Updates December 12 2021
December 12, 2021
Dear Families:
I hope you had a wonderful weekend! It is a busy time of year both in and outside of the schools.
This Week’s Spotlight
Environmental Sustainability
We are committed to making environmental sustainability our way of operating and by providing experiences to students, inside and outside of the classroom.
The new middle school project is focused on being highly sustainable. Last week’s forum on that topic was recorded and is posted here. In addition, a Sustainability Subcommittee of the Concord Middle School Building Committee meets regularly and has discussed a myriad of topics which are found on the Sustainability Subcommittee’s webpage.
Students are engaged in multiple clubs at both CMS and CCHS including The Green Team who proposed a pollinator garden that is now active.
At a recent School Committee meeting, we heard an update from student representative Darcy Keenan-Mills about the many sustainability efforts at CCHS. Darcy shares at the very beginning of the November 30, 2021 School Committee meeting. The recording is posted here.
The pandemic slowed our efforts but we are restoring composting to the schools. Counter to that is biking to school which soared since the beginning of COVID. A District Sustainability Committee allows us connections to the many community groups and to be part of Concord’s sustainability goals. We look forward to sharing ongoing updates.
Equity Survey and Focus Group Updates
1) There will be an equity survey focus group make-up session for Concord families PreK-12, and Carlisle families with children at CCHS tomorrow Monday, December 13th from 3pm-4pm on Zoom. If you’d like to participate, please RSVP at your earliest convenience.
2) Additionally, we would like to invite interested middle and high school students to participate in an equity survey focus group on Monday, December 13th from 7pm-8pm on Zoom. If your child is interested in participating, please have them RSVP at their earliest convenience.
Please contact Andrew Nyamekye at anyamekye@concordps.org, if you have any questions or concerns.
Minuteman Media Network and School Programs
We are very fortunate to have a close partnership with Minuteman Media Network who records, posts, and live streams some of our student activities. Among those most recently are a number of the extraordinary music concerts that returned in person. Last week, a number of concerts were live streamed. Most or all are recorded and posted for future viewing and run on the local cable stations. Posted currently is the November 2, 2021, CCHS choral concert which is found here. I hope you will enjoy the gifts of these talented young people. We will keep you aware of future postings as well.
U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory Protecting Youth Mental Health
Last week, the U.S. Surgeon General’s Office publishing an important advisory: Protecting Youth Mental Health. The report outlines the increase in mental health issues due to the pandemic while noting that a crisis existed pre-COVID. Please take the time to read the report. Among our strategic goals is destigmatizing mental health needs. With so many children requiring assistance, it must be a topic we discuss openly. If your child is in need, please do not hesitate to contact a counselor at your child’s school.
Senior Citizens Wanted
Partners in Rhyme is a partnership between CCHS ninth-grade students and senior citizens from Concord Carlisle to read and share poetry together. The program is in need of additional senior citizen volunteers for the session that starts in January: January 4, 11, 18, 25, Feb 1, 8 from 8-9 am on zoom. Contact Patti Russo to register: pattirusso317@gmail.com or 978-314-8659.
Concord Middle School Project Public Hearing
A public hearing will be held on Thursday, December 16 at 7 pm regarding the middle school project. Additional information is found here.
COVID Update
Last week, we saw 5 cases bringing the total to 75 since the beginning of the year.
1 Thoreau student
1 Willard staff
1 CMS staff
2 CCHS students
The COVID Dashboard will be updated throughout the week. We now encourage all 16 and 17 year olds to get a booster shot and ensure additional protection against the virus.
Have a wonderful week!
Best,
Laurie