Upcoming Important Dates:
School picture re-takes March 2
Kindergarten 2021-22 Parent Information Night (via Zoom) March 11, 7pm
No School, Professional Development Day March 15
No School, Good Friday April 2
Welcome back! We are happy to be with students after a week of vacation. We are still trying to get outside for recess as much as possible, as it really is an important opportunity for students to move during the day. Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately to be able to spend at least 25 minutes outside each day. Students should wear BOOTS every day that there is snow on the ground. Thank you!
Return to Full In-Person Learning Survey
As our district plans for an eventual return to full in-person learning, understanding our families' perspective is an important part of the process. To inform our thinking, please take a few minutes to complete this brief survey regarding your comfort level with moving below 6 feet of physical distancing in our schools. For your reference, we have also included the most recent CDC guidelines for K-12 schools. There are a couple of details that will help the survey process go smoothly:
Please complete a separate survey for each HWRSD student in your household.
Please complete the survey by this Friday, February 26th, by 5:00 p.m.
In advance, thank you for taking the time to provide us with this valuable information. We'll be sure to share out the results once we've had time to process the data.
Survey Link: https://forms.gle/vxzGeHesng6P92SM9
Kindergarten Information Night/Registration
On Thursday, March 11th, the HW Elementary Principals and Kindergarten teachers will host a webinar for incoming 2021 Kindergarten Parents @ 7:00pm. 2021-2022 On-Line Registration begins Monday, March 15th. Links and details to come!
8 TIPS TO MAKE IT THROUGH THE WINTER
Boston Children's Hospital advises the following 8 tips to help you make it through the winter during the COVID-19 pandemic:
1) Stick to a health routine. 2) Do at least one mood-boosting activity every day.
3) Get outside. 4) Make inside more interesting. 5) Start a new hobby. 6) Do nice
things for other people. 7) Practice gratitude. 8) Make a wish list.
TRAVEL
All Massachusetts residents are required to comply with the COVID-19 travel order. If you are traveling out of state, the travel order requires that you quarantine for 10 days upon return to MA or seek COVID-19 PCR testing no earlier than 72hrs prior to your return to MA. A negative COVID-19 PCR test needs to be submitted to your school nurse prior to your child(ren)'s return to in-person learning.
Weekend Travel
If you are traveling out of state for less than 72 hours, a test collected before you depart from MA is not in compliance with the travel order. The test needs to be completed while out of state or upon your return to MA. See Other Potential Traveler Scenarios question 9 for this information.
COVID-19 TESTING
If your child is experiencing potential COVID-19 symptoms please keep your child home from school and/or contact their health care provider and seek testing if advised. We ask you to seek a COVID-19 PCR test which is considered the gold standard for testing. MA has many free stop the spread testing locations. There are locations in Salem which do not require an appointment and are open 6 days a week. There is also a location in Lynn through Beacon Testing that takes appointments and requires registration. We often hear that families receive their results in less than 24 hours.
"Recognizing the impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on children’s mental health, the Office of the Child Advocate (OCA) joined forces with the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) and the Department of Mental Health (DMH) to launch HandholdMA.org, a new family-friendly website for parents and guardians of school-aged children who are concerned about their child’s mental health." If you have concerns about your child(ren) please reach out to your school nurse or school counselor.
WELL FITTING MASK
New information from the CDC on double masking to maximize the fit and effectiveness of a mask.
Missing any items? Anything look familiar? We have set-up a lost and found table in the gallery. If you recognize any items below, please email me at s.williams@hwschools.net and we will send the item home with your child.
School Picture Retakes - Tuesday, March 2nd
We have established a school picture re-take date with O'Connor Studios for Tuesday, March 2nd. This will be for those families who wish to have their child's picture re-taken OR for families who may not have been present on the original picture date.
Several families have already let me know if they were interested in pictures/re-takes. If you have not done so already, please email me so that I can establish a schedule for that date.
You can email me at s.williams@hwschools.net. I will also send a reminder email as we get closer to the date.
Re-takes: If you are having your child's photo re-taken, you will need to return the original photos and complete the back of the photo package you received them in. Your child will hand this to the photographer on that day. They will process the same package utilizing the new photo. If you are looking to change the original package you ordered, you will need to contact O'Connor Studios Customer Service at 978-640-6250.
New photos: For those families who did not get pictures taken on the original date, I'm waiting for O'Connor to mail me order packets. As soon as I receive them, I will send one home with your child if you emailed me you are interested in pictures.
I hope your break was as nice as possible and allowed you and your family opportunities to relax and recharge. I am still offering office hours for parents or students on Thursdays from 10-10:30 through Zoom. It has been a pleasure to see some of you there and I look forward to connecting with more of you! To ensure privacy, I will have the waiting room feature enabled and will be sure to message anyone waiting. Ms. Creilson’s Zoom Link
Cutler School Adjustment Counselor
a.creilson@hwschools.net
978-468-8475
