Superintendent’s School Committee Summary Report November 23, 2021

Important Events:

A. Pfizer COVID Vaccine Clinic, Monday, November 29, Sheffield Elementary School 1:30-5:30p.m.

B. Friends of Sheffield, Tuesday, November 30, 4:00-5:00 p.m.

C. Pandemic Response Advisory Committee, Wednesday, December 1, 4:00-4:45p.m.

D. Wednesday, December 8 -- Early Release Day

E. Wednesday, December 22 -- Early Release Day

F. Thursday, December 23 – No School, Holiday Vacation Begins

Recognitions:

First-Ever Fall Production at Turners Falls High School-

Last weekend, we were pleased to see the first-ever fall theatre production at Turners Falls High School. Thirty students, including many new to theatre production, participated in 3 shows of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe. Congratulations to all of the student performers and stage crew and to Theatre Advisors Kimberly Rose and Alyssa Comeau on very successful performances. In addition to the student actors and stage support, we also wanted to thank the dozens of students from Mr. Chappell and Mr. Lamore’s classes, who worked so hard to build the varied sets and intricate costumes for the play. We are excited to see so many more students participating in and supporting our theatre arts program.

Helping Hands & Athletic Leadership Council-

Four high school students working with Helping Hands & the Athletic Leadership Council prepared and distributed 20 Thanksgiving dinners to families in the community. Thank you to high school students Nikolas Martin, Paige Sulda, Emily Young, and Owen LaValley for their dedication and service. The Council is planning to distribute additional food items in advance of the December holiday vacation. The Athletic Leadership Council will hold fundraisers at home basketball games on December 13^th & 17^th. People attending those games can make a food donation or a monetary contribution to this drive in place of admission to the games. All proceeds from those games will go towards the fund to help feed the community.

Turners Falls High School Girls Volleyball Team-

Congratulations to the Girls’ Volleyball Team and Head Coach Kelly Liimatainen on an amazing season. The team finished with an incredible record of 19 wins and only 3 losses, including making it to the final 8 teams in Division 5, out of 43 teams.

Regional COVID Trends:

As of the end of the Thanksgiving holiday week, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health published their Weekly Public Health Report. The data for our surrounding towns shows significant increases in Greenfield and Orange and a rising number of cases in Montague. Those town case counts for the previous 14 days, and percentages of positive tests from those towns over the same time period, are below:

Weekly COVID Public Health Report COVID Data- November 26, 2021

Town/City - Risk Status Cases Last 14 days % Positive Tests

Bernardston 9 3.44

Erving <5 1.27

Gill <5 1.50

Greenfield 64 2.66

Leverett <5 1.08

Montague 21 2.57

Northfield 6 2.59

Orange 88 10.55

Sunderland 5 .73

Warwick 0 0

Wendell <5 2.06

State 29,741 2.89

Update from State/Commissioner/COVID Safety Protocols:

The CDC ranks the risk of transmission for counties across the country in one of 4 categories: Low, Moderate, Substantial or High. Franklin County has been rated as HIGH risk of transmission by the CDC as of Monday November 29^th .

High School Europe Trip Update:

Due to the fact that the deadlines to commit to travel in March were upon us, and some significant travel and safety concerns remain strong considerations, we made the decision to postpone planning for the trip to Europe until the 2022-2023 school year. The primary factors that contributed to this decision were the increasing rates of COVID-19 being reported throughout Europe and the instability of the airline industry. Either of these circumstances could result in increased travel or an unanticipated delay in returning from a foreign country.

Food Service Updates:

We are in the process of hiring our final open food service position. This will allow cafeteria staff to continue to increase the amount of fresh cooked meals for students. As far as supply issues, our largest product provider is returning orders in about 6 business days. This is a longer than normal period of lead time and requires Mr. McArdle and his building-based staff to plan ahead, with contingencies. In addition, occasionally, some orders are not completely filled. However, food service staff are not always made aware by the provider until the order is received. We will continue to make every effort to stick with our menus as planned.

• Nov. 29 - COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic, 1:30-5:30 p.m., Sheffield Elementary

• Dec. 6 & 7 - Auditions for the TFHS/GFMS spring musical, Mary Poppins (Join the TFHS Theater Facebook group or follow the TFHS Theater Instagram for more details!)

• Dec. 7 - School Committee Meeting, 6:30 p.m., virtual

• Dec. 8 - Early Release Day

• Dec. 21 - School Committee Meeting, 6:30 p.m., virtual

• Dec. 22 - Early Release Day

• Dec. 23-Jan. 1 - December Recess (No School)

• TFHS Senior Class TF Apparel Fundraiser - deadline Nov. 29

• GFMS 8th Grade Mo’s Fudge Factor Fundraiser - deadline Dec. 5

• Friends of Hillcrest Dean's Beans Fundraiser - This will be a monthly fundraiser continuing into the summer! New forms will be sent home monthly.