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King Philip Middle School
Website: https://www.kingphilip.org/MiddleSchool
Location: 18 King Street, Norfolk, MA, USA
Phone: 508-541-7324
Twitter: @KingPhilipMS