Regional School District 13 ParentSquare

  • Community Survey - Superintendent Search

    August 13, 2020 Dear parents, students and staff: I hope you are all well and coping with the pandemic and storm as best you can.  I know the school district is requesting that you fill out a number of surveys as we prepare for the start of the school year and I am asking that you help the Board of Education in its search for a new Superintendent of Schools by completing another survey.  The survey can be found here:  https://www.ces.k12.ct.us/cf_forms/view.cfm?formID=261 . Please respond by August 23, 2020. Your input to the qualities of the person sought for superintendent will help us in our selection. Thank you for your help in this very busy time. Sincerely, Bob Moore, Chairman Board of Education

    Thursday, Aug 13 2020

  • Parent Update

    REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT 13 OFFICE OF THE SUPERINTENDENT 135A PICKETT LANE, P.O. BOX 190 DURHAM, CT 06422-0190 TELEPHONE (860) 349-7200   FAX (860) 349-7203 www.rsd13ct.org August 11, 2020 Good afternoon parents and families. I hope you and your family are doing well. It seems unbelievable that it was exactly a week ago that we experienced the effects of the Tropical Storm Isaias. While we experienced some disruptions, our work and planning in the district continued as we plan for a safe and healthy return to school. I know that so much information comes your way, primarily from me, and I realize that it can be overwhelming to go through. There is timely information included in this letter, and the two most important action items are the one question survey on your intention to send your child(ren) to school and the completion of a transportation survey. You completed initial surveys earlier in the summer and now that we know we are opening the school following the hybrid model and schedule, we are asking you to complete the surveys once again. This information is critically important to us as we plan for staffing, student support, transportation and parent drop-off and pick-up procedures. Hybrid Plan We will be opening the school year following the  Hybrid Model  (this link will bring you to a description of the design and schedule). As a reminder students will be split into two cohorts. Cohort A:  students whose last names begin with A-M. The first day of in-person school for students in this cohort is Thursday, September 3rd. This cohort will not participate in distance learning on Friday September 4th. After the first week of school, this cohort will attend school on Mondays and Tuesdays. Students in this cohort will participate in learning from home Wednesday through Friday. Cohort B:  students whose last names begin with N-Z. The first day of in-person school for students in this cohort is Friday, September 4th. This group will not participate in distance learning on Thursday September 3rd. After the first week of school, this cohort will attend school on Thursdays and Fridays. Students in this cohort will participate in learning from home Monday through Wednesday.  The school buildings will be closed to all students on Wednesdays to allow for deep clearing of our buildings between cohorts. Please complete the attached School Reopening survey by Thursday, August 13th to indicate whether your child will attend school in accordance with the Hybrid Learning schedule, will remain at home and participate in remote instruction, or will be homeschooled by you. Please  CLICK HERE  to complete the Transportation survey by Thursday, August 13th.   Kindergarten Parents of students entering kindergarten will receive information this week regarding a modified kindergarten orientation which will be held at the end of August. Additional information on transportation, Chromebooks for kindergarten students, class placements and answers to other kindergarten-specific questions from the reopen20 mailbox will be provided. School Reopening Plans Here are the links to the school reopening plans. These plans are meant to give staff, parents and students an overview of school-specific protocols.  Brewster Lyman Memorial Strong CRHS MTA As we prepare to move from planning to implementation in so many areas, our success in all areas will depend upon our shared responsibility and commitment. I am confident that the areas that we can influence will be positively impacted by our collective effort. I am counting on parents and students to actively contribute to the health and safety practices and protocols outlined in our plans. Plans are subject to change based on new information. A few areas that are being addressed now include the process and location for student snacks and meals and specific protocols and expectations for masks. All schools received  guidance  on Friday on responding to exposure to and diagnosed cases of COVID-19, and this morning a conference call was held with the Department of Public Health and the State Department of Education to further discuss our response protocols.  Please reach out directly to your child’s principal if you have any specific questions regarding your child’s participation in the hybrid model, transportation or any other student-specific questions. Thank you for your continued support. Sincerely, Kathryn Y. Serino, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools

    Tuesday, Aug 11 2020

  • Weekly Wednesday Update - July 29, 2020

    July 29, 2020 Good afternoon, The attached video is meant to provide you with a brief overview of the three educational models required in our reopening plan. Over the course of the next two weeks more information will be provided when we are more aware of the state guidelines and number of students and staff returning for in-person learning. I appreciate your survey response by Friday and your patience for some of the glitches in the video (remote learning is at-home and the survey is due Friday not tomorrow!) as we recorded in one take. Sincerely, Kathryn Y. Serino, Ed.D Superintendent [Wednesday, Jul 29 at 4:42 PM] We heard some feedback that there were audio issues with the video attachment. The issue has been remedied.

