Dear Medway families,
There is a great deal of energy and excitement this week as our boys and girls soccer, football, volleyball, and cross country teams continue competing in post-season playoff matches. Congratulations to our girls field hockey team who competed in round 1 and were defeated by Dover-Sherborn over the weekend. It has been wonderful to return to this level of competition which brings additional pride and engagement throughout our greater community.
Please find additional updates and information from the district below.
Be well,
Armand Pires, Ph.D.
Superintendent
Proof of Student Vaccination Request
As you may be aware the CDC recently recommended the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children age 5-11. As your elementary and middle school children become fully vaccinated we ask you to please share proof of their vaccination with our school nurses by completing this form: K-8 Vaccination Status Response. If your student attends Medway High School and we have previously reached out to you for proof of immunization and you have yet to respond you may share their information through the use of this form: 9-12 Vaccination Status Response.
Student COVID-19 Testing Update
Please note that during the week of November 22, due to the Thanksgiving Recess, testing for Medway High School and McGovern will occur on Tuesday. We will not be conducting testing at Memorial or Medway Middle School. 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 15. We encourage all students to participate in weekly COVID-19 safety checks, regardless of vaccination status.
SEPAC Awareness Month
November 1, 2021 marked the first day of SEPAC Awareness Month in Massachusetts. This month marks the third year that the Governor’s office has approved and signed a Proclamation declaring this Awareness, supported by State Rep. James Arciero and State Rep. Thomas A Golden Jr. On Saturday, November 20, 2021, the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge (“The Zakim”) will be lit up YELLOW for SEPAC Awareness Month in Massachusetts.
Medway Public Schools Athletic Teams in Playoffs
Welcome to the MIAA State Tournament Season!
The MIAA has moved to an online ticketing platform which will be used for all MIAA Tournament events (beginning with the Round of 16). MIAA and Medway High School will also offer this option for future Medway High School athletic events where admission is charged (Thanksgiving Day Football or winter basketball games for example) while still offering a cash option.
Please Note: MIAA has recognized that the online ticketing presented challenges for member schools and will be allowing cash transactions and paper ticket options. For other Medway High School events and for tournament games that have not reached the Round of 16, we will offer the electronic ticketing option as well as a cash option.
*We will have event staff at the gate if anyone needs assistance.
To visit our site where you can purchase tickets, please click here. Games will be added as they become known for the Fall Tournament.
For directions on how to purchase tickets, please click here.
For directions on how to validate tickets (at the gate in front of the gate worker), please click here.
Tickets may be purchased in advance on your computer or smartphone as well as at the gate via a QR code using your smartphone but attendees must have them on their phone in order to enter the event. If attendees do not have a smartphone, they will need to have someone else purchase tickets and they will need to be with them upon entering the gate for validation. Please do not validate your tickets ahead of time; you will do that at the gate and in front of our gate worker.
This week’s tournament play is as follows:
Varsity Girls Soccer, Wednesday, November 10, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. at Dedham
Varsity Boys Soccer, Wednesday, November 10, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. at Old Rochester
Varsity Football, Friday, November 12, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. at St. Mary’s of Lynn
Cheer, Friday, November 12, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. at St. Mary’s of Lynn
Varsity Cross Country, All-States, Saturday, November 13, 2021 at 1:00 p.m. at Gardner Municipal Golf Course
Varsity Volleyball, Saturday, November 13, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. vs. Rockland
Please check back to this schedule often for additions and updates to our tournament schedule as seedings are released.
Barnes and Noble Book Fair to Support Medway High School
The Book Club at Medway High School is having a book fair this weekend at Barnes & Noble in Bellingham to support the Medway High School library. The fair is during store hours this Saturday, November 13 and Sunday, November 14. There will be a clarinet quartet performing Sunday afternoon.
You'll need to have a book fair voucher with you at the checkout counter - or tell the clerk that you're supporting Medway High School. You can also take a picture of the voucher and show your phone at the register. The voucher can be found here. If you cannot make it into the store this weekend, you can still support the book fair online. Visit Barnes & Noble online using this link and enter code 12615464 to contribute.
MPS Weekend Groceries
In support of student nutrition, weekend groceries are now available to all MPS families. Grocery pick-up and delivery take place each Thursday from 3:30-4:30 p.m. If you would like to order groceries weekly please complete this order form: Weekend Nutrition Weekly Order Form. By completing the form you will be automatically signed up to receive the order form each week. Due to Veterans Day, those who sign up using this link will be eligible to receive their first grocery order on November 18.
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. Seventy percent of our families have completed this crucial process thus far and we will begin to send targeted communications to families in an attempt to reach our goal of 100% participation.
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.
Technology Update
If your child is in need of a chromebook repair, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at support@medwayschools.org. At this time of year, we would also like to offer an additional optional insurance window to our families. If you would like to opt in to our insurance plan, please complete this two question survey to indicate you are interested. If we receive enough requests we will open the insurance window in December, through Worth Ave insurers. Click here to access the survey. The cost to insure a student device is approximately $22.00 and covers all accidental and malicious damage and is a great investment compared to repair costs that range from $15-$175.00.
Medway Community Education
Our Department is pleased to offer students in Grades K-4 the opportunity to participate in after school Early Release Day programs on Thursday, December 2 and Tuesday, December 7, directly at the end of their school day. Children are asked to bring a lunch to enjoy before the start of their program. Click here for program information and to register on FamilyID.
Medway SEPAC Survey
The Medway SEPAC board is seeking feedback from families about how we can best support you and your child(ren). Please take a moment to complete this brief survey to share your thoughts with us. The link may be found here.
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 Community Education: Twitter: @Medwayce Instagram: @Medwaycommunityed Facebook: @medwayce
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 Student recognized with Superintendent Award for Academic Excellence
Medway High School Celebrates Successful First Season of Unified Basketball
Upcoming Events
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 20, 2021 | Medway High School Play, Medway High School, 7:00 p.m. |
November 21, 2021 | Medway High School Play, Medway High School, 2:00 p.m. |
November 22, 2021 | National Honors Society Induction, Medway High School, 6:30 p.m. |
November 24, 2021 | Early Release: Grades PK-12 |
November 25-26, 2021 | No School: Thanksgiving Recess |
November 30, 2021 | MSPTO Meeting, Medway High School, 7:00 p.m. |
December 1, 2021 | MEPTO Meeting, McGovern Elementary School Library, 7:00 p.m. |
December 1, 2021 | School Committee Meeting, Medway Middle School Presentation Room, 6:00 p.m. |
December 2, 2021 | Elementary Early Release: Grades PK-4 Only |
December 7, 2021 | Elementary Early Release: Grades PK-4 Only |
December 8, 2021 | Medway High School Art Walk, Band, and Choral Concerts, Medway High School, 6:00/6:30 p.m. |
December 14, 2021 | Medway Middle School Winter Band Concert, Medway High School, 6:00 p.m. |
December 16, 2021 | Medway Middle School Winter Chorus Concert, Medway High School, 6:00 p.m. |
December 20, 2021 | MFPA Meeting, Virtual, 7:00 p.m. |
December 23, 2021 | Early Release: Grades PK-12 |
December 24, 2021 - January 2, 2022 | No School: Winter Vacation |