Greenlodge Weekly Update 3/05/2021
#ReachForYourBest
Please complete the Student Health Attestation by Sunday, March 7th at 5PM.
Thank you for the rapid and honest responses to the health attestations this week. This is a very challenging time where we are balancing the increase of COVID-19 cases in the community with families doing their very best to work, learn and have some much-needed recreation. We appreciate your patience as we navigate ways to keep school open and kids learning with friends. Understanding there are frustrating moments for many families, we have to make decisions with the health and safety of the entire school in mind.
4 Days in Person Learning
In order to do this, we have...
- Added new first grade classroom at both Oakdale and Avery
- Added a remote only class for Greenlodge, Avery and Oakdale students who opt into this program
- Purchased additional desks and instructional materials
- Maintained 6' social distance between desks
- Implemented pooled testing for all grades and staff
Deadline to transfer from remote only to hybrid - Friday, March 12th
Building an Equitable and Inclusive School
A team of teachers presented "Building A Diverse Classroom Library that Represents All Students." Teachers had an opportunity to browse hundreds of books which were divided among various representation including: general diversity, black/brown, Latinx, Asian, Middle Eastern, Indigenous, Religions, LGBTQ, Family Structures, Ability and Body Positivity, Gender Roles, and Immigrant. We recognize that children's literature can offer windows, mirrors and sliding glass doors as described by Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop.
We also partnered with Jeff Perotti from DESE's Safe Schools for LGBTQ+ to provide a workshop for all Elementary School staff in Dedham. This workshop focused primarily on supporting transgender students in our schools. We were fortunate to have students and families join this workshop to speak about their personal experiences.
New Quarantine Rules:
Please review the updated DPS quarantine guidelines which keep the 14 day mandatory quarantine for household contacts and allow other close contacts to align with the CDC and MA DPH guidance. This guidance allows for exiting quarantine after 10 days without a test or exiting after 7 days of quarantine with a negative test on day 5 or later. If you have any questions about how long your student must quarantine, feel free to call or email the School Nurse Kate Duckworth.
Notes From The Nurse...
Returning students: If you have a student returning from remote to in-person learning, please reach out to the School Nurse to discuss relevant health issues such as allergies, asthma, etc.
Spring is coming! If your student has seasonal allergies, please consult with their pediatrician soon for the best preventive treatment. As you know, many symptoms of seasonal allergies align with COVID-19 symptoms, and we would like to avoid sending students home unnecessarily.
Thank you! With your cooperation, we have kept Greenlodge open and students learning and having fun. Please continue to make the safer choice if you have any exposures or symptoms--stay home and get tested.
Watch for symptoms - please do not explain them away as something else!
If your student has any of these, stay home and call their pediatrician. We require either a negative test or doctor’s note with alternative diagnosis to return to school.
Fever or chills
Cough
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Muscle or body aches
New loss of taste or smell
Sore throat
Nausea or vomiting
Diarrhea
Fatigue, when combined with another symptom
Headache, when combined with another symptom
Congestion or runny nose, when combined with another symptom
Testing Sites: The Stop the Spread Sites and City of Boston sites are operating smoothly and provide relatively quick results.
Food Safety: several students at Greenlodge have life threatening allergies. We have a “no outside food” policy to keep them and anyone who may have an undiagnosed allergy safe. Please do not send in any food/treats for the classroom.
Return to Sports After COVID-19: The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that Individuals who test positive for COVID-19 should not exercise until they are cleared by a physician. It is suggested they visit with their primary care physician (PCP) who will conduct a screening and perform a complete physical examination.
Call or email if you have any health-related questions: (781) 310-4248, kduckworth@dedham.k12.ma.us
Pooled Covid-19 Testing
Pool Testing: Pool testing is off to a great start here at Greenlodge. All of the pools from our 1st two testing days came back negative, so no further testing was required.
Here is a brief summary from today's testing:
- We completed testing for all consented students and staff in under 2 hours
- Most first graders swabbed themselves
- 122 individuals were tested today
- 12 classroom based pools (some classrooms combined due to low numbers) and
- 4 staff only pools
If you haven’t already, please send in signed consent forms if you would like your child to participate. You can download and print this form. Please refer to the DPS Pool Testing Website for details and FAQ’s. Please note, individual testing results will not be provided regularly. No news is good news. We will notify families if any pool comes back positive and re-testing is needed.
