Natick Public Schools: Weekly District Update For January 28

Press release from Natick Public Schools:

January 28, 2022

Translation Support: Visit our Translation Help page for assistance.

Non-Discrimination Statement: Natick Public Schools does not discriminate in employment nor in its educational programs, services and activities on the basis of race, creed, color, age, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, physical and intellectual differences, immigration status, homeless status, or any other basis prohibited by law.

Federal and State Legislation Addressing Discrimination in Educational Institutions You will find links to the contacts for each of the following statutes below.

Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990Title VI

MGL, Ch.76, Section 5: Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 76, Section 5

January 28, 2022

District Calendar

January-February (this week)

• Feb. 1-28: Black History Month
• Feb. 1-15: Lunar New Year
• Feb. 1: National Freedom Day
• Feb. 2: Early Release Day
• Feb. 2: Johnson Current Grades 2 & 3 Families Transition Meeting

Please also refer to your school calendar for school-based activities & information.

Due to weather this weekend, all activities in school buildings are canceled for Saturday, January 29, and no activities will commence before noon on Sunday, January 30.

Superintendent Memo

Dear Natick Community:

I hope you are looking forward to a snowy, sledding, snuggly, reading-filled day tomorrow with some bouts of intermittent shoveling. I hope all of your children help you with snow removal as well. Remember that if you know of a shut-in individual or someone who needs shoveling assistance, the Superintendent's Service Brigade can help! Email me!

We had a meeting with our Johnson School families to discuss transition (materials and video will be on our Johnson Transition website which is linked below if anyone missed it). We look forward to seeing the rest of the JES community this upcoming Wednesday. As we head into this transition for the Johnson school, we will meet with our townwide PCC (Parent Coordinating Council) to help create a calendar of townwide events designed to connect us as we return from COVID conditions and welcome Johnson families into their new schools. Please join me in reassuring JES families that all schools are as welcoming and connected as Johnson. Each of our schools has a vibrant culture that promotes belonging.

Speaking of a vibrant school that cultivates belonging -- NHS -- it is with a heavy heart that I share with the community at large that the leader at the center of that connected culture, Brian Harrigan, has taken a new role as Head of School at the Francis Parker Charter School, a Horace Mann School, in Worcester. Mr. Harrigan has been with us many years and is ready for a new challenge citing, "it is the pull of the charter school and its mission and 400 students that pulls me, not a push away from Natick." I am personally and professionally sad to lose this leader from our ranks, but we always support and grow our staff knowing they may leave us one day.

Information on an upcoming search and how families will be involved in many parts of the process will be forthcoming. Natick is a desirable and attractive district for leaders and I am confident we will find our next NHS leaders soon.

Meanwhile, we interviewed 12 strong Memorial Elementary principal candidates this week and will move forward 7 candidates to the interview panel of parents, teachers, support staff, a school committee member, and central office staff. Very exciting people!

Other upcoming searches:

Director of Social Emotional Learning & Equity
Director of Security and Safety

Info on all searches coming soon.

Enjoy your weekend,

Anna

Updated COVID-19 Testing Procedure

As you may be aware, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has provided new guidance for testing for all K-12 schools. We wanted to provide you with an update on how these changes affect your child and how Natick Public Schools plans to conduct COVID-19 testing moving forward.

WHAT’S CHANGING?

Natick Public Schools is shifting away from pooled testing (PCR) and toward at-home weekly rapid antigen tests. We expect this change to occur the second week of February and will communicate a specific timeline once the requested testing materials have been received. In the meantime, pool testing continues.

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is providing antigen (rapid) COVID-19 tests for students to use at home with the expectation students test at home once a week.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE INFORMATION ON THE NEW TESTING PROCEDURE

CLICK HERE TO FILL OUT THE OPT-IN FORM FOR THE NEW TESTING PROCEDURE

Special Education Services Update

Parents of students receiving special education services may view the presentation materials and recording of our presentation provided to families on January 26, 2022. This presentation was provided as a session in a learning series of events developed for families of students receiving special education services.

Erin Miller and Timothy Luff provided an overview of summer programming for students who receive special education services as well as general programming updates.