    Thursday, Jul 30 2020

  • Weekly Wednesday Update - July 29, 2020

    July 29, 2020 Good afternoon, The attached video is meant to provide you with a brief overview of the three educational models required in our reopening plan. Over the course of the next two weeks more information will be provided when we are more aware of the state guidelines and number of students and staff returning for in-person learning. I appreciate your survey response by Friday and your patience for some of the glitches in the video (remote learning is at-home and the survey is due Friday not tomorrow!) as we recorded in one take. Sincerely, Kathryn Y. Serino, Ed.D Superintendent [Wednesday, Jul 29 at 4:42 PM] We heard some feedback that there were audio issues with the video attachment. The issue has been remedied.

    Wednesday, Jul 29 2020

  • RSD 13 Reopening Planning - July 24, 2020

    REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT 13 OFFICE OF THE SUPERINTENDENT 135A PICKETT LANE, P.O. BOX 190 DURHAM, CT 06422-0190 TELEPHONE (860) 349-7200   FAX (860) 349-7203 www.rsd13ct.org July 24, 2020  Dear parents and guardians: This link  will bring you to the draft reopening plan for RSD 13. All school plans are subject to change due to public health data and changes in requirements from the State of Connecticut and/or the Connecticut State Department of Education. A copy of this plan will be on our homepage and you will be notified of any substantive changes. It is very important that you complete the brief, attached survey so that we are aware of the number of children who will be attending school if we are in an in-person or hybrid model of instruction in September. We are currently required and on-track to begin in-person instruction; however, parents are able to opt out and have their child participate in remote learning while in-person instruction is happening in our schools. If you opt for remote learning, your child will be assigned to a classroom or homeroom teacher, but may receive recorded and some live lessons from teachers other than the classroom teacher. The specific design of the remote learning model is being finalized by grade. Remote learning will not be as comprehensive as distance learning in terms of the schedule, live and recorded lessons and connections with teachers. Our distance learning plan, if we move to a school closure, has been enhanced based upon feedback from teachers, students and parents. Details and sample schedules are included in the reopening document. If you have questions specific to the educational design models please use the  reopen20@rsd13.org  email address. In a survey sent last month, we asked for preliminary feedback on your need for childcare. If you are interested in learning more about childcare through Dolphin Days , please contact them directly using the link above. Although they will be expanding their site to include Brewster Elementary School, please note this is not a RSD 13 operated program. Your attention to completing the attached survey by July 31st is greatly appreciated. Sincerely, Kathryn Y. Serino, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools

