Wednesday's Words
April 28, 2021
Dear Parents,
I hope your children enjoyed some time off last week and had the chance to get outside and enjoy the warmer weather once it arrived! As we head into the final months of the school year, we look forward to having some steady, uninterrupted learning time with our students. We are pleased to see that Covid 19 case counts across the region and throughout the state are continuing to decline and we are revising our current close contact and quarantine protocols accordingly (for further information see the article below).
While public health data is moving in a positive direction, we continue to encourage families to remain diligent about following recommended health and safety protocols. Screening students daily for symptoms, keeping students home if they show any signs of illness, wearing masks, handwashing and social distancing are effective strategies for reducing virus spread. Minimizing Covid transmission and maintaining a healthy school community is an essential component of keeping our schools open and students learning in our classrooms! We understand that this has been a challenging year and many people are experiencing Covid fatigue, but we are asking for your partnership and assistance so that we can finish the school year strong!
The district will be offering summer academic tutoring to students in grades K-5 who have been identified as requiring additional instruction and support to meet grade level expectations. In addition, we will be offering two separate week-long camps for sixth grade students transitioning to the KP middle school. Information about summer programs will be sent to families in the next few weeks. Kindergarten to Grade 5 parents will be notified directly if their child has been recommended for summer tutoring and will receive information about tutoring times and schedules the week of May 10-14th.
We know that all of our students will have some areas of unfinished learning as a result of the Covid pandemic and we are working on adjusting our curriculum to allow for review and reteaching of critical concepts and differentiated support for students who may require this in September. We are committed to continuous growth and improvement and to supporting the success of all of our children as we recover from this unprecedented public health crisis.
Have a great weekend,
Ingrid Allardi
Superintendent
Revised Guidelines for Close Contacts and for Quarantining
The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has recently modified the definition of close contacts. In addition, based on recent case data and trends in our schools and the community, we are revising our guidelines for quarantine in collaboration with the Norfolk Public Health Nurse, our school medical team and the Norfolk Board of Health. The new guidelines are as follows:
Close contacts are now defined as:
A Close contact is defined as anyone who has been within 6 feet of a covid positive individual for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period.
Close contacts who were exposed to a COVID-19 positive individual in the classroom or on the school bus while both individuals were masked do not have to quarantine unless they were within 3 feet of distance of the COVID-19 positive individual for a total of 15 minutes during a 24-hour period. This does not apply if someone was identified as a close contact outside of the classroom or school bus (e.g., in sports, extra-curriculars, lunch, etc.) or if masks are not worn by both persons at the time of the exposure.
District Quarantine Requirements for Close Contacts:
Close contacts of Covid positive individuals are required to quarantine for a period of 10 days. Students are able to return to school on day 11 if the individual has not experienced any symptoms up to that point AND the individual/parent conducts active monitoring through day 14. No test is necessary under this option.
The quarantine period can be reduced to 7 days if the close contact receives a negative PCR test or a negative Abbott BinaxNOW antigen test result and the test was administered at least five days after the date of exposure. In this case, students may return to school on day 8 once evidence of the negative covid test has been provided to the school nurse. The individual/parent must continue to actively monitor for symptoms through day 14.
Parent/Caregiver Wellness Education
King Philip, Norfolk, Plainville & Wrentham Schools
Parent/Caregiver Wellness Education
REMINDER OF REMAINING THRIVING THURSDAY EVENTS
Thursday, April 29, 2021, 6:30 pm
Dancing with Pandemic Anxiety:
How Parents and Educators Can Support Kids
Presented by Nancy Rappaport, MD
Associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, child psychiatrist at the Cambridge Health Alliance and attending child and adolescent psychiatrist with the Cambridge Public Schools. Co-author of "The Behavior Code: A Practical Guide to Understanding and Teaching the Most Challenging Students."
(No pre-registration required)
Passcode: 524775
Thursday, May 6, 2021, 6:30 pm
Taming your Worry
Presented by Meredith Owens, LICSW
Family Support Counselor, Family Support Partnership
King Philip, Norfolk, Plainville & Wrentham Schools
A presentation to help you understand and respond to the mental health needs and concerns of your child. Take time for Q & A to help you identify strategies, next steps and resources.
Meeting ID: 889 2620 6435
Passcode: 919204
Freeman-Kennedy School - Student Drop-off and Pick-up
2021 Annual Town Meeting
Date: May 8th
Rain Date: May 15th
Time: 10:00am
Place: King Philip Regional High School Football Field
201 Franklin St., Wrentham, MA
Grade 6 Students - Use Engineering Design Process to Build Wave Makers
Grade 6 Art - Relief Sculptures
Grades 3 and 4 Art - Mixing Model Magic to Create A Secondary Color
Preschool Earth Day and Weather Projects
Pre-Schoolers Socially Distanced for a Scavenger Hunt
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