McCarthy Memo
Special March Edition
Sharing resources with our McCarthy Community
All of the teachers and staff at McCarthy are hopeful that you and your loved ones and friends are healthy, safe, and adjusting to our current situation. We held our first(maybe first ever?) "Virtual" Staff Meeting this morning via Zoom. It has only been a few days since we have been together, but I know that I echo the sentiments of everyone when I say it was really nice to reconnect as a staff, catch up on the latest information from the district, and be able to say hi and "see" one another, albeit virtually. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of staying connected via text, email, or virtually to our family and friends. We must be responsible and continue to practice social distancing, but taking a moment to reach out in one way or another to say hello, share a funny story in this new way of life, or just say "Hey, I am thinking of you!" can make all the difference.
In this issue, we are sharing recent information previously shared either by the Framingham Public Schools or the City of Framingham. I hope you find it helpful to have it in one place if and when you may need to refer to it.
As always, I invite you to reach out if you any questions, concerns or need assistance navigating any information related to our school and FPS. Although not in school at this time, I am working from home and want to be accessible to families if you need assistance.
Please stay safe, healthy, and send my greetings to your children! We miss them all and are looking forward to working together as we move through this time.
Be Well!
Cyndy
Translations
Translations for all "McCarthy Memos" are available by scrolling to the bottom of each newsletter and clicking on the "Translate" black bar.
Las traducciones de todas las "McCarthy Memos" están disponibles al desplazarse hasta la parte inferior de cada boletín y hacer clic en la barra negra "Traducir".
Traduções para todos os "McCarthy Memos" estão disponíveis rolando até o final de cada newsletter e clicando na barra preta "Traduzir".
Character Trait of the Month: March is Confidence
Conversation Starters
When you think of confidence,
what people or what kind of
people come to mind?
What is a skill or
activity that you think
you do well?
What advice would you give a
friend who wasn't feeling
confident?
How do you think failure can
positively impact your
confidence?
INFORMATION AND RESOURCES:
On behalf of the Health and Wellness Department, Framingham Public Schools sent this "COVID-19: Helpful Info, Resources, and How to Talk to Children" notification home to families and staff.
Here is the link to the March 12th Facebook Live video. We are documenting all questions (those already answered and those to be answered), will translate them, and will update our Q&A documents as soon as we can.
On March 12th, Dr. Tremblay sent this notification home to families and staff.
On March 12th, Dr. Tremblay sent this Smore Newsletter to families and staff and posted to social media.
Access to Emergency Food Resources
The following is a list of organizations from which residents can access emergency food:
Framingham Public Schools
Beginning on Wednesday, March 18th
Demographic Served: All School-Aged children
Days of Operation: Monday through Friday
Hours of Operation: 10 AM - 1 PM
Contact Information: 508-626-9109
Pick-up Locations:
Cameron Middle School - 215 Elm Street, Framingham, MA 01701
Barbieri Elementary School - 100 Dudley Road, Framingham, MA 01702
Fuller Middle School - 31 Flagg Drive, Framingham, MA 01702
Woodrow Wilson Elementary School - 169 Leland Street, Framingham, MA 01702
DANIEL’S TABLE
Beginning on Tuesday, March 17th, Daniel’s Table will be open and distributing food. Daniel’s Table is looking for volunteers. Please go to https://www.weallvolunteer.org/ to sign up.
Demographic Served: Open to Anyone
Days of Operation: Tuesdays and Fridays, Wednesday (Night)
Hours of Operation: 1 PM - 3 PM, 5 PM - 7 PM (Wed)
Contact Information: 508-405-0769
Pick-up Locations: 10 Pearl Street, Framingham MA
PROJECT BREAD
If you are in need of food security, please contact Project Bread at 1-800-645-8333.
UNITED WAY OF TRI-COUNTY - PEARL STREET CUPBOARD & CAFE AT PARK
Demographic Served: All Ages
Days of Operation: Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Hours of Operation: 9 AM - 1 PM (M, W, F), 5:30 PM- 7 PM (W)
Contact Information: 508-370-4921 and 774-200-3556
Pick-up Locations: 46 Park St., Framingham, MA 01702
A PLACE TO TURN
A Place to Turn will be open during their regular hours (noted below). A Place to Turn is also currently working with the Framingham Housing Authority to ensure delivery of groceries to older adults in housing. If any residents have questions, they are encouraged to give them a call.
Demographic Served: Open to All MetroWest Residents through Referrals
Days of Operation: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday,
Hours of Operation: 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM (M, T, Thurs.)
11 AM - 12:30 PM and 5 - 7 PM (W)
Contact Information: 508-655-8868
Pick-up Locations: 99 Hartford Street, Natick MA
Interested in Volunteering or looking to donate?