    Friday, Jul 24 2020

  • Weekly Wednesday Update - July 22, 2020

    REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT 13 OFFICE OF THE SUPERINTENDENT 135A PICKETT LANE, P.O. BOX 190 DURHAM, CT 06422-0190 TELEPHONE (860) 349-7200   FAX (860) 349-7203 www.rsd13ct.org July 22, 2020 Good afternoon. The Planning and Response Team, an administrative group and leaders from across the district and towns, has continued to work tirelessly to represent various stakeholders and focus on the myriad areas that need to be coordinated in order to assure safety and the best possible work and learning environment now and when we return in the fall. I want to thank everyone for their unwavering effort and outstanding skills. I could not be more proud to be a part of the RSD 13 team; we are moving in the right direction. At tonight’s Board of Education meeting I will discuss the district’s plan for reopening. We will complete formatting tomorrow and share with staff and parents on Friday and submit it to the CT State Department of Education. There are several requirements that must be included in the plan in the areas noted below. It is expected that our plan includes, and we are prepared for, a full reopening for fall 2020 for all students (with the exception of those who elect to continue with remote learning). We also must have plans for a hybrid model whereby only 50% of the students are in the building at one time so that we offer in-person and remote learning to all students, and a full distance learning design if the school is completely closed again. Please take the time to review the document so that you are aware of our reopening design. As school districts, all of our plans are in draft form at this time due to new and changing information that we receive weekly; however, our plan indicates our design in the following areas: Supporting the Well-Being of Students, Staff and Families Spread Mitigation Operations and Logistics Coordination and Communication Teaching and Learning: Loss Mitigation Potential Second Wave Contingency Planning On Wednesday of next week you will receive a survey that will ask about your desire/ability to return to the district in the fall or for your child to participate in in-person learning. We are developing other staff specific questions as well as comprehensive questions about parent and student needs regarding childcare and transportation as well as other areas. I will also have a finalized plan for the start of the school year which will likely include a first day of school for students on September 3rd rather than September 1st and due to the cancellation of the Durham Fair, Friday, September 25th will be a school day. Parent focus groups were held last Thursday for parents of elementary students and on Monday for parents of students in middle and high school. We appreciate your participation ideas and questions as we incorporate them into our talking points and plans as appropriate. Thank you also for submitting your questions to our  reopen20@rsd13.org  mailbox. Our partnership in this effort has made all the difference. If the topics raised have been addressed previously they will not be reviewed here. We will compile an FAQ of important questions to date that will go out on August 5th. The discussion points that were raised are summarized below: I’d like to know what is happening specifically at my child’s school and want to be sure there is consistency in practices at all of my children’s schools. School work groups are working with administration and will finalize their school-based plans that are individualized to the school. Those plans will be completed at the end of the month and shared with parents during the first week of August. Is it true that the district will be purchasing school supplies for students? Yes, your school principal will send an update in the coming weeks with more details on what those supplies are. What is happening with music classes and physical education? We are working with the Team Leaders in these areas to develop a framework for offering these classes in a developmentally appropriate and safe manner. Are you using cohorting throughout the district? We are using cohorting to the greatest extent possible in order to minimize the spread of the virus and aid in contact tracing. This is more easily achieved at the Pre-K through grade 5 level. In grades 6 through 8, students will have three distinct cohorts: core academics, unified arts and world language. Children who ride the bus will have an additional cohort as will children who take band, chorus or receive special education services. Will you place twins together to aid with cohorting? Twins have not been placed together, as a matter of past practice. If you would like to discuss having your twins placed in the same classroom, please contact the principal. If I homeschool my child, can they come in for band or physical education. Yes. What will you do if there is a positive case in school? At this time, our first step is to contact our local health director with all the details of the case including the scope of exposure to others. The response at this time is that anyone who has tested positive will have a mandatory quarantine for 14 days as will anyone who has had direct contact with the individual. This would mean if a teacher or student tests positive, all members of the class would need to follow a 14 day quarantine. Remote learning would be provided for students during the quarantine. What is DATTCO doing to clean and sanitize their buses? DATTCO’s plan will be included in our plan for your review on Friday. My child really benefited from having lunch with peers because this was a social connection. If students remain in their cohorts in middle school, this will not happen. The middle school has plans to support social connections for students and to support students in general through various programs including specially designed Advisory classes.  Are you making changes to the cleaning products the school can use, attendance policies and other areas? Yes, the Board of Education Policy subcommittee is meeting tonight to begin the process of adopting new policies and revising others. That information will be shared once the policies have been adopted. Is there any way you can provide greater support for the children of essential workers? We are trying to support the challenges that all parents who must leave the home to work are facing. At this time our efforts are focused on partnering with Dolphin Days to offer more local childcare options and schedule our distance learning opportunities in such a way that parents will know what their child’s schedule will be each day. I look forward to our continued work together throughout the summer. Sincerely, Kathryn Y. Serino, Ed.D Superintendent of Schools

