Winchendon Interim Superintendent King Provides Video Updates on School Reopening
In his new YouTube channel, "Winchendon Public Schools' Superintendent's Corner", Interim Superintendent Thad King has placed two videos with information and updates for parents regarding the return to full-time in-person classes for elementary school students (grades K-5) on Monday, April 5.
Superintendent King addressed details and questions from parents, explaining that the schools are following the new and evolving Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) guidance, and plans for things such as bus routes and schedules are still being finalized.
Students are now allowed to sit two per seat on school buses. Masks will be required for all students, at all grade levels, at all times, when on buses, in school buildings, or in groups outside. The school day will be 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. so parents arranging other transportation for their child will have drop-off and pick-up windows around those times.
Students will be sitting three feet apart in classrooms. Desks are being arranged "checkerboard" fashion to facilitate distancing. Class sizes will be approximately the same as in non-COVID times. Students will have "mask breaks" through the day when they can safely remove masks for a short time. Students will be spread out into other areas to facilitate six-feet distancing for eating breakfast, mask breaks and so on as needed.
Breakfast will be a cold boxed meal which students will take back to classrooms to eat. Hot lunch will be served. Parents may send a packed lunch to school with their child if they prefer. Lunches will be eaten in the cafeteria, with students sitting at six-feet intervals. The new HVAC work in Memorial School now allows these areas to have a complete exchange of air with the outside, so they will be completely ventilated every day.
Lunches and breakfasts will continue to be free of charge for all students for the rest of the school year and through the summer.
Toy Town Elementary students will continue to meet in the first floor of the Murdock Middle High School building. They will probably eat lunch in the gymnasium which can be fully ventilated and where the students can be placed at six-feet distances.
Supt. King explained that DESE requires five hours of instruction per day. Students whose parents prefer to keep them at home on all-remote learning will need to follow this requirement. Remote students are not expected to sit through five solid hours of live Zoom class. Their instruction will be a mixture of "live" class and asynchronous learning.
Some parents asked about COVID precautions such as temperature checks and infection from surfaces. Supt. King stated that the CDC has not found surface infection to be a high risk for COVID-19. The rooms will be cleaned thoroughly after each school day. The CDC has also found that temperature checks often are not reliable since many things can affect skin temperature. Should there be a positive test or COVID exposure, the schools will follow CDC and DESE guidelines to protect the students and staff, as they have been doing during hybrid learning.
Water fountains have been turned off, but the bubblers have water bottle fillers where students can fill water bottles through the day to stay hydrated.
Middle school students will return to full-time class on April 28, provided that numbers in the state continue to decline and there is not another surge in cases. Parent surveys and further information for middle school students are forthcoming.
Virtual Field Trip Focused on Health and Skill-building Comes to North Central
Healthy Minds: Well-Being for Well-Doing to be held April 14
GARDNER, MA – March 31, 2021 - Teachers and students across North Central Massachusetts will be participating in a virtual field trip on April 14, 2021 thanks to the efforts of event hosts Portrait of a Graduate, and organizers Growing Places, HEAL Winchendon, LUK Inc., Making Opportunity Count (MOC), Mount Wachusett Community College, and the United Way of North Central MA.
The Healthy Minds: Well-Being for Well-Doing event is a North Central Massachusetts-wide effort to bring health and real-world skill-building opportunity to students. The event is scheduled during an asynchronous learning day for most schools. Students in attendance will be able to select from breakout sessions that spark personal interests, satisfy curiosity, and help them plan for their future.
"We created this event because it has been such a challenging year to connect with students," notes Fagan Forhan. "Local organizations have so many great resources to share, this event gives us all the opportunity to learn and discover together, while we are still apart."
Speakers include educators and community members covering topics ranging from physical and emotional health and self-care, STEM topics, interpersonal relationships, financial intelligence, and even the basics of automobile ownership.
The Healthy Minds: Well-Being for Well Doing conference will be held on Wednesday, April 14, 2021 from 10 am to 2 pm. Event preview and registration information is available at uwyv.mwcc.edu.
The event is sponsored by the Barr Foundation, Reliant Foundation, United Way of North Central Massachusetts, National Grid, Heywood Hospital, Workers Credit Union, and many others.
