McGovern News!

What an energizing first 2 days at McGovern School! We were thrilled to welcome back our first grade students on Wednesday. They settled right into the routines and schedule beautifully.

It was also so great to see so many students and families at our preschool and kindergarten orientations. We were happy to welcome families back in, even if it was for a brief visit! Our preschool and kindergarten students also did a wonderful job acclimating to school.

Teachers spent a lot of time these first two days getting to know students, reviewing our routines and expectations, and talking about students' hopes and dreams for this school year. This will continue through the first weeks of school. We know there is a lot of "new" for students and we want to ensure we take all the time we need to set up these routines as it sets the foundation for all things to come!

Please remember there is no school on Monday or Tuesday. We will see you on Wednesday, September 8, 2021!

Have a wonderful, long weekend!

Best,

Amy McDonald, Principal

A few parents have reached out about school supply lists. There are no specific materials needed for families to purchase for in school participation. We also recognize that at home school materials can be a burden for families. McGovern school has brand new backpacks and basic materials for home, for any families that need this support. If interested, please reach out to Angela Slevin (aslevin@medwayschools.org) our School Adjustment Counselor, and we'll send your student home with a backpack and some school supplies.

Our car drop off and pick up is back and running smoothly. Please ensure that you follow the guidelines below to ensure safety for all and to keep the line moving!

• Do not leave your car to load and/or unload your child Please stay in your vehicle at all times and staff will load and unload your child into your car (we will not buckle/unbuckle car seats)
• Pull all the way up when approaching the school
  Follow the directions of the staff guiding cars and pull all the way down the driveway. This may mean driving past your student waiting for you. By pulling all the way up, we are able to get more students in their cars, and this speeds up the process
• If picking up your student at McGovern please use the car pick up lane
  Please refrain from parking on the surrounding streets and wait in the "walker area".
• Please hang the car placard daily
  For the safety of all students, please place your car placard in the passenger's side front window daily. This ensures that we are putting the correct students in cars.
  
  For additional information on how dismissal works, please see the Drop Off & Pick Up section below

When dropping off your child(ren) enter the McGovern School driveway by staying in the right hand lane. At the top of the driveway, bear right into the faculty parking lot. Proceed

to the end and turn left into the student drop-off and pick-up lane.

Drop off, for all grades, is between 8:35-8:50 AM. Please stay in your car and staff will begin unloading cars at 8:35. This is a live drop off that goes until 8:50 AM. Once teachers have helped your child(ren) out of the car, please proceed immediately to the exit lane to leave the complex. At no time should vehicles pass other cars, be parked, or left unattended in the pick-up and drop-off lane. If you arrive after 8:50 AM, please do not get in the drop off loop, but park in the front circle and escort your child to the main office as they will be marked tardy.

Important Notes:

• Please do not drop-off your child at the school before 8:35 AM. There is no supervision for the children prior to this time.

• At no time should vehicles be parked or left unattended in the pick-up and drop-off lane.

• Please respect the handicapped parking policy.

• It is most helpful if students are able to get into car/booster seats and buckle themselves safely and independently.

• No vehicles are allowed in the circle area in front of the building during the drop-off and pick-up period.

• Buses only will be utilizing the middle lane in the driveway. Other vehicles will be restricted to the outside enter and exit lanes.

• Children should never be dropped off or picked up in the faculty parking area as crossing the parking lot alone poses a safety issue.

• Pick-up and drop-off is restricted to the designated areas.

• All students who arrive after the start time of 8:50 should go to the school office. They will be marked tardy. For safety reasons, all students must be accompanied by an adult and be checked in at the office. Please do not bring your child to his/her classroom. Teachers are unable to converse with parents after the arrival of their students.

Bicycles

Children in Grade 1 may ride their bikes to school if an adult accompanies them both to and from school. Helmets must be worn.

Changes to Transportation Routines

If you absolutely need to change your child’s typical dismissal or transportation routine, please send a note into school that morning with your child describing the change. Note that children are not permitted to ride home on another child’s bus for the purpose of play dates.

Pick Up:

We follow the same process as drop off. Please have the school issued name plate/placard in the front passenger side window. This not only allows us to organize students quickly, but is a safety measure to ensure we are putting children into the correct car. Once staff has loaded your student into the car, please pull away and exit the complex. At no time should vehicles pass other cars, be parked, or left unattended in the pick-up and drop-off lane. This is a rolling pick up line, so please pay attention to the driver in front of you.

For the safety of all, please acknowledge a slow speed limit, especially if you are running late, In addition, please do not text or be on your phone during pick up and drop off.

The 2021-2022 School calendar was approved at the February 25 School Committee meeting and can be found here.

On August 31st, School Committee voted to reinstate last year's Face Covering Policy. Click here for the complete policy. This outlines the types of masks to be worn in school and when wearing a mask is required. Please see the face covering requirements for anyone inside the school building:

A face covering that covers the nose and mouth must be worn by all individuals in school buildings and on school transportation. Bandanas, neck gaiters, single layer face coverings, and face coverings with vents, ports or perforations of any kind are not permitted as an approved face covering.

Additionally, face masks or face coverings will not be required:

• during mask breaks;

• while eating or drinking;

• while outside.