Summer Programming for Students Receiving Special Education Services/Program Updates Slide Deck

Program Updates

Summer Programing for Students Receiving Special Education Services/Program Updates Recording

Current ASAP/ Early Risers Families

Dear Current Early Risers and ASAP Families,

Re-enrollment for the 2022-23 school year will take place Monday, February 7 through Sunday, February 13 at ezchildtrack.com/natickasap/parent.

Please read the re-enrollment Information Letter and FAQ (link) carefully for all of the information you need to re-enroll, request schedule changes, add a new sibling, or make the transition to middle school next year!

See also:

• 22-23 Registration Dates to Remember
• Early Risers/ASAP General Info & FAQ

22-23 deposit and tuition rates are not yet final. We will announce any changes as soon as possible.

Questions? Email me anytime!

Thank you,

Megan Cap-Renzi
Director, Natick ASAP and Early Risers Program
90 Oak Street, Natick, MA 01760
508-647-6400, ext. 2882 / Cell: 774-270-6726

Phone Number at our Full Day Program/Auburn Street: 508-397-0112
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

22-23 Registration Dates to Remember Early Risers/ASAP General Info & FAQ

ASAP/ Early Risers & New Family Registration

22-23 ASAP & Early Risers New Family Registration

Between March 14 and April 8, 2022, new families may register online for ASAP and Early Risers 2022-23.

For more information about our programs, go to www.natickps.org/programs/asap.

For details about the registration process, see the Registration tab on our web page or click here. If applications exceed the space available, placement will be determined by lottery. All registrations received between March 14 and midnight on April 8 will be entered into the lottery.

Please note:

• ASAP (after school) is offered at all five elementary and middle schools in Natick Public Schools.
• Early Risers (before school) is offered at elementary schools only.

Questions? Check out our general information, frequently asked questions, family handbook, and activity calendars on our web page.

Still no luck? Email us at asap@natickps.org. Thanks!

UPDATE for Sports Team and Spectators and Arts/Concert Attendees

1/28/22

Sports Spectators

Natick High School and Middle School Athletics are extending the following protocols for all games/contests until Sunday, January 30, 2022. The spectator and team restrictions will be lifted on Sunday, January 30, 2022. We will be returning to full capacity crowds at this time with the only restriction remaining that masks for all spectators are mandatory at all NHS Athletic Sites (including off-campus facilities).

By all reports, the Natick community continues to trend in a positive direction and it is the feeling of the Natick Health Department, The Natick Nursing Clinic, and the Natick Public Schools that one more week with these restrictions is necessary. As a community, we will support and comply with this measure in full.

To help with information sharing, these are the same rules for all games in Brookline, Framingham, Needham, Newton, Wellesley, and Weymouth (these are some of our opponents over the next week).

For all games considered home games/contests hosted by Natick up until Sunday, January 30, 2022, we will be following these new guidelines:

• limiting spectators to 2 adult guests per player for both home/away teams
• live streaming games at as many levels as our teams/Natick Pegasus can handle

Arts/ Honors Recitals
None pending this week

Johnson Transition Grade Level Community Meetings

We have been meeting with Johnson incoming K, K, and Grade 1 Meetings and have met with approximately 55 families. To give families the chance to talk together, now that their individualized conferences have occurred, the following parent facilitated meetings will be held.

VIEW THE MOST RECENT TRANSITION MEETING & PRESENTATION HERE

Dates for Family Grade Level Meetings

Johnson Advisory Group (JAGuars), Alicia Lynch, Orion Smith facilitating for families with current JES Grade 2 & 3 students: February 2 at 7 p.m.

Virtual MeetingLink

Free COVID-19 Tests Available Through USPS

Free at-home COVID-19 rapid tests are available via the United States Postal Service through a new web-based ordering platform. Each household is entitled to 4 testing kits through this program. Order these rapid antigen tests from the U.S. Post Office at COVID Home Test | USPS.

COVID UPDATES

DAILY COVID Symptom Screening (Checklist)

Students and staff who are SICK should STAY HOME.

Please monitor for symptoms each morning before school by reviewing the COVID Symptom Checklist (link).

1/28/22
Weekly COVID Case Dashboard

POOLED TESTING UPDATES

Johnson: 4
Brown: 2
BenHem: 3
Memorial: 3
Lilja: 3
Wilson: 3
Kennedy: 7
Preschool: 0

State Changes to COVID protocols are here:

Important COVID Updates for Families

Changes to COVID Response Protocols in Schools (DESE/MA DPH)

Also, given the huge surge in cases in our region, state, and town, the Department of Education has asked us to treat any student as if they are a close contact.

