Dear Winchester Families and Colleagues:

I hope you and your family continue to be well and that you will be able to spend time this Mother's Day Weekend with loved ones. Despite the chilly and stormy forecast for the weekend, signs of spring are everywhere now and my children, dog and I are really enjoying the longer days for our evening walks.

Here are a couple of updates for the week:

• Principals are busy planning a variety of virtual/hybrid celebration events, so stay tuned for more information from specific schools. Once we have more guidance from public health, we will also share a plan for parents to pick up children's belongings and drop off materials. All families who have been issued technology for home use will be encouraged to keep this for the summer months.

• We were sad to hear recently about the planned fall 2020 closure of grades 1-5 of St. Mary's School. Families who are considering a transfer to one of our elementary schools are welcome to register now by contacting Ms. Gallagher, our registrar at cgallagher@winchesterps.org. She will be happy to assist you.

• Principals are working to establish and communicate alternative kindergarten orientation dates. K screening will held in the fall.

• A district study group is working to review options for social distancing in the fall and will present this for school committee review and discussion. We are hopeful for a regular fall opening but preparing for options that may include half of our students attending at one time if required.

• Most planned summer programs, if they occur, will be virtual. We continue to wait for more guidance from the state before making the final call on this.

• I am hearing complaints from residents that some of our students might be pushing social distancing guidelines. Families, please help keep everyone well by following CDC directives, which state that we should:

  • Avoid gatherings of any size outside your household, such as a friend’s house, parks, restaurants, shops, or any other place. This advice applies to people of any age, including teens and younger adults. Children should not have in-person play dates while school is out. To help maintain social connections while social distancing, learn tips to keep children healthy while school’s out.

• On behalf of our WPS faculty, administration, and support staff, we would like to express our deep gratitude for your many kindnesses and recognition sent our way during Teacher Appreciation Week. We have never felt more loved and welcomed by our Winchester community.

Until we meet next, please stay strong and healthy.

Judith A, Evans, Ed.D.

Superintendent

Dear Winchester Families and Colleagues:

I hope you and your family are well and able to enjoy today's sunshine and brisk spring weather. I wanted to provide a couple of quick updates for you:

• In response to guidance from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, we are working to develop a clear and simple summary of the Individual Distance Learning Plan for students who usually receive special education services. This will document our plans to support students with disabilities during school closure. We appreciate your patience as we develop and send these plans to families.

• If your family is in need of support for our breakfast and lunch delivery program, please contact Ellen Whittemore (ewhittemore@winchesterps.org). Winchester Got Lunch, EnKa, WFEE, and other community groups continue to support Winchester families/students in need and are grateful for your financial contributions if you are able to give at this time.

• There is a link on our website for technology device support, along with other helpful resources: https://sites.google.com/winchesterps.org/wps-covid-19-info/home.

• We are hopeful for a regular opening in the fall according to the calendar on our website, but planning for a number of possible scenarios related to social distancing and re-orientation strategies for our students. Stay tuned for a survey soon to collect more information about distance learning and fall plans. Incoming kindergarten families should look for communication soon from building principals about virtual orientation.

• It is likely that many of our summer programs will be cancelled due to the continuing need for social distancing. We will communicate more information in mid-May about these programs.

• We are planning a big event on Friday May 1st to celebrate our seniors: Senior Parade. We miss all our students very much and look forward to this chance to honor our graduates.

Until we meet again, I hope you stay safe and well.

Judith A. Evans, Ed.D.

Superintendent

Update to the School Community on School Closure

April 21, 2020

• Today the governor announced that all public and private schools in the state will remain closed for the remainder of the school year. Distance learning will continue for the remainder of the school year. The leadership team is planning for a variety of options related to our return, including provisions for social distancing measures for the fall of 2020.

• We are very proud of our teachers, parents, and students--they have adapted, shown much creativity and positive can-do attitudes, and are open to continuous learning and improvement. We plan to ask stakeholders for more feedback on DL in the coming days.

• We are especially concerned for our seniors and students who are transitioning between schools in the fall. We will work hard to plan for alternatives to the traditional celebrations and communicate those plans in the coming days.

• Our new last day of school is Friday, June 19th.

• School lunches/breakfasts will continue to be delivered each week to families who need them.

• Our COVID-19 Distance Learning page at https://sites.google.com/winchesterps.org/wps-covid-19-info/tech-support?authuser=0 is continually updated for resources, technology support, and other important information.

• Technology use guidelines designed to protect the privacy of all students and families have been distributed: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SnLva1LSP1M12NMaazqHRUiEA4rGdxd19oe-YbL8mls/edit

• Special education and 504 plan services have been implemented. See here for more specifics: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-BbaKF6hw0EiInaHoUd4KACxJ3CuRT_6/view

• The high school staff will communicate expectations related to grading for Q3, Q4, and GPA later today.

• The high school is considering options for senior graduation and celebrations.

• Registration and class placement for 20-21 is underway at all schools. If you know of a new student or incoming kindergarten student who has not registered, please encourage them to visit our website to begin this process.

We miss our students and colleagues desperately and look forward to the day when we can all be together safely once again. Please continue to follow health guidelines and maintain social distancing. This sacrifice will help save the lives of people we love.

