Weekly Updates October 3 2021

October 3, 2021

Dear Families:

I hope this email finds you enjoying your weekend!  We welcome October and its beautiful colors and cooler days!

This Week’s Spotlight

Every week, I will highlight efforts, initiatives, or events in the districts.  For the first time, we will celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day on October 11.  The Town of Concord Select Board approved the change last spring.  Initiative for the efforts was led through the Concord Middle School Eighth Grade who wrote letters to the School Committee and Select Board as their civics project last Fall.

Similarly, a Willard fifth grade class wrote to the Concord Select Board regarding the addition of George Dugan’s name to the Civil War Monument.  Mr. Dugan was a Black farmer and Civil War veteran from Concord.  Recently, the Select Board established a Civil War Monument Task Force as the next step to the request to add his name and that of others.  The fifth grade efforts were covered in an article by the Boston Globe last spring.

We directly teach civics as part of the social studies curriculum and look to give students voice in our schools and community to feel that they can have an impact and make a difference.

New School Resource Officers

We are excited to introduce two new School Resource Officers to our schools.  SRO Derek Rodriguez will be based at Concord Middle School.  SRO Cara Paladino will focus on CCHS.  We enjoy a very collaborative, positive relationship with the Concord Police and have already seen the new SRO’s contribute to that.

Bike to School Days/Thank You CEF

Each school will hold a Bike to School day during the coming weeks.  We engage in the Massachusetts Safe Routes to Schools Program.  Last year, the Concord Education Fund contributed bike racks and repair stations for every school.  The SRO’s will conduct additional bike safety lessons with students.  Biking has been a goal among our sustainability efforts.  The pandemic accelerated the interest and we are happy to support the effort. The principals will share additional details of the Bike to School events.

COVID Updates

Last week, we learned of four COVID cases including two adults (Thoreau and Alcott) and two students (Thoreau and CCHS).  The COVID Data Dashboard is our live mode of communicating cases as they occur.  We have begun to use the Test and Stay program with success to date.

School Closings and Delays

As we were reminded last week at the middle school, school closings and delays can be very unpredictable.  I may call delays for one or two hours depending on the situation.  The intent is to get in as much of the day as possible.  I do use social media first (see below) since it is immediate so following me will get you information as soon as possible.  Simultaneously, we send texts, phone calls, emails, and post on the district webpage in an effort to reach you in as many ways as possible.  Hopefully, we will not need any of it very often!

Have a great night!

Best,

Laurie

Twitter:  @cps_cchs

Instagram:  @ccsuperintendent