To the best of our ability, we will notify parents of close contacts, in keeping with DESE expectations. As of November 30th, the state contact tracing unit CTC closed and no support from the state has been given to municipalities or schools. In the surge, both boards of health and schools are now overwhelmed by cases and cannot definitively track close contacts. You will see that for some schools, the sheer number of cases means that close contacts cannot be determined. Many students contracted COVID over the break and have been tested at school and been found positive. We tested over 500 students this past week. We expect a similar surge week this week.

If your child has symptoms, do not send them to school, call your physician and the school nurse to strategize on the next steps.

COVID Cases (See Below) - Click on Image to Enlarge

Chart Terminology:
CC's = Close Contacts

Reading Note:
CC does not mean that these students are in quarantine. Depending on the circumstances, masking and vaccination status, location. As a reminder, direct contact from school nurses and principals occurs if a person is in close contact. We share the close contact information and remind everyone that vaccination helps to avoid needing to quarantine should a close contact occur.
The following close contacts are exempt from testing and quarantine response protocols:

• Asymptomatic, fully vaccinated close contacts: Individuals who are asymptomatic and fully vaccinated are exempt from testing and quarantine response protocols.
• Classroom close contacts: An individual who is exposed to a COVID-19 positive individual in the classroom while both individuals were masked, so long as the individuals were spaced at least 3 feet apart, is exempt from testing and quarantine response protocols.
• Bus close contacts: Individuals on buses must be masked according to federal requirements. As such, individuals who are masked on buses when windows are open are exempt from testing and quarantine response protocols.
• Close contacts who have had COVID-19 within the past 90 days: An individual who has been previously diagnosed with COVID-19 and then becomes a close contact of someone with COVID-19 is exempt from testing and quarantine response protocols if:
• The exposure occurred within 90 days of the onset of their illness AND
• The exposed individual is recovered and remains without COVID-19 symptoms.

COVID Procedures

Included in this link are all the updated DPH and DESE COVID Response Protocols (link) -- updated this week. However, due to the surge of cases across the Commonwealth, DESE and our Department of Public Health have been informed that we cannot contact trace. To this end, any student in a class with an infected student or pool has been notified of being a possible close contact.

PLEASE NOTE: Our school nurses are here to serve students and their medical needs. Please do not call school seeking advice if you or your family are sick or quarantined, traveling, or testing. If our nurses contact you, it will be about contact tracing within school and outcomes of our testing programs in school.

Our school nurses are NOT contact tracers or advisors for the Natick Department of Public Health like they were last year. If your child is a close contact and eligible for any symptom or test and stay testing you will be notified directly. All other calls should go to your Dr. or department of public health relative to your community-based COVID cases.

Not seeing the School Newsletters or Community Updates section?

At the bottom of this email, click on "View Entire Message" to see the full Engage newsletter.

WEEKLY SCHOOL NEWSLETTERS

Please click on the school name below to read the newsletter for this week.

NATICK PRESCHOOL

JOHNSON SCHOOL

KENNEDY

ADDITIONAL INFO FOR FAMILIES

METCO PRESENTS MR. PARENT
Friday, February 4 at 8 p.m.

METCO invites the community to come together for thought-provoking artistic performances that foster meaningful conversations about race on Friday, Feb. 4 at 8 p.m. Please join other METCO community members at this performance of MR. PARENT by Melinda Lopez and produced by The Lyric Stage Company of Boston.

Mr. Parent is a powerful and hilarious solo performance about the brilliance of every kid, and how we might all find the space to be ourselves within inequitable systems. This world premiere production is based on the real-life adventures of award-winning actor and director Maurice Emmanuel Parent as he balanced his artistic career with teaching in the Boston Public Schools.

A limited number of $10 tickets are available for Boston and suburban families to enjoy, and METCO community members are invited to a special discussion about public education after the show.

SAVE THE DATE
LGBTQ+ Basics and Beyond

Thursday, February 3, 2022, from 7-8 P.M.

Curious about some part of the LGBTQ+ acronym? Want to support transgender people but not sure where to start? This presentation will equip participants with up-to-date vocabulary, answers to frequently asked (and frequently awkward!) questions, and basic tools for effective allyship.

