Dear Community,
The students transitioned nicely back into their classroom routines and expectations. It was so
nice to hear how families spent their spring break!
Teacher Appreciation Day: We invite you to help us in celebrating Teacher Appreciation week. PTO has come up with the schedule below that is going home today.
Monday: Bring a flower for your teacher Tuesday: Lunch provided by the office
Wednesday: Draw a picture or write a note for your teacher Thursday: Small gift day
Friday: Breakfast provided by PTO.
School Enrollment for FY 21-22: Thank you for sending back your notice of intention for attending R.H. Conwell next year. At this point we have 77 students expected to return to school. There are 62 Worthington students and 15 school choice families. We are currently accepting school choice applications for Kindergarten.
News about school lunch for next school year: The U.S. Department of Agriculture has extended school meal waivers through the end of the 2021-2022 school year, allowing the continuation of universal free school meals at any school district throughout the state for the rest of this school year, through the summer, and through next school year. Schools nationwide will be allowed to serve meals through USDA’s National School Lunch Program Seamless Summer Option, which is typically only available during the summer months and which allows schools to serve free meals to all children.
Face Coverings Order: Effective April 30th, the Face Coverings Order will be relaxed for some outdoor settings. At this time, based on recommendations from the Department of Elementary
and Secondary Education, we will not make any changes to our current mask policy and guidelines.
Update on Quarantine Guidance for Close Contacts:
The following update to the quarantine guidance for close contacts was approved by the Executive Office of Health and Human Services after consultation with the Governor’s Medical Advisory Board on COVID-19 and other medical advisors. This updated guidance is effective immediately!
Close contacts who were exposed to a COVID-19 positive individual in the classroom or on the bus while both individuals were masked do not have to quarantine unless they were within 3 feet of distance of the COVID-19 positive individual for a total of 15 minutes during a 24-hour period. This does not apply if someone was identified as a close contact outside of the classroom or bus (e.g., in sports, extra-curriculars, lunch, etc.) or if masks are not worn by both persons at the time of the exposure. All other close contacts must follow the standard protocol for when a close contact may return to school. The full guidance is posted on the COVID-19 guidance page and available for download.
Early Childhood Mental Health Consulting, A Parent Resource: Follow the link for an article about supporting children to develop social emotional skills and reduce challenging behavior.
Backpack Connection Social Attention
School Building project:
General contractor bids were opened on April 14, 2021, and three bids were received. The lowest was $535,000.00 not including the Sprinkler replacement which would have raised the total cost to an estimated $585,000.00. The Selectboard, after consulting with the Finance and School Committees on Wednesday, April 14, 2021, voted to reject the general bids and to cancel the sprinkler re-bid that was scheduled for opening April 21st. The committee’s are now planning to re-examine the project scope and the possibility of re-bidding and undertaking the work either entirely or in stages, starting next summer. It doesn’t appear likely that we’ll be able to do any of the project work this year.
UPCOMING DATES:
- May 1, 2021: Annual Town Meeting @ 9:30 a.m. at R.H. Conwell
- MCAS: Thursday, May 13, 20, 27
- Last day of school: June 16 – noon dismissal
Have a wonderful weekend!
Gretchen
Worthington School District
147 Huntington Road
Worthington, MA 01098
413-238-5856
gmorsedobosz@hr-k12.org