MWCC Student Hafsa Asfa Awarded the Ruth E. Derfler Scholarship
MWCC student Hafsa Asfa
GARDNER, MA - March 29, 2021 - The Massachusetts Coalition for Adult Education (MCAE) has named Mount Wachusett Community College student Hafsa Asfa as its 2021 Ruth E Derfler Memorial Scholarship recipient.
The Ruth E Derfler scholarship is given in memory of MCAE's past president and colleague to a student who has completed their studies at a Massachusetts adult education program with distinction in not only their academics, but as successful leaders in their communities and classrooms who have overcome diversity in order to pursue their education.
"Hafsa is a student that reminds all of us why we work in Adult Education and makes us proud to work in this field," stated Nicolas Colello, Associate Director of Adult Education and Training at MWCC. "She is the ideal adult learner, community leader and activist, and an exemplary candidate for the Ruth Defler Scholarship."
Asfa immigrated to the US with her husband in search of a better life. Once the couple had children, her focus was on her family, ensuring that her children had what they needed in both their home and school life. As her children moved up into middle and high school, she knew it was time for her to pursue her own educational and career goals.
Asfa's first step toward what she calls her "all American dream" was to reach out to the Adult Education Department at MWCC. She knew she needed to start with a high school equivalency diploma before she could move any further on her journey.
As a second language learner, Asfa had to work extra hard to meet this first goal. She met the challenge of academics in a second language with perseverance and determination. College did not come easily to her, but with the help of the Adult Education resources she earned her high school equivalency diploma in the spring of 2017.
In fall of 2017 she enrolled in the MWCC Transitions to College Program, a support program providing free access to college courses and support services for two semesters for students like Asfa who are moving from the adult learning center to a degree program. Initially, she chose human services, but later learned about the nursing program and switched. She has since earned a certificate in phlebotomy and earned a spot in the Registered Nurse degree program. At the age of 40, she passed her first semester of the nursing program with a 3.5 GPA.
In addition to her dedication to academics, Hafsa has taken a leadership role in the local community. She serves on the Fitchburg Human Rights Commission and is also a contributing writer to local media on racial justice and equity.
Recently, Hafsa has also become engaged as a student leader of the Transition to College program at MWCC. In this role she provides support to other adult education students by telling her story. "It has been so beneficial for our Adult Education students to hear her story of overcoming barriers and personal challenges," notes Kimberly Kayser, Transitions Coordinator at Mount Wachusett Community College.
To learn more and donate to the Massachusetts Association for Adult Education's Ruth E. Derfler Memorial Scholarship and to watch video of the scholarship presentation, please visit https://mcae.net/annual-conference/mcae-awards/.
Sizer School's Nurse Dugas named to Mass School Nursing Organization
Sizer School Nurse Elizabeth Dugas
On March 25, 2021, Sizer School's Nurse Elizabeth Dugas was accepted to serve as the Region 4 Co-Chair for the Massachusetts School Nursing Organization (MSNO).
The mission of the School Nursing Organization is to: "Promote and advance quality school health services throughout the Commonwealth and promote the rights, interests and professional growth of our members" according to their website msno.org. "Members are encouraged to take an active stance in decisions directly impacting school nursing, especially in the legislative, economic and educational areas."
Region 4 is Western Massachusetts and is considered the largest of the 10 regions. This new opportunity will allow Nurse Dugas to connect to fellow school nurses to each other and resources to better serve our student population.
"I am ecstatic to have the opportunity to help school nurses during this pandemic and as we start to figure out life after COVID-19," said Dugas. "Our student populations are ever changing and becoming more acute. School nursing must adapt to this change."
Originally of Ashburnham, Dugas graduated with high honors from Oakmont Regional High School. After achieving her Bachelors in Nursing at Worcester State University in 2018, she worked for a residential treatment school and a psychiatric hospital. Dugas also serves an adjunct professor at Worcester State in the Nursing Department. She believes deeply in the care of the whole person and knows that no problem is too small to be addressed!
"We are often a forgotten specialty, believed for so long to be ladies looking for mom's hours who were really good at giving out Band-Aids and ice packs. That is not true," said Dugas. "We are as specialized as any [nurse] you would see in a hospital. We have to work together to support each other and make our profession the best it can be!"
This is only the beginning for Dugas, who hopes to serve in a political and advocacy capacity after completion of her Master's Degree next year.
"Nurses know how to speak for others who cannot. We are so incredibly needed in leadership roles throughout the country," said Dugas.
For more about Sizer School, visit www.sizerschool.org.