Since our current 1st grade students did not experience a Playground Night as kindergarteners, MEPTO is sponsoring a 1st grade Playground Night on Friday, September 10, 2021 from 5:30-6:30 PM. Come and meet new friends! You can find a flyer here.

Next week we will practice a fire drill with students. Teachers have reviewed the routine and expectations with students which we will practice next week with the alarm. It is important for students to practice these types of drills ahead of any real emergency so they are clear on what to do.

Bus routes are now available and can be found online by clicking this link. If you have any questions regarding transportation, please contact Mr. Don Aicardi at daicardi@medwayschools.org.

We are pleased to share that we have partnered with JRI Health--Program RISE to host a vaccine clinic on Friday, September 10, from 1-3 PM at Medway Middle School. The vaccine clinic is open to all Medway students, residents, and MPS staff. JRI will be offering the Pfizer vaccine for those 12+ and Johnson and Johnson for those 18+. You will be able to select your vaccination type when registering for an appointment.

For vaccine recipients under the age of 18, a consent form must be completed before receiving the vaccine, or a parent/guardian must be present during the time of vaccination.

If you or your child over the age of 12 would like to receive the vaccine at this clinic, please click here to complete the registration. Pre-registration is recommended but not required; walk-ins will be accepted.

Due to HIPAA regulations, JRI Health will not share information with school administrators about who is registered for the vaccine. Therefore, it will be the responsibility of you and your child to remember the time of their appointment and notify the front office if their appointment time falls within school hours. If you are bringing your child to the clinic, please park in the lot off of Holliston Street and look for the vaccination bus near door #7. Vaccines will be administered on the vaccination bus and then move to the Middle School Presentation room (door #7) for the required 15-30 minute observation period.

We will host a follow-up clinic at Medway Middle School on Friday, October 1, from 1-3 PM for participants to receive the second dose of the vaccine. However, the second dose may be received elsewhere, within 42 days of the initial dose, if you cannot attend the follow-up clinic.

Every child needs a healthy, nutritious meal to learn. Medway Public Schools offers nutritious meals to children each school day and breakfast and lunch will continue to remain free of charge through this school year. Please be sure to check out the menu here to ensure your child likes what is being served that day. You can find the menus by clicking on this link.

Please feel free to make an appointment with our school nurse, Mrs. McKay if your child/children have any medical needs, allergies, and/or questions. She can be reached at pmckay@medwayschools.org.

MPS requests that all guardians complete the Online Registration process, better known as the “beginning of year packet”, within the Parent Portal application by September 30, 2021. Completing the Online Registration ensures we have the most accurate and up to date information for your child(ren) and helps us stay in touch with families. To access the Online Registration Process, please login to the Parent Portal via a computer by clicking here, then choose MORE > Online Registration from the left menu. Follow the prompts to review and confirm the information we have on file. Please note that it may be difficult to complete the forms via a smartphone. Guardians without a portal account can email parent@medwayschools.org for an activation code.

In addition to the beginning of year packet being completed through Online Registration, MPS would like to advise guardians that email and phone number changes can be submitted through the portal anytime during the year. Simply select MORE > Family Information from the menu options, then Update on the individual you wish to change information for. Please note that address changes can not be made through this system as they require proof of residency. Please forward any address changes to parent@medwayschools.org, including a copy of the proof of residency. Click here for POR information.

It is the intent of MPS to continue our 1:1 program for all students in grades k-12. Students in grades k-4 will have a dedicated device for use in the classroom. In the event there is a school closure or special project, the device may be sent home with the student. Students in grades 5 through 12 will have a dedicated device with the expectation the unit travels to and from school daily. The device should be fully charged and kept in good working order according to our 1:1 Initiative information found here. In the event the device needs repair, please email support@medwayschools.org for assistance and we will schedule a pick up or drop off.

Insurance - We encourage families with students in grades 5 through 12 to purchase insurance for the devices in the event they may incur accidental or malicious damage. Repair costs are the responsibility of the family and can range from a $15 keyboard, a $160 touchscreen, to $350 for full replacement. The cost of insuring a device is $20 per year and covers most repair incidents. Insurance is a wise investment when considering the cost of repair. We offer one to four year policies for devices through Worth Ave Insurers. Please note the portal to purchase insurance will be open in mid August. In the event your device is in need of repair, please contact support@medwayschools.org and we will assist you. Families with students in grades k-4 are not encouraged to purchase insurance as the devices will remain in school. In the event they are sent home, MPS will manage any repairs for accidental damage. Families receiving free or reduced lunch will be automatically insured by MPS for one year for all grade levels.

If you are not receiving email communications from the district or the schools, we are here to help. Please email parent@medwayschools.org and a team will work to ensure that you are connected.

Please read the 2021-2022 Elementary School Handbook prior to the start of the school year. It has important information for both McGovern and Memorial Schools.

Sept. 3: No School

Sept. 6: No School, Labor Day

Sept. 7: No School, Rosh Hashanah

Sept. 10: No Preschool Classes

Sept. 16: No School, Yom Kippur

Sept. 30: Back to School Night, time TBD

Oct. 1: No Preschool Classes

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