    Wednesday, Jul 22 2020

  • Weekly Wednesday Update (on Friday) 7.17.20

    July 17, 2020 Dear Parents and Guardians, I hope you had a good week and are looking forward to the weekend. I wanted to make you aware of a few recent decisions that have been made at the state level.  Masks Due to significant questions and concerns regarding young children wearing masks all day in school, we anticipate information today from the CT State Department of Education about potential changes in expectations. If we receive the information from the state after this communication is sent out to you today, we will send a separate ParentSquare notification with the information on Monday. School Calendar The State Board of Education has approved a reduction in the number of school days for students from 180 to 177 to allow for 3 additional days of professional development for staff, prior to the start of the school year. These days should include, but are not limited to:         Adapting to a new school environment - health and safety and instructional considerations Social and emotional learning and development Meetings with staff and families on new safety protocols This will only impact you if we modify the calendar and change the first day of school from September 1st to a date later in that same week. We will inform you of any changes to the calendar by August 1st. Focus Groups I want to thank those of you who participated in the focus groups yesterday for Brewster, Lyman and Memorial schools. Your questions and feedback are greatly appreciated. Below is a summary of some of the topics that were raised along with the answers: Attendance: Will there be changes to the attendance policy because parents will be encouraged to keep their children home, even if they are showing the slightest signs of not feeling well, or because they might be home due to various reasons necessitating quarantining? The Board of Education will be making temporary revisions to the attendance policy, which will take into account the various scenarios in the coming year and the impact on student attendance. Before and Aftercare: Will there be district provided childcare? Is the school making any provisions for supporting parents who are essential workers or people in other professions who must work everyday? We are working with Dolphin Days, a local childcare center, to expand available childcare by expanding their setting to include a site at Brewster School. Costs to participate will be dictated by Dolphin Days’ rates. They are also working to expand their full-day childcare offerings for school-aged children, in the event of a school closure, and/or accommodate children on non-school days, in the event we implement the hybrid model which would mean students are attending school on an alternating day basis.   Communication: How do we know what plans are being made, and specifically what it will look like, if we go back for in-school learning in the fall? What will the schedule be for a hybrid learning plan? What will distance learning look like? A weekly update is sent, from me, and can be accessed on our website. Board of Education meetings are held once a week on Wednesday nights at 6 p.m. Minutes from these meetings can be found on our website. Our comprehensive reopening plan, which is due to the CTSDE next Friday, will also be shared with you along with a summary sheet. Cohorting: What are the sizes of the cohorts, and can you assure that my child will only be in contact with children in their cohort?  Stable cohorting is being suggested, especially for children in Pre-K through grade 8, in order to minimize the total number of people children and adults come into contact with during the school day and to assist with contact tracing, should that become necessary. In grades Pre-K-grade 5 children’s primary cohort will be their classroom group. Most Unified Arts or Specials teachers will come into the classroom to teach or hold classes outside when appropriate, thus reducing movement in the building. If children ride the bus it will be another cohort. If children work with a special education teacher or related service provider they will either receive in-class or pull-out service. All of our planning is focused on careful planning of in-person contact throughout the day so that it is minimized to the extent possible while maximizing the support and experiences that children need. Food Allergies:  I understand that children will be eating in the classroom setting; what does this mean for my child who has a food allergy? For this year, we will request that all children, in a particular classroom setting, refrain