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| FHS Update - new Wednesday schedule |
.@MASchoolsK12 has released the results of their Nov. 2-9 survey of #MAEdu district learning time. https://t.co/ulYQb43W7f
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| a screen grab of one page with Franklin highlighted |
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| Franklin (MA) School Committee meeting recap - Dec 22. 2020 |
Meeting agenda and related files https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif591/f/agendas/12-15-20_fincom_agenda_2.pdf
December 11, 2020
Dear Franklin Families and Faculty/Staff,
We hope you are doing well.
We are monitoring student and staff attendance very carefully at this time. We are experiencing a rise in COVID cases, increased quarantine requirements of close contacts, combined with other routine matters necessitating staff absences, and limited substitute coverage within our schools. We are striving creatively to provide classroom coverage at all of our school buildings in order to keep schools open for students. We also fear that all our creativity in the world and an “all hands on deck” approach may someday not be enough to feel we can appropriately and safely supervise students in school.
We may need to temporarily place one or more schools into remote learning (one day or a few days) if we are unable to supervise in-person learning safely. We do not always have a lot of advanced notice. We will aim, wherever possible, to notify the school community if a school is going to be remote for a day the evening before the following school day. Notification will go out through our Regroup emergency notification system by email, text, and cell phone and will be communicated through social media channels.
If someone you know is interested in serving as a substitute teacher in Franklin Public Schools, please contact our Human Resources office at 508-553-4840.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Sincerely,
Franklin Public Schools
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| Franklin Public Schools: Re-opening update Dec 11, 2020 |
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As with most meetings in this pandemic period, I took my notes via Twitter during the meeting reporting in real-time via the virtual session.
The Twitter hashtag can be found online #schcomm1208
https://twitter.com/search?q=%23schcomm1208&src=typeahead_click
Discussion only items
budget update
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| Winter sports update summarized by Athletic Director Tom Angelo |
UNIQUE EMERGENCY PLANS FOR 2020-2021
"For the 2020-2021 school year, Franklin Public Schools plans to implement remote learning instead of snow days during the winter of 2020-2021. Having opened school remotely positions us well to pivot to a remote learning day in the event of inclement weather. Instruction on these days will be structured. The Department of Elementary and Secondary education is allowing districts to do so this school year only, without having to make up the days at the end of the year. In the event of inclement weather, educators and students/families should be planning for remote learning days to be held using the remote learning schedules previously communicated at the beginning of the school year. Schools will send additional information about daily schedules. Should inclement weather bring widespread power outages, the district may need to close one, multiple, or all schools for the day, and the day will need to be made up at the end of the year. Asynchronous learning will be provided in the event that sporadic power outages are experienced for individual students to be able to be “virtually present” for the day. The district will continue to use delayed starts to the school day if morning weather conditions make travel difficult but the forecast calls for improvement of conditions throughout the day."
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| Updated Inclement Weather Plans for 2020-2021 School Year |
In the spirit of open communication, “the Committee will hold a public participation segment (also called Citizen’s Comments) about matters not related to an agenda item at the beginning of each regular School Committee meeting. The Committee will listen to, but not respond to any comment made…. A Committee member may add an agenda item to a future meeting as a result of a citizen comment…. The Committee will hear public comments related to an agenda item when the Chair deems appropriate during the Committee meeting. Topics for discussion during the meeting must be limited to those items listed on the Committee meeting agenda for that evening…. ” - from Policy BEDH
Pursuant to M.G.L. c. 30A, §21(a)(3) to discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining with the FEA as an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining position of the School Committee and the chair so declares.XI. Adjournment
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| Franklin, MA: School Committee - Agenda - Dec 8, 2020 |
Via Pantherbook, we share this article on FHS student feedback on hybrid
"Up until November 16th, FHS students hadn’t been inside the school in 248 days. A place where such kids would typically spend about seven hours five days a week had been shut down, with nobody having a clue about when it would re-open.
Although there is still no definite answer as to what the future looks like, students in Cohort C attended in-person learning at the high school this past week (excluding remote Wednesday). Let’s take a look at the things they enjoyed, the things they didn’t, and how in-person learning compares to the past two months of remote learning.
Ashley Currivan, a freshman this year and alum of Horace Mann Middle School, comments, “At school, I enjoy seeing people and getting to still go to and switch classes throughout the day. I think [the members of the FHS staff] are handling it very well and I really enjoyed it so far!”
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| “I just hope everyone stays healthy and we can finish this year right“ |
Dear BFCCPS Community,
This week BFCCPS started to welcome back our Sixth Grade students who are participating in hybrid learning. Our Seventh and Eighth Grade students who are participating in hybrid learning will phase-in starting on December 3.
You may have recently read that the Governor and the DESE have encouraged schools to consider full-in person education. However, we have determined that at this time, BFCCPS can not maintain the outlined safety protocols and procedures for health and safety in a traditional full class size. The BFCCPS Administration has recommended, and the Board has agreed, that we will continue with our phased-in to hybrid learning plan. We will continue to monitor the local and state COVID trends as significant increases may lead us to consider full remote learning for all students. We are incredibly proud of the work that the BFCCPS Community has done to implement our phased in return, and believe that this plan is our best opportunity to provide an in person educational model while maintaining safety protocols and procedures. This plan is designed to keep our faculty, staff, students and families as safe as possible during this unprecedented pandemic.
We will plan to keep students in their current homeroom and hybrid/Remote Academy placements. If you are the parent or guardian of a student in Kindergarten through Grade Five and would like to request a change of instructional model starting in January through the end of the school year, please fill out this form. The deadline to place this request is Friday, December 4th. Please note that a change of instructional model may result in your child being assigned to a different homeroom teacher. We can not accept requests for specific in-person days for students moving from the Remote Academy into hybrid learning. Please also note that a transfer may take several weeks as any movement may have significant implications for staffing and transportation.
New Student Travel Policy & Upcoming Holidays: The Board of Trustees has voted at the November meeting to approve a new policy titled Student Travel Under Mass Travel Order 45 in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The holiday season is rapidly approaching and we have been discussing implications with respect to the Massachusetts Travel Order. We recognize that it is likely that staff and families may be travelling out of state, or entertaining out of state guests.
It is important to recognize that in accordance with the Massachusetts Travel Order, and the BFCCPS Daily Attestation, any students, faculty or staff who are travelling outside of the U.S or to a state deemed high risk must quarantine for 14 days or produce a negative COVID-19 test result before returning to in-person education. Please note that if a student is enrolled in hybrid instruction and is required to quarantine as a result of travel, BFCCPS will not be able to accommodate requests for full remote learning during their self-quarantine. Students will be eligible to participate in their regularly scheduled remote learning and can complete available asynchronous learning opportunities.
Full Remote Learning Days Scheduled: In order to create an opportunity for staff, faculty and families to celebrate the holidays with their families; the Board of Trustees has voted to move November 30th, December 1st, January 4 and January 5th to full remote days. This adjustment to the calendar is designed to provide families and staff the opportunity to safely celebrate the holidays (if they so choose), travel home and secure a negative test result before returning to school.
We thank the entire BFCCPS Community for your continued cooperation and support.
Be kind and safe Ben Franklin,
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| BFCCPS school sign at the entrance (taken day of ribbon cutting) |