ASL interpretation will be provided at this event.

Hosted by SPARK Kindness

REGISTER HERE

MORSE INSTITUTE LIBRARY

Teen Survey Now Open

Morse Institute Library is asking Natick teens to complete a survey for the library to gather feedback on future plans for the library. Complete the survey to be entered for a chance to win one of three $20 Amazon gift cards: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/mil-teensurvey2022.

Reminders & Resources

Inclement Weather Procedures for Winter 2021/22

Our most current School Cancellation and Delay procedures that will be used in the event of inclement weather is accessible on our website at https://www.NatickPS.Org/About/Cancellations_Delays.

Language Lessons with Global Child

Your journey into world languages and cultures begins with a global child.

Join their fun and academic in-person or virtual classes. Classes are available for one-on-one/private or group sessions. They now offer classes for adults & children in:

• Arabic
• ASL
• Chinese
• French
• Italian
• Portuguese
• Russia
• Spanish

Click here to more about Global Child and connect with them for lessons and information today!

Jeff’s Place Program Updates: Counseling and Support

We are so glad to continue offering our virtual Young Adult Support Group for individuals 18-25 years old who have experienced the death of an immediate family member. If you or someone you know is interested in joining, click apply here with this link.

Requests for Individual Counseling services have been increasing throughout the pandemic. They are pleased to announce that they are accepting new clients. Apply here with this link.

Season’s Breathing: Jeff's Place Yoga

This month Jeff’s Place offered its first yoga class as part of the Coping with the Holidays workshop series. Yoga offers many benefits including supporting a grieving heart by helping us loosen the emotional and physical tightness in our bodies caused by grief.

This form of self-care isn’t about physical flexibility, it is a way to find peace and stability during a time when this is missing from our lives. It is a practice that allows you to show up as you are and can be a great companion for your overall health and healing.

For more information about yoga at Jeff’s Place, learn more by clicking this link.

Caring for Our Community

Our current landscape has been challenging, and the holidays can be hard for many on top of it all. To that end, we wanted to remind the community of two resources for counseling and emotional support. Both of these resources are free to you.

Interface Counseling Referral Services

The District is in partnership with William James College and shares these resources for your family if you need support.

Community Hub & Care Navigator

Provided by Behavioral Health Partners of MetroWest (BHPMW)

Our knowledgeable and compassionate Care Navigators are here to listen and then to match you to the best services for yourself, your family member, or—if you are a health care or other service provider—a person in your care. There is no charge for this service.

The Navigation Line supports the following languages:
Arabic, English, French, Moroccan, Portuguese, Spanish

How to Request Services or Make a Referral
1-844-528-6800

Call our toll-free number Monday-Friday for a free consultation with one of our Care Navigators.
(a Care Navigator will return your call within 24 hours, Monday through Friday)

Or visit the Care Connection Referral website.

NATICK 180
Make the Right Call this Winter

Winter CAN BE A CHALLENGING TIME OF THE YEAR

If you are concerned about yourself or somebody else's substance use, there are available local resources and ways to reduce risk.

Natick 180 is committed to assisting community members who are addicted to opioids, which include commonly prescribed painkillers such as OxyContin, Percocet, and Vicodin, as well as street drugs like heroin. In order to save the lives of friends and neighbors who experience opioid use disorder, and shares tips to reduce the risk of a fatal overdose in this PDF.

For more information, contact Natick 180 at natick180@natickma.org or (508) 647-6623.

Translating our Newsletter & Website

Translation Support:

Visit our Translation Help page for assistance.

Non-Discrimination Statement:
Natick Public Schools does not discriminate in employment nor in its educational programs, services, and activities on the basis of race, creed, color, age, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, physical and intellectual differences, immigration status, homeless status, or any other basis prohibited by law.

Federal and State Legislation Addressing Discrimination in Educational Institutions
You will find links to the contacts for each of the following statutes below.

• Title I: Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990Title II
• Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990Title VI
• Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964Title IX
• Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972
• MGL, Ch.76, Section 5: Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 76, Section 5

Title I: Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990Title II Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990Title VI Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964Title IX Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 MGL, Ch.76, Section 5: Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 76, Section 5

NATICK PUBLIC SCHOOLS
natickps.org

This press release was produced by Natick Public Schools. The views expressed here are the author’s own.