Principal's Letter to Parents

April 1st, 2020

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I hope this letter finds you, your child, and your family healthy and happy.

As you may know by now, the Governor has ordered all schools, including SEEM Prep, to remain closed through May 4th, out of concern for the safety and well-being of students and staff during the coronavirus outbreak. What was hopefully going to be a closure of a few weeks is now a longer ordeal. Please know that we as a staff are desperate to get back to Crystal Street to teach your children the way we always have.

New guidance from the U.S. Department of Education requires us to provide a free and appropriate public education as best as possible during this unprecedented crisis. The most recent shift in Massachusetts educational policy is to implement “distance” or “remote” learning in light of the extended closure. We at SEEM Prep are currently planning and working each day to create a system from our homes where our students can still learn, socialize, interact, and most of all, feel a continued connection to the school that they deeply desire and benefit from at this most critical time in their lives.

While we cannot replicate the service delivery of your child’s IEP as we would be able to do during a traditional school day, our goal is to try as best as we can to reinforce and maintain the learning and the skills that your child has acquired, and offer opportunities to feel like they are back at the Yeuell School. Our most significant priority remains helping students feel safe, supported, and as free of anxiety at this time, and we will do this primarily through case management and class teams.

Many of you have, and continue to, connect with your child’s teacher, clinician, and other support staff on a daily or weekly basis regarding academic activities, strategies, and clinical and emotional supports. Beginning next week, teachers and support staff will be utilizing classroom applications (apps) like Class Dojo or Google Classroom to communicate assignments and activities on a weekly basis. You may already be enabled and using this technology, which is awesome! Remote learning does not have to look like worksheets or busy work each day. It can happen over an electronic format that is live or recorded, and it can also include experiences both new and old in the areas of home and life skills, chores, ADLs, physical fitness, creative arts, and the use of social-emotional strategies to cope with the day-to-day stresses of life.

If you still need a device like a Chromebook or iPad to support your student’s learning, you can contact me at any point during the closure and we will organize to get you a device that is WiFi compatible at home.

Please know that when providing required instruction and services to the home, we will try to build in as many accommodations that meet your child’s developmental level. I know any work that is sent home for your child will require some level of side-by-side support, and I also know many of you are juggling job responsibilities either inside or outside of the home. Our goals as a school are to support you and your child’s stress at home, while also helping to maintain their skills. Please continue to communicate with the head teacher or clinician what your own personal and immediate needs are, and we will work with our staff and your school district to find a happy medium. We are not trying to overwork you or add undue stress at this time!

I continue to be available at home by phone (781-760-1623) or by email to help you with any immediate problems or concerns that may arise. This is a brand new situation for you as it is for us, but we are eager to work with you towards your child being happy, healthy, and productive through this closure, and look forward to the new successes and opportunities for learning this format presents.

Additionally, attached to this email is a letter from SEEM’s Executive Director, Cathy Lawson Ed.D., regarding conditions for remote learning, technology, confidentiality, and privacy during the closure.

All my best at this time and going forward, and wishing you all good health in the days ahead,

Bill

-----

William McDonald, M.Ed., CAGS

Principal, SEEM Prep

781-760-1623 / wmcdonald@seemcollaborative.org