Dewing School Details
Office Update: October 28, 2022
Information from Mrs. Bosworth
Dear Parents/Guardians,
What a great week we have had! So many wonderful learning experiences await us here at the Dewing.
Just a reminder, there is a half day this Tuesday, November 1st. Dismissal for K-2 is at 11:55. There will be no PM Pk or 21st century. Please update pickup patrol with any changes before 9 am! We will not be able to accommodate any change requests at the last minute. We have almost 600 little ones who need to be dismissed safely and we appreciate everyone's compliance with not making last minute requests.
On Thursday, November 3rd, we have our parent/teacher conferences. We ask that children do not attend these conferences as they are an opportunity for families to hear about all of the growth their children have had since the beginning of the year. Also, please be sure to arrive 5 minutes early as the schedules are very tight. A delayed arrival may result in a missed conference.
The month of November, the Dewing School runs a food drive for the Tewksbury Food Pantry. This is a fun contest where the winning classes in the wings are awarded with watching their teachers throw a pie in the face of some of our brave staff.....
Spirit Week-please see the flyer below with information on spirit week (Oct 31-Nov 4)
Have a nice weekend!
Alexis Bosworth
Principal
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Important Dates:
November 1-Half Day/No PM PK
Book Fair-Nov 3-9
November 10-Veteran's Day Assembly (students only)
November 11-No School-Veteran's Day Observed
November 23-Half Day/No PM PK
November 24 & 25-Thanksgiving holiday. No School
Library Update From Mrs. Smallidge
We have had a great start of the year in Library! I’ve been enjoying working with your children so much.
We are currently finishing up our nonfiction unit. Students at all grade levels have been learning about the various features of a nonfiction book, from the table of contents to the index.
Kindergarten particularly enjoyed learning about pigs. We emphasized how even if you can’t read the words in a nonfiction book, you can still learn a lot by looking closely at photographs. They then drew what they had learned. You can see their beautiful, detailed drawings hanging in the library.
First grade’s favorite lesson was brainstorming body parts and then skimming a nonfiction book about bodies to learn more about them. They could have kept skimming and learning for hours!
Second grade worked hard on listening for information and taking notes. We read a book about tarantulas and scorpions, which they found fascinating, and then created a Venn diagram comparing the two.
I will be at the Dewing School for parent-teacher conferences. Please feel free to drop by the cafeteria, where the library is currently housed, and say hello. I am also available during my extra help hours, which are Wednesdays from 8:15 - 8:45 and Thursdays from 8:00 - 8:30, alternating weekly between Dewing and Heath Brook. You can also reach out to me at msmallidge@tewksbury.k12.ma.us.
These items were in previous newsletters, but are still helpful!
My View Bus App
Information from Superintendent Regan's Smore: MyView is an easy-to-use mobile app that allows you to check on the location of your student’s school bus. The app allows you to view a real-time, map-based bus locator which can alert you by email or text when the bus enters a specific zone (i.e., a mile from your bus stop).
All parent information is locked down and password protected within the app to prevent unauthorized people from opening the app and viewing the student’s bus information.
To set up Zonar MyView:
Download the Zonar MyView app from the App Store or Google Play.
Enter the School Access Code when prompted - STA9559.
Go to your child's Aspen account: (If you do not remember your access to ASPEN, please contact your student’s school secretary.)
Enter your child's LASID which can be found in ASPEN.
Enter your child's bus route you wish to follow
Create alert zones around drop-off and pick-up points (usually your own address).
It will take 24 hours for your newly created account to become active. If, after 24 hours, you have any questions about the use of this app, please email Tewksbury Transit at tti@tewksburytransit.com.
Updated Fall 2022 COVID Guidance
TPS will continue to follow guidance from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), Department of Public Health(DPH) and Center for Disease Control (CDC). The most recent updates from August 15, 2022 can be found at
In the most recent updates, the Commonwealth is not recommending universal mask requirements, surveillance testing of asymptomatic individuals, contact tracing, or test-to-stay testing in schools.
As always, we will continue to ask that all students and staff who are not feeling well to stay home. People who have symptoms of respiratory or gastrointestinal infections, such as cough, fever, sore throat, vomiting, or diarrhea should not report to school. COVID-19 testing is recommended for people with any of the above symptoms as soon as possible after symptoms begin. Staying home when sick can help us lower the risk of spreading infectious illnesses to other people.
Key information from the DESE and DPH most recent updates has been summarized below.
We wish everyone a happy and healthy school year.
Masking:
Masking is no longer required in our schools but is recommended when there is known or suspected exposure to COVID-19. As always, any individual who wishes to continue to mask, will be supported in that choice. Exposed individuals should wear a well fitted mask around others for 10 days from their last exposure, regardless of vaccination status or history of prior infection. The DPH and DESE do still require masking at all times in healthcare settings, including school nurses’ offices.
Vaccinations:
Staying up to date on routine vaccinations is essential to prevent illness from many different infections. DESE AND DPH strongly recommend that all faculty, staff, and students receive the COVID-19 vaccine primary series and all boosters, as they become eligible for them. Information will be shared regarding equitable access to vaccinations through town-based clinics and accessible information on other opportunity offerings. Throughout this August and September, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) is providing many options for free family-friendly COVID-19 vaccination clinics. If you are interested in finding a vaccination clinic, click here.
Testing at School:
The CDC and DPH no longer recommends routine screening testing in K-12 schools. Students or staff who come to school with symptoms or develop symptoms while at school will be asked to wear a mask while in the building and will be sent home and encouraged to get tested.
A rapid antigen test, such as a self-test, is preferred to a PCR test in most situations.
To count days for isolation, Day 0 is the first day of symptoms OR the day the day positive test was taken, whichever is earlier.
Contact tracing is no longer recommended or required in these settings, but schools or programs must continue to work with their Local Board of Health in the case of outbreaks.
Quarantine & Isolation
Please see the full guidance on Isolation and quarantine guidance for individuals in educational settings. Below are excerpts from the guidance:
Quarantine:
Quarantine due to exposure is no longer required nor recommended for children or staff, regardless of vaccination status or where the exposure occurred. All exposed individuals may continue to attend programming as long as they remain asymptomatic. Those who can mask should do so until Day 10, and it is recommended that they test on Day 6 of exposure. If symptoms develop, follow the guidance for symptomatic individuals, below.
Isolation:
Children and staff who test positive must isolate for at least 5 days. If they are asymptomatic or symptoms are resolving and they have been fever free without the use of fever-reducing medicine for 24 hours, they may return to programming after Day 5 and should wear a high-quality mask through Day 10:
If the individual is able to mask, they must do so through Day 10.
If the child has a negative test on Day 5 or later, they do not need to mask.
If the individual is unable to mask, they may return to programming with a negative test on Day 5 or later.
Mitigation Strategies at School:
We will continue to encourage effective hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette. Hand washing continues to be the #1 mitigation strategy to prevent the spread of germs. We will continue to have hand sanitizer available throughout our schools with supervision. Please help us by teaching and reinforcing your children in covering coughs and sneezes to help keep individuals from getting and spreading infectious illnesses.
TPS will continue to optimize ventilation and maintain improvements to indoor air quality to reduce the risk of contaminants spreading through the air. We will continue to increase outdoor air intake and improve air filtration. For example, safely opening windows and doors, including on school buses and vans, and using portable air purifiers with HEPA filters in all of our buildings. TPS will also continue with increased cleaning of frequently touched surfaces to reduce the risk of germs.
Dewing School
Website: www.tewksbury.k12.ma.us
Location: 1469 Andover Street, Tewksbury, MA, USA
Phone: 978-640-7858