Hello, O'Maley Families!

I hope you are doing well. It's been a while since I have complied information in a newsletter format as opposed to individual emails. I have a few items to share with you as we head into the long weekend. Please read on, and as always, reach out with questions or comments any time!

Best,

Principal Lynne Beattie

The O'Maley SAILS Council has been hard at work. Rather than week-long spirit celebrations, they requested this year to have ongoing weekly Theme Fridays. They have come up with the following so far:

January 22 - Pajama Day

January 29 - Out of this World Day (aliens, astronauts, moon, stars, etc)

February 5 - Favorite Memes

February 12 - Twin Day, Homeroom Style - the entire homeroom dresses like each other or a theme

February 26 - Welcome to the Jungle Day - Jungle animals, explorers, flora and fauna

In other news from the Council:

• Vote for Grade Colors will take place on Tuesday, January 19th via Google Form
• Flip the Teacher Day, February 9th: During SAILS Home Base up to four students can present/teach for 15 minutes each. If there's a resounding response, we'll add a second round in a couple of months.
• Snowperson contest - The next sticky snowstorm everyone is encouraged to make a snow person and take pictures. We will have a contest!
• Virtual Talent Show - Planning for February 24th using a similar format as the spring.

Even if you do not have a SAILS Council member in your family, there is representation from each homeroom, so encourage your students to share their ideas with reps.

Ace has been with us since shortly after Thanksgiving, and has already earned his keep working with students, providing a calm and comforting visitor. I must say that he brightens up my day as well!

GHS SRO Officer Scola wrote a book about Ace showing him in action with various members of the community. Copies of the book will be provided to elementary classrooms.

Unfortunately, we have begun to experience some unkind behavior among a few students related to COVID-19, shunning others in an unkind manner and calling them names if they believe there is an association with COVID-19 in their family. Please remind your children as we will at school, that individuals are not at fault if they catch the virus, and that our safety guidelines of mask-wearing and distance are working. While the continuing increase in cases may be anxiety-provoking, we will not tolerate hurtful behavior of this type. I appreciate your support with this at home, and hope you will discuss it with your child(ren).

Do continue to keep your child home if s/he has any of the identified COVID symptoms listed below. Please do not assume that these symptoms are something else without checking with your health care provider:

• Fever (100.0° Fahrenheit or higher), chills, or shaking chills (CDC has lowered the temperature from 100.4 to 100.0)
• Cough (not due to other known cause, such as chronic cough)
• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• New loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Headache when in combination with other symptoms
• Muscle aches or body aches
• Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
• Fatigue, when in combination with other symptoms
• Nasal congestion or runny nose (not due to other known causes, such as allergies) when in combination with other symptoms

Members of O'Maley staff worked after school on Friday for a second time to complete another ten desks for O'Maley families who requested them to provide a productive workspace for learners at home. Supplemented by a grant from the Gloucester Education Foundation, staff members volunteered time to construct what will be a total of 30 desks. From here, the project is moving up to the high school where students will construct others for families around the district.

A special thank you to Pat Hand for bringing the idea for the project to light, Dan Graham, for acting as liaison with GEF, and especially Dave Brown, who did all the prep and instruction for the project. I can't say I am an expert now, but my building skills have definitely improved as a result!

Parent and Student accounts provide access to grades in the Community Portal. Using the portal to monitor your child is an excellent way to ensure that you are up to date on how s/he is doing.

The link for the portal is below and is also on the O'Maley and GPS websites. Term 1 report cards are still viewable. Term 2 closes February 3rd. Grades for Term 2 will be posted the following week.

Teachers are required to update the portal within two weeks of an assignment's due date; most do it much sooner. Please remember that grades must be transferred from Google Classroom to the portal manually, so there may be a difference in what you view in each venue.

To access, link to the resources below:

SchoolBrains Community Portal Link

Viewing Report Cards on SchoolBrains

SchoolBrains How-to Guide Including Report Card Viewing Information

Email: lbeattie@gloucesterschools.com
Website: http://omaley.gloucesterschools.com
Location: 32 Cherry Street, Gloucester, MA, USA
Phone: 978-281-9850
Twitter: @omaleyprincipal

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