Dear Medway families,
We hope that this finds you well. As we approach the end of our second full month of school, there are several updates to share. Recently, we learned yesterday afternoon that the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, announced that the mask mandate for all public schools in Massachusetts has been extended until at least January 15, 2022. This announcement does not impact our movement toward requesting a mask exemption for vaccinated students and staff at Medway High School (see below). The complete announcement can be found here. Please find additional updates below.
Be well,
Armand Pires, Ph.D.
Superintendent
Memorial School Plaque Honorees Celebrated
Last Thursday, we celebrated three honorees during the annual Memorial Plaque Dedication Ceremony. The honorees have contributed significantly to the Town of Medway having served in elected, appointed, and/or volunteer positions. Their names have been added to the Memorial School Plaque. The inductees are: Karen Regan, Paul Galante, and Penny Kelley. Congratulations to all the honorees and their families. More information can be found here.
Mask Exemption Request to DESE
Last week, the School Committee authorized the execution of a mask exemption request to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education on behalf of Medway High School. As you are aware, Medway High School qualifies for this exemption request with a vaccination rate over 80% among students, faculty and staff. In addition to the required vaccination rate, in order to implement the mask exemption, MHS must meet the following five additional criteria:
- No instances of in-school transmission at MHS
- No identified clusters within in-school groups (classroom, activity)
- Town of Medway positivity rate of less than 2>#/li###
- Weekly testing of at least 50% of MHS students and staff
- School testing weekly positivity rate of 3% or less
If the exemption is granted by DESE, and the additional criteria is met, vaccinated students and staff may opt to remove their mask indoors. Unvaccinated students and staff, and all visitors, will be required to wear a mask inside Medway High School. The complete presentation can be found here. We will be hosting a webinar for families interested in learning more about the mask exemption on November 2, 2021 at 6:30 p.m. A registration link can be found here.
School Committee Approves Additional “Pandemic Mitigation” Funding
At its June 10 meeting, the school committee voted to approve funding in support of the district’s identified pandemic mitigation needs. At the October 21 meeting, the school committee voted to approve funding for requests that will add two School Adjustment Counselors (middle school and high school) and also support our work with our K-5 Literacy Action plan.
School Committee Welcomes New Student Representative
The school committee was pleased to welcome Carter Pomonio to his first meeting as student representative. Carter will be partnering with Anna Tonelli to fulfill this role throughout this school year.
Technology Capital Plan Shared with School Committee
At the school committee meeting last week, Richard Boucher, Director of Information Technology shared the FY23 Technology Capital Plan. The plan has been brought forward to the town for their review as part of the FY23 Budget Process. The plan presented can be found here
Save the Date For an Important Parent Event: Lisa Damour: Under Pressure
Medway T.H.R.I.V.E. and Medway SEPAC are excited to host a virtual parent event on November 3, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. Lisa Damour, Ph.D., the New York Times bestselling author of Untangled, returns with an urgently needed guide to the alarming increase in anxiety and stress experienced by girls from elementary school through college. Damour details the many facets of girls’ lives where tension takes hold and offers critical coping strategies that will help parents to reduce their daughters’ anxiety and address the toxic pressures to which our culture subjects girls and young women. To register for this event, please click here.
Parent’s Basic Rights Workshop
Last week Medway’s Special Education Department partnered with Medfield Public Schools to present a Parent’s Basic Rights Workshop. The presentation may be found here, and the recording can be viewed here using the following passcode: 3?M!O=y?
Student COVID-19 Testing Update
Please note that there will be no testing the week of November 20 due to Thanksgiving recess. Testing will resume the following week.
We have begun to notice that, although our enrollment in our weekly COVID testing program is over 50% in our schools, student participation has been declining. Our goal is to utilize the information gained from our testing program to support our decision making about mitigation strategies. Families, we need your help! Please share with your children the importance of participating in this program.
If you have not already registered your child and you would like your student to participate in weekly testing, please complete this consent form and select Medway as your district as well as the appropriate school for your student. As previously communicated, consent forms completed this week will allow your student(s) to begin participating in routine COVID-19 safety checks the week of November 1. We encourage all students to participate in weekly COVID-19 safety checks, regardless of vaccination status.
Action Required: Parent Portal Student Information Update
Thank you to those families who have provided necessary updates to family information through the Parent Portal within Infinite Campus. Sixty percent of our families have completed this crucial process thus far.
ALL families are asked to please complete the Online Registration [OLR] option, better known as the “beginning of year packet,” within the parent portal system. This process allows parents to see the information we have on file and make updates if needed. We also require review and sign-off of our Responsible Use Policy and Handbook as part of this process. Please navigate to the Parent Portal within Infinite Campus and select MORE (on the left menu) then Online Registration from the menu options to complete this process. If you are a family that does not have an account, please email parent@medwayschools.org and we will forward a personal activation code to create one.
Food Services: Supply Chain Disruptions
Due to national shortages of food and packaging materials, labor shortages, vendor delivery delays, and cancellations, our menus are subject to change based on availability. Please know that our team is working hard to provide meals every day, adjust on the fly, and provide timely updates. However, it is important to note that we may need to make quick menu substitutions based on what we have on hand, but we are trying to make comparable changes wherever possible. Thank you for your continued support and patience. Please contact Shawn Fallon (sfallon@medwayschools) with any questions or concerns.
Community Education Department
We are pleased to share that, starting on November 2, we will be hosting our first series of “extended day” programs (before school at MHS and after school in our PK-8 schools). These initial Fall programs are targeted to support students who have demonstrated a need for an extra boost in either mathematics and / or literacy. These programs, in combination with in-school, during the day interventions, are aimed to close learning and achievement gaps.
Community Education still has many wonderful programs to join this Fall! Check out these fun enrichment classes - Pumpkin & Gourd Centerpiece; Sea Glass Window; Wreath 101-DIY Natural Decor; Sea Glass Trees; Winter Birch Trees Paint Night and Holiday Boxwood Trees. Please click this link to register and for more information on each program.
Follow the Medway Public Schools on Social Media
Medway Public Schools: Twitter: @MedwaySchools Instagram: @Medwayschools Facebook: @medwayps
Medway High School: Twitter: @MedwayHighInfo
Medway Middle School: Twitter: @MedwayMiddle
Burke-Memorial Elementary School: Twitter: @BurkeMemorial
McGovern Elementary School: Twitter @McGovernElem
Medway Public Schools In the News
Medway Receives Positive Report from DESE on Special Education Initiatives and Indicators
Medway Seniors recognized with National Merit Scholarship Program
Medway Public Schools Recognizes 2021 Memorial School Plaque Honorees
Upcoming Events
October 27, 2021 | MSPTO Meeting, Medway Middle School Library, 7:00 p.m. |
November 3, 2021 | Medway T.H.R.I.V.E. and Medway SEPAC present: Lisa Damour: Under Pressure, Virtual, 7p.m. |
November 4, 2021 | School Committee Meeting, Medway Middle School Presentation Room, 6:00 p.m. |
November 9, 2021 | MFPA Meeting, Virtual, 7:00 p.m. |
November 11, 2021 | No School: Veterans Day |
November 17, 2021 | Tri-M Music Honors Society Induction Ceremony, Medway High School, 7:00 p.m. |
November 18, 2021 | School Committee Meeting, Medway Middle School Presentation Room, 6:00 p.m. |
November 19, 2021 | Tri-M Coffee House, Medway High School, 6:30 p.m. |
November 22, 2021 | National Honors Society Induction, Medway High School, 6:30 p.m. |
November 24, 2021 | Early Release: Grades K-12 |
November 25-26, 2021 | No School: Thanksgiving Recess |