A message from the superintendent went out to families late Friday afternoon and is replicated here for your reference:
Good Afternoon to all members of the Beverly School Community,
I am reaching out to you today with an update from the district. First, let me thank you for your partnership in keeping our schools safe. Our student’s vigilance in complying with the safety measures we have implemented, namely wearing of face coverings, distancing, adhering to the cohort model, and most importantly, self-monitoring of symptoms, has allowed our schools to remain open for in-person instruction for students grades PK -12. Whether your child attends our schools in the hybrid model (a combination of in-person and synchronous learning which is slightly different at each level) or is a member of our Remote Learning Academy, our students have benefitted from uninterrupted, consistent instruction from our amazing teachers and staff! Throughout the fall, our strategy has been to plan for every eventuality, prepare for different scenarios, and utilize a variety of teaching modalities to provide the opportunity to access learning that is meaningful and addresses academics, social and emotional needs and the well-being of all our students. We believe that the proactive approach to planning ahead has contributed to our success in keeping our kids in school and to the safety of our students and staff. To date, though we have experienced isolated positive cases of COVID-19, there has been no evidence of community spread in our school community. This is a testament to the work of our administrators, all our staff, and to you, our families, working together to put the safety and well-being of our students first.
To that end, I am writing today to let you know that in planning ahead for the winter break, we will have our last in-person day for all students on Friday, December 18th. Students will attend classes remotely on December 21,22, and 23. Additionally, we will remain in remote instruction for the first week of January (Jan. 4 - 8). We will return to in-person instruction on Monday, January 11th. Please note that all of our remote learning days are required and as such attendance is mandatory. We believe that this schedule will allow our families and staff to take the necessary precautions to return in-person and resume our instruction in the safest way possible. We also feel that making this decision early will allow the appropriate notice for you to make the necessary arrangements for your family. We are working with local child care providers and letting them know of our plans. If you are registered in one of the child care programs, you will hear directly from them regarding availability for care during our remote period.
Finally, I want to let you know that we continue to update our website with important information for families regarding COVID-19 and the schools. We are maintaining a district dashboard that documents cases. We have shifted our communication regarding positive cases to eliminate the broader general Not a Close Contact but have included a copy of the letter on our website for your reference. We will continue to notify all school community members if an individual within their cohort (class, team, neighborhood) reports an active positive case and has been present in the school within the past seven (7) days. We hope that this will reduce some of the confusion regarding multiple notifications. You may also reach out with any questions to our nursing staff at covidquestions@beverlyschools.org
Once again, I want to thank you for your partnership in educating our students. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.
Sincerely,
Sue Charochak, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