from bringing the designated food product into a classroom that has a student with a life threatening allergy and  follow approved protocols. Educational Design including Special Education: In order to make a decision about sending my child back to school I will need to know what will in-person, hybrid and distance learning will look like? Next Friday you will receive a copy of our “RSD 13 Reopen: Engage. Empower. Thrive.” document that will outline the three educational design models. The three models are: In-Person, Hybrid, and Distance. All school districts in CT are expected to resume in-person learning in our school buildings, in the fall, while giving those parents who want their children to continue learning at home a way to do so using a distance learning model. Our in school learning will follow our curriculum and will be adjusted to accelerate or provide intervention and support where necessary. A hybrid approach will include children coming to school on alternating days in order to lessen the total number of students in school at any given time. Finally, the distance learning approach, which we will call Distance Learning 2.0, will be a continuation of the model (with some implementation changes and improvements) we followed during the spring. Illness: Should I keep my child home if they exhibit the signs associated with COVID? What procedures will the school follow if a child or staff member contracts the virus? At this time we are not planning to follow the procedure of taking everyone’s temperature upon arrival to school. However we will encourage all staff and students to take their temperature at home. Staff is required to complete the self-certify checklist daily and are to remain at home if they are experiencing symptoms from the checklist.  PPE: Does my child really need to wear a mask? Will the school provide masks for all students? What PPE will teachers be using? Right now the requirement is for all children in a grades K and above to wear a mask throughout the school day. We will ask parents to provide a mask for their child and we will have extras for them at school should they forget, lose or damage their mask from home. Staff members will also be required to wear a mask throughout the day, except while delivering instruction. Other PPE will be provided and used as appropriate, including clear face shields, gloves and gowns. Hand sanitizer will be provided throughout the building, including all classrooms and offices. Security: With the encouragement to go outside as much as possible for daily learning, masks breaks, recess and physical education, what security protocols will you follow? We have always held classes and other events outside; we will just be increasing the numbers and frequency of outdoor learning. We have surveillance cameras outside of our buildings, teachers are required to have walkie-talkies when they take students outside, our SRO will increase the frequency of his school visits, which will include outdoor surveillance, and we will review our environmental and situational awareness practices before the start of the school year. Additionally, we will be significantly reducing visitors, vendors and contractors in our buildings during school hours. Student Supplies: Will the school be providing basic school supplies for students and a way for them to keep their materials separated? Yes, basic school supplies will be purchased by the school (a complete list of supplies will be shared by each building in early August), and clear bins for materials have been purchased for students in grades K-5.  Transportation: What if I elect to drive my child to school, but need them to ride the bus at some point or on certain days? Will DATTCO be following a cleaning protocol? Many parents have indicated that they will drive their children to and from school, and this will be a benefit to the district as we attempt to reduce the total number of students on the bus. The bus is always available to students assigned to it. DATTCO has a fully developed cleaning protocol that will be included in our RSD 13 Reopen Plan. Walkthroughs: Will my child and I be able to participate in kindergarten orientation or school visits before the start of the school year? Our local health director has encouraged us to minimize, to the greatest extent possible, the number of visitors to our schools during the summer months and into the school year. Therefore, we will not hold in-person walkthroughs. We are working to develop virtual visits to our schools. Please reach out to me with any questions or ideas you may have. Sincerely, Kathryn Y. Serino, Ed.D Superintendent