Library News from Ms. Bickel
Celebrate National Day of Unplugging this week! The national event is sundown on Fri. March 5 through sundown on Sat. March 6, but you can pick any day that works for you and your family. By unplugging, we can focus our time and energy on strengthening our relationships with friends and family, spending time outside, or getting creative. It's especially important to balance our screen time this year! Here are 100 fun unplugged activity ideas to get you started. Take a photo of your child sharing why they unplugged this week and send it to Ms. Bickel, who will put the photos into a slideshow!
Check out the latest edition of Greenlodge News!
DPS Educational Technology
Common Sense Media...
Attendance
- If your child is sick or will be out of school for any reason during REMOTE learning please call the attendance line. 781-310-4799 to report the absence.
- All students will be expected to attend all scheduled remote and in-person sessions.
- Attendance will be taken daily. Teachers will monitor and track student attendance for all scheduled remote sessions.
- If your child is required to stay home due to illness, they may attend school remotely. You must call the attendance line to report this, as well as notifying your child's teacher.
- The school will excuse up to 7 absences in a six month period. Students who are chronically absent will receive notification from the school.
- Please see the student handbook for full details regarding attendance.
Reach out to the PTO Board...
- Co-Presidents Stephanie Hansbury, Stephanie Toledano and Julisa Burgos
- Secretary Julie Titler
- Treasurer Stacy Kelly
Please reach out to any member of the Board with questions or interest in volunteering.
Grade Level Representative Volunteers...
Great news! At this time we have the following reps:
1st grade: Katie McClorey
2nd grade: Kelley Downey and Jen Parnell
3rd grade: Isa Howley, Cheryl Pratt, Erica Huff
4th grade: Carrie Yandresevits and Kara McDermott
5th grade: Isa Howley and MaryEllen McDonough
Directory Spot
The PTO has launched DirectorySpot and you should have received an automated email with download and password setting instructions. It seems many people have had problems with the automated email invite. Here is some info that may help.
Log into DirectorySpot on the web version. Go to https://www.directoryspot.net and click Login in the upper right.
- Enter your email as the username and your DirectorySpot password.
- You should be directed to your family record. If not, go to Directory/Family Search. Find your own record and double click to get the edit screens. You can review the data, make and edits or deletions and click "save." Once finished, click "save." Then to make your record available for others in your directory to see, click the green "Share Data" button. All data is either hidden or shared.
5th Grade Yearbook
The 5th Grade committee has started the process of creating the yearbook for our class. We need your help more so than ever in providing pictures for layouts.
Please click on this flyer for information on how you can submit pictures to us.
The flyer includes a link for the Google Drive so that you can upload pictures.
Please do not hesitate to email us at greenlodgeyearbook@gmail.com if you need help or have any questions!
We would love to see every 5th grader included in our yearbook. Thank you!
Box Tops and Amazon Smile
Here are two easy ways to make a contribution to Greenlodge...
- No more cutting Box Tops. Click here to learn more about scanning your store receipt to get credits for Box Tops.
- Go to https://smile.amazon.com/ and choose to support Greenlodge! Amazon Smile app now available.
Free Classes at Blue Hills Regional Technical School
Check-out the Greenlodge Homepage!
- Links to current and past newsletters and headlines
- Food service information
- Bus application
- Families Digital Support Page
- Counseling resources
- Coronavirus Updates
Other District Information...
Dedham Public Schools has translated resource pages:
Please click here for translated curriculum and resources.
Haga clic aquí para ver el currículo y los recursos traducidos.
Clique aqui para obter o currículo e os recursos traduzidos.
Пожалуйста, нажмите здесь для перевода учебной программы и ресурсов.
Ju lutemi klikoni këtu për kurrikulën dhe burimet e përkthyera.
الرجاء الضغط هنا للحصول على المناهج والمواد المترجمة.
There is also a Parent Support Group for Spanish speaking families.
Learn more here:Parent Support Group Flyer (Spanish)
Video Overview of Parent Support Group (Spanish)
Substance Abuse Support Group for Children: Please see this flyer for information about a virtual group to support children dealing with the impacts of a loved ones substance abuse.
About Us
Email: abodkins@dedham.k12.ma.us
Website: https://www.dedham.k12.ma.us/greenlodge
Location: 191 Greenlodge Street, Dedham, MA, USA
Phone: 781-310-4000
Facebook: facebook.com/GreenlodgeDedham
Twitter: @GLDGESchool