INTERESTED IN VOLUNTEERING?
https://www.weallvolunteer.org/
https://www.uwotc.org/volunteer
LOOKING TO DONATE?
The Foundation for MetroWest is a partner in this effort and will be setting up an emergency fund to accept donations. All proceeds will go directly to organizations working to facilitate direct access to hunger relief efforts in Framingham. The Framingham Public Schools nor the City of Framingham will be recipients of these funds. Individuals, organizations, corporations or other entities that would like to donate please visit: https://foundationmw.org/give/donate-now/
A message from FRAMINGHAM SCHOOL DISTRICT 3/17/20
Dear Framingham Families,
We know this extended school closure creates many challenges for families, including concerns about how to support your child’s learning. Regular instruction will not be provided through virtual means during this time to prevent issues of inequity across our district and community.
However, we have created this list of suggestions and resources to help you provide educational experiences for your students while they are out. These activities are not mandatory and, of course, do not replace the high quality instruction provided by your child’s teacher(s). Rather, we solely present these as opportunities to enrich learning and attempt to maintain student engagement until school resumes.
We hope you find these resources helpful as we all find ways to stay connected (virtually) during this unprecedented time.
Until we are able to come together again face-to-face as a school community, please feel free to reach out to your child’s teacher or principal as needed with typical questions. Teachers will be monitoring their email and reaching out to families when they have updates or other information they need to share. The district will be providing COVID19-related information, so please do not refer those questions to the building teachers and administrators.
General suggestions to keep kids active and engaged:
Talk to each other! Begin with these Conversation Starters.
Play your favorite family games! Here are some old-fashioned, tried and true Games that require few or no materials.
Write a play, poem, or story! Then act it out or read it aloud! Need some inspiration? Try these Writing Prompts.
We will be working to post read aloud videos of picture books for elementary students on school websites. Stay tuned as we get those up and running!
We will be offering some science activities and STEAM challenges over the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned as we get those up and running
Ways to stay physically active:
Try to get at least 20 minutes of physical activity per day (but avoid physical contact)!
Consider making weekly goals and create a daily plan for the next three weeks. Kids can track their progress and celebrate successes. Make it a family project!
Don’t forget to stretch--this can even be done while watching TV and helps to relieve tension and stress.
Drink water instead of fruit punch or soda. Stay hydrated!
Make healthy food choices whenever possible.
Dance to a favorite song, hop on one foot while counting by 5s, go for a walk, or try one of these physical education activities at home.
For younger kids, mix in some learning activities.
Meerkat Memo daily
Online resources requiring student login:
i-Ready: All students in grades K-8 have access to i-Ready.
In addition, i-Ready has launched i-Ready.com/AtHome for families to support learning at home. Parents can contact their child’s classroom teacher for log-in information. On the website you’ll find:
Print Resources: Math and Reading Student Activity Packs and Math Pack Answer Keys are available for each grade level.
Families can learn how to get their child started and get tips on how to monitor progress and support their child.
Imagine Learning: For English Learners and dual language Spanish and Portuguese program students in the district with existing accounts, please continue using your Imagine Learning accounts at home on any device with a 9”+ screen. Parents can contact Jennifer LaBollita (jlabollita@framingham.k12.ma.us) or Matt Tobin (matt.tobin@imaginelearning.com) for help with logging in.
Elefante Letrado: For bilingual and dual language Portuguese program students in the district with existing accounts, please continue using your Elefante Letrado accounts at home on any device with a 9”+ screen. Parents can contact Jennifer LaBollita (jlabollita@framingham.k12.ma.us).
RazKids and Reading A-Z: For identified students with existing accounts, please continue to use your accounts at home on any device. Parents can contact their child’s classroom teacher for log-in information.
Type to Learn: Students in Kindergarten through Grade 5 have access to this program that helps to develop keyboarding proficiency. Parents can contact their child’s classroom teacher for log-in information.
Additional Online Resources:
Resources for grades preK-12:
Scholastic Learn at Home: A free resource that will provide all students with 20 days’ worth of learning journeys that span the content areas so you can keep your students actively engaged in learning while your buildings are closed.
PBS Digital Learning Resources: PBS LearningMedia span disciplines for grades PreK-12.
NASA Website for Students: Free catalog of articles, activities, videos, and games for students in grades K–12 on topics related to STEM, aeronautics, and space exploration.
Go Noodle for Families: Choose from a variety of videos dance, practice Zumba, and get some physical activity.
DuoLingo: Learn a language! (Please note: There is no Student Data Privacy Agreement. Parents can choose to create an account for students.)
Code.org and Hour of Code: Learn how to code at all ages. (Please note: There is no Student Data Privacy Agreement. Parents can choose to create an account for students.)
Resources for grades preK-5:
Jump Start: Free online resources for grades K-5 that includes activities in math, social studies, science, and more.
Learning Liftoff: Science experiments you can try at home!