    Friday, Jul 17 2020

  • Superintendent Update - July 8, 2020

    July 8, 2020 Dear Parents and Guardians, I hope you all were able to enjoy the 4th of July weekend; the warmth and sunshine were certainly welcome. I appreciate the questions that have been submitted to our email reopen20@rsd13.org. Once again, this email address is used for general questions that are reviewed at our Planning and Response Team meeting each Tuesday afternoon. I will respond to the general questions here because I think they are questions or ideas that other parents may have as well. Before I summarize the questions and answers, I want to assure you that our reopening plan includes all the guidelines as dictated by the CDC and the reopening guidelines as dictated by the CT State Department of Education (CTSDE). The health and safety of our school community is our top priority and we understand that it will take everyone’s commitment to following these guidelines to positively contribute to our school environment remaining a safe and healthy one. Two areas that have been the primary focal points at the state level in terms of the reopening guidelines include the expectation that all children and staff wear masks throughout the school day and what the specific guidelines will be on the temporary continuation of distance learning if students who are medically fragile cannot attend school or parents opt not to send their children, and the schools’ responsibility to provide in-person and distance learning simultaneously. In a recent call with the Commissioner of Education, superintendents were told that the mask expectation will not change and it has been put in place for the protection of all members of the school community as one of the most effective methods of controlling the spread of the virus. Guidance is forthcoming on the details on opting out of in-person learning and the responsibility for school districts for distance learning. We are currently assessing how many staff members will return in the fall, and as noted in last week’s letter, a survey for parents created by the CTSDE will be sent to parents so we can assess the number of children and their associated grade level who plan to attend school in-person. If you have a school or child specific question, please contact the school principal. Teachers and other staff members have contributed to the plans we are developing and in the next two weeks school-based teams will finalize our reopening plan, which will be shared with parents after it is submitted to the CTSDE on July 24th. I am grateful for the involvement of our staff and parents in offering ideas, questions and sharing concerns. I have summarized the questions we have received from parents and the associated answers. We will continue to respond to questions in this format. Stable Cohorts: Can children’s friendship groups be used to form in-school cohorts? Can you find a way to create cohorts in high school so that teachers are exposed to fewer students?  - We are creating cohorts of students to the greatest extent possible that we are able to control in school. We know that students have siblings in other schools, sports, church, family and other activities that will put them in contact with other adults and children. We are also putting in place all the other ways that we can minimize student contact with others including controlling the classroom environment space, scheduling time and approach for passing in the halls, having teachers move from class to class rather than students moving. All these methods will be shared with parents after our plans are finalized. We do not see a way to control for stable cohorts at the high school level. HVAC System: Are you using the right methods to assure that we are pulling in fresh air and using appropriate filters?  - We have a fully automated Building Management System serving all schools that allows us to program our HVAC systems per State of CT guidelines as follows: Start units 2 hours prior to and continue to run units 2 hours after building occupancy periods Run Restroom Exhaust Fans 24/7 Increase outdoor air intake as much as practical, based on outside air conditions, without compromising system performance Replace air filters allowing for filtration of smaller particles - We will continue to monitor system performance and make adjustments where necessary. Masks: Can all students be assigned N95 masks? What are the protocols associated with addressing students who do not have an exemption for wearing a mask but do not follow the rules? - We cannot assign N95 masks for students. Board of Education policies are being created by our legal counsel (and across the state) to address the use of masks as well as addressing staff and students who do not follow the mandated wearing expectation.    Temperature Checks: Even though the state is not requiring temperature checks will you check students’ temperature upon arrival to school? - We do not have a final decision on this at this time. Lunch: Indoor dining is linked to higher spread of the virus, what are your plans for serving and eating lunch at school? Have you considered the use of outdoor space including tents for a safer outdoor space for students even in cold weather by using heaters? - Each school is finalizing plans to have as few students as possible in any one setting eating lunch in order to maximize the distance between students. We are considering the use of all of the following: outdoor space, cafeteria, classroom and other larger areas within the school. We are also looking at the availability of smaller tent structures that we have in the district and the costs and benefits associated with purchasing or renting bigger tents. As we consider the use of outdoor space, we are also keeping in mind the safety and security protocols we have put in place. Opting out of certain classes: In some classes it will be hard for students to keep their masks on i.e. Physical Education: can parents opt out of these classes for their children? - We have not made a decision on the option of being in-school but opting out of specific classes. Have you considered half-day in-person options?  - Yes and we continue to consider schedules that would allow greater flexibility in how we are meeting the current state guidelines around 180 days/900 hours. This is an area that the state will continue to give us guidance on in terms of any modifications to this requirement. We are particularly interested in a plan that eases everyone back into school including beginning the school year with a shortened day schedule.  Can you consider installing touchless faucets, soap and paper towel dispensers? - Yes and it is likely that the reduction of “touch points” in schools and other locations will become a standard design feature in the future. It is unlikely that we would replace all of these before the start of the school year and will follow guidelines and use training sessions for all staff and give age appropriate training and practice to all students.  Thank you for supporting your children through this challenging time and for partnering with us. Sincerely, Kathryn Y. Serino, Ed.D Superintendent of Schools

