March 15, 2020
Dear Franklin Families,
Governor’s Announcement -- Updated Duration of Closure
Earlier this evening, Governor Baker announced that public and private schools in Massachusetts will be closed for three weeks, through April 6. Therefore, Franklin Public Schools will be closed until April 6, planning to resume operations on Tuesday, April 7. This may be revisited in the coming weeks.
Our last day of school is still expected to be Wednesday, June 24, 2020.
A key emphasis of the Governor is that this measure is designed to promote the slow of the Coronavirus infection through the practice of social distancing. This article may be helpful to you in understanding what behaviors help to support this measure:
“Social Distancing: This is Not a Snow Day” by Asaf Bitton, MD, MPH, https://medium.com/@ariadnelabs/social-distancing-this-is-not-a-snow-day-ac21d7fa78b4
To summarize the article, the author advises no playdates, no movie theaters, no parties, no sleepovers, among other social behaviors. The author suggests taking care of yourself and family members and, although challenging, that everyone practices social distancing.
Food Services
During this period of closure, families who feel that their student would benefit from having a grab-and-go lunch or breakfast may pick up meals via the back driveway of Franklin High School between the hours of 11:30 AM and 1 PM, Monday through Friday. If transportation is a concern, please reach out to the Student Services Office at (508) 553-4811 who will assist you.
We also wish to share the following message from Franklin Food Pantry:
“The Franklin Pantry will be open regular hours next week, March 17 – March 20. We will be open to our current neighbors or anyone who needs us including families who count on the breakfast and lunch options provided by the Franklin area schools. We will provide a prepackaged bag full of nonperishable items to help you through this time. You can visit us daily if needed. We will reopen on March 24 with our regular shopping hours and procedures.
How can you help?
We are so grateful to our community and have received many questions on how you can help us during these uncertain times. If you are able, the best way to support The Pantry is through a monetary donation. Monetary donations allow us to purchase the items we need at a cheaper price through the Greater Boston Food Bank. If you are interested in donating items, please visit our current needs list. Check back regularly as we update frequently. Thank you for your continued support of the Franklin Food Pantry.”
Learning Opportunities
We will be sharing more information with families in the coming days about ways in which we will keep students engaged in learning and connected to school during the closure.
Building Access
Be on alert for messages from your building principal(s) about when students can come to the building to retrieve books, Chromebooks, instruments and other personal items.
SPAM Folders
Some recipients of our messages have noted difficulty in receiving our e-mails. Please check your SPAM folders and be sure to mark our messages as “not spam” so that they may be delivered directly to your inbox.
Coronavirus Portal
We wish to remind you that the Town of Franklin has developed a portal for the public to access the latest information on Coronavirus: https://www.franklinma.gov/home/urgent-alerts/coronavirus-information-portal
Kind regards,
Sara E. Ahern
Superintendent of Schools
Download a PDF of this announcement
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MHQDph06Gga7AIrZ9E-AGf0hLi1K_rKM/view?usp=sharing
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| Coronavirus Information Portal |
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