Message to Families - May 14, 2021

Dear Weymouth School Community, 

 

This week we celebrated our nurses, and all our health services, data and technology professionals.  Their efforts this year were nothing short of extraordinary, and we could not be more grateful to have them as a part of our community. 

 

To our technology and data teams who found innovative ways to keep our classrooms, schools, and meetings running from virtually anywhere, all year long-- thank you.  

 

To our nurses and health services professionals who were called upon this year to keep our students, staff, and families safe, in a way we’ve never seen in our schools before-- thank you. We loved celebrating you during National Nurses Week, but we hope you know how truly grateful we are for you each and every day. 

 

The timing of Nurses Week could not be more appropriate as we remind our school community that as we resume in-person instruction, safety remains our top priority.  In support of this priority, we are calling upon our students, families, and staff members to exercise caution both at school and in the community as we navigate through the end of this school year.  As a reminder, any student or staff member who is exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms should adhere to the following protocol:

Stay home from school. Any individual with COVID-19 symptoms should not report to school or work, instead: 

Consult a medical professional, and/or get tested for COVID-19.

Anyone awaiting test results should remain in quarantine until a negative test result is received, or a ten day quarantine is fulfilled. 

 

We are encouraged that the CDC and Commonwealth of Massachusetts have announced plans, and in some cases have begun the process of, lessening restrictions and guidelines related to COVID-19.  However, in order to keep our students in classrooms for the next five weeks we believe it is in our best interest to keep our masks on and our guard up.  It will remain school policy that masks will be worn in school, and at any school sponsored events or activities, throughout the remainder of this school year.  Decisions regarding masks for school events and activities after June 18 are under review, and any change to policy will be communicated to our staff and families. 

 

In other positive news, this week the FDA approved the authorization of the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 12-15.  Children 12 and older are now eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine anywhere the Pfizer vaccine is offered.  Parents and caregivers can make appointments at any retail store (including CVS and Walgreens), or state vaccination site, that offers the Pfizer vaccine. 

 

As always, thank you to our parents, caregivers, and entire school community for their support this year. We appreciate your continued partnership, as we look forward to the finish line.  

 

Lastly, I would like to extend a special thank you to the technology department, teachers, and all school staff who worked together to successfully plan and prepare for MCAS.  Our students did an amazing job, and continue to prove we can adapt and persevere through challenging times.  

 

Thank you, 

Kathleen Smith, JD
Superintendent