    Wednesday, Jul 08 2020

  • Fall Reopening State Plan Review

    July 1, 2020 Dear RSD 13 Staff and Parents: On Monday, June 29th  Adapt, Advance, Achieve: Connecticut’s Plan to Learn and Grow Together was released. This document includes requirements and guidance for all schools with the expectation that we will all reopen for full-time learning in our buildings this fall. All school districts are required to submit a reopening plan to the Connecticut State Department of Education by July 24th. The completed plan will be shared with staff, parents and community members. Feedback via surveys have been received from staff and parents and has been very helpful for us as we finalize our plan especially in the areas of assessing staff and parents/students concerns regarding coming back into school buildings as well as are specific feedback such as the need for childcare and the ability to provide transportation for students rather than using the bus. The plan from the state indicates that there will be a state constructed survey that we will be required to share in the near future. I appreciate your feedback via the upcoming survey now that more information has been shared.  RSD 13’s Strategic Plan for Reopening and Recovery will outline school and district specific steps to address the following areas as required by the CT State Department of Education: Educational Design A description of what in and out of school education will look like including a provision for those students who chose to temporarily not return to school. More information is forthcoming about the process and provisions for continuing with distance learning.  Communication Plan A description of the communication plan we will use to distribute and gather information related to reopening and any change e.g., a hybrid model to a complete school closure due to an increase in cases in our area.  At this time, we will continue to follow a once a week communication plan with non-emergency letters sent via ParentSquare on Wednesdays. In the event of a time sensitive or emergency communication, a voice message and written communication will be sent via ParentSquare using the immediate delivery feature. A new email address  reopen20@rsd13.org has been created for parents to submit questions, ideas and concerns. Staff can share questions, ideas and concerns directly with their immediate supervisor. All concerns from staff and parents will be addressed at our Planning and Response Team meeting that is held weekly on Tuesdays from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Your feedback is critically important to us and appreciated. Operations A description of how we will manage our facilities to maximize safety for staff and students and minimize the potential for spread including following all previously shared safety precautions, controlling movement throughout the buildings, and providing necessary training on various protocols before staff and students return to the building.   Stable Cohort Model : Schools are being strongly encouraged to use the “stable cohort” model in grades K-8 which means grouping students together and keeping them in this group to the greatest extent possible throughout the day. This model is generally followed at the elementary level so it is easier to maintain. We are currently developing this model for students in grades 6-8. This model is encouraged to the greatest extent possible in high school. Child Nutrition : Our school meal program that has been developed will continue in the fall with access to free and reduced priced lunches to eligible students. School-based meal distribution for day-to-day lunch will be described in this plan. Transportation : During a “low risk transmission” period running our buses at full to near full capacity is acceptable. However, responses from our recent parent survey indicate that many parents would be willing and/or prefer to drive their children to and from school, especially if there were an option for early drop-off and late pick-up. During a “moderate risk transmission” period buses would operate at a significantly reduced capacity. In either situation, specific protocols for seating and a requirement for face coverings throughout the ride are required. Health Practices and Protocols A description of the health and safety protocols that will be required and those that will be encouraged. Supplies : RSD 13 has already ordered necessary supplies including 60% ethyl alcohol hand sanitizer, masks, face shields and approved cleaning products. A complete list of supplies and clearing and disinfecting procedures will be included in our plan. Reporting Illnesses and Addressing Vulnerable Populations : Temperature taking is not required for staff or students upon boarding buses or entering school  buildings. A protocol for self-checking before arrival to school is strongly recommended and the process for reporting illnesses and following sick protocols will be outlined here. Additionally, every school has a designated and supervised isolation area that is separate, but in close proximity to the health office to accommodate students who have exhibited symptoms consistent with COVID-19. Protocols : Specific protocols that will be followed in all schools for containment if a staff or student has signs of, or a confirmed case of the virus, as well as the protocol we will follow in the event of class cancellations, a change in educational design e.g., blended learning, complete remote/distance learning and the plan for a second reopening. Academics A comprehensive description of our education design, including plans to assess and support students after the extended school closure. Student grouping design (stable cohort model) from Pre-K through grade 12, in-school learning, remote learning, special education and English Language Learner support for in and out of school will be described. Family and Student Engagement In this section the various avenues for family involvement will be discussed and will include school and community resources and support.  Social Emotional Learning and Mental Health : RSD 13 has a well-developed model for social-emotional learning as well as age appropriate mental health support. The process we have developed to assist and support students and families based on projected needs will be thoroughly discussed in this section. Childcare, After School and Athletic Programming : RSD 13 is continuing to work with Dolphin Days to provide an in-school option for before and after care. This section will outline the available options for childcare as well as options for school-based 30 minute and less early drop-off and late pick-up options for parents. After school activities and athletic guidelines as approved and dictated by the CIAC will be included in this section. Staffing and Personnel : A comprehensive description of all matters relative to staffing, substitutes and human resource matters will be included in this section including matters related to ADA and staff health and safety. Professional Development : A description of RSD 13’s approach to professional development as it relates to supporting all staff members in maintaining their own health and safety and that of others as well as applicable training will be reviewed in this section. In the coming weeks staff and parents will be invited to participate in virtual focus groups regarding our plan for reopening. Building administrators will be reaching out to staff members next week to create small work groups to finalize the action steps that need our attention in the areas noted above prior to reopening. The health and safety of all the children and adults in our schools and community is our priority. We are working within the guidelines as shared with us by the CTSDE and will keep everyone informed of any changes. Our Planning and Response Team has met throughout the school closure period and into the summer to share school and local updates and to plan for the future. I understand the level of concern that is prompted by the impact of COVID-19 and the associated widespread uncertainty. I am working with our state, local, school and community leaders to provide as much information and reassurance as we are able to. Your partnership in this process is appreciated.  Sincerely, Kathryn Y. Serino, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools

    Wednesday, Jul 01 2020