April 9, 2020

Dear Winchester Families and Colleagues:

I hope you and your families continue to be well on this rainy afternoon. We are fortunate to see the spring days becoming longer and warmer and look forward to spending lots more time outdoors. Thank you for continuing to keep physical distance between your family and others—data shows that it has flattened the curve and helped to protect our community.

I wanted to share a few important updates with you:

• We have decided to keep the learning and routines going during our previously planned April break and will end school four days earlier than previously announced. April 20^th is a holiday and April 21-24 will be considered school days. Our new last day of school is Friday, June 19^th.

• School lunches/breakfasts will continue to be delivered during the week of April 20-24. If there is a change in the usual delivery date/time that week, we will let you know.

• Many families are celebrating holidays this month and next. I hope that you are able to enjoy special times with one another in this new era of remote meetings. Please remember to let teachers know if you need flexibility due to religious or cultural celebrations, as is our usual practice.

• Please continue to check out our COVID-19 Distance Learning page at https://sites.google.com/winchesterps.org/wps-covid-19-info/tech-support?authuser=0 for resources, technology support, and other important information. It is especially important for families to read our technology use guidelines designed to protect the privacy of all students and families: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SnLva1LSP1M12NMaazqHRUiEA4rGdxd19oe-YbL8mls/edit

Until we meet again, I wish you continued health.

Judith A. Evans, Ed.D.

Superintendent

Dear Winchester Families and Colleagues:

We have developed the attached Winchester Public Schools Distance Learning Plan to guide teachers and parents/guardians as we navigate the next month of school building closure. While we cannot be together physically, this plan ensures that our students' learning will continue to be supported. If you have questions about the plan, please contact your building principal. Some middle school and high school students/families will have questions about grading and this is addressed in the plan.

All aspects of this plan are subject to revision as more becomes known about the length of the closure and we learn from this transition to remote learning. Thank you for your continued support and for strictly following social distancing guidelines to keep everyone safe.

With respect,

Judith A. Evans, Ed.D.

Superintendent

Dear Winchester Families and Colleagues:

We are working to finalize our plans for the transition to distance learning and ask that you watch for communication from your building principals and teachers for more information about scheduling and resources. I know that parents of middle school and high school students have many concerns about grading and accountability during and after the building closures, and we are working to develop two possible pathways to handle this--one if we return and one if we are out for the remainder of the year.

Attached is a letter from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's Commissioner Riley, which he has asked that I make sure you get.

If you get a chance, please thank our teachers and staff members for the truly heroic efforts they are making to be sure we remain connected to our students and that everyone continues learning. Everyone is working harder than ever, despite juggling home and school responsibilities. I am very proud of them.

Please continue to reinforce social distancing with your children and families--this is saving lives.

I hope we all can stay well and sane this week.

Judith A. Evans, Ed.D.

Superintendent

DESE Letter to Families COVID19 3.30.20

DESE Letter to Familiies COVID19 3.30.20 SPANISH

March 27, 2020

Dear Winchester Families and Colleagues:

As I dated this letter I was surprised to see that we are still in March! It seems a lifetime ago that we were last together with our students and each other. So much has changed and so much is still unknown about what will happen in the coming days and weeks. What has never varied has been our deep commitment to our students and our school community.

As promised, we have been working hard to determine the details of our Winchester Distance Learning (DL) Plan for the remainder of our school closure period, based on guidance from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education as well as DESE Guidance on Special Education. (Please see the full documents here: http://www.doe.mass.edu/covid19/2020-0326remote-learning.docx and http://www.doe.mass.edu/sped/covid19-faq.docx.) Thank you to the many families who have provided feedback on the first week of DL; we have read each reply and are incorporating as many suggestions as we can in our plan. We are also grateful for your words of encouragement and recognition of the extraordinary efforts of our staff members.

At the start of the COVID-19 crisis, the Winchester Public Schools focused first on meeting the health and emotional needs of all members of our school community. In accordance with DESE and federal guidelines, our first two weeks of closure were designed to continue strong connections between students and teachers and provide opportunities for students to extend and deepen learning. Our teachers and staff members have worked very hard during these weeks to collaborate with one another to learn how best to leverage technology tools to support our students.

The announcement this week by Governor Baker of an extended closure of schools until at least May 4, 2020 requires modification of the collective bargaining agreements to move toward an increase in the structure and content focus of our distance learning plan. This revised plan must take into consideration not only DESE guidelines, but also ensure that students have equitable opportunities to learn and progress in ways that are flexible enough to meet the needs of families and educators in this time of crisis.

While many aspects of distance learning can provide exciting options for students to explore, create, and stay engaged in learning, it can in no way replace what happens in our schools on typical learning days. We are especially concerned about the challenges faced by students with disabilities whether (physical, learning, or emotional) and English learners, as well as our youngest students who will need much more support from family to access content and practice skills. We are working hard to partner with local districts and the DESE to share resources and strategies.

I expect to release the formal DL plan by the end of next week, but it will include the following provisions:

• WPS Core Values about Distance Learning (DL)

• WPS Distance Learning Components PreK-12

• WPS Structure and Expectations for Distance Learning

• WPS Special Education and English Learner Services

• Feedback about Student Work and Grading

Please check the district’s COVID-19 website for updated information to support families: https://sites.google.com/winchesterps.org/wps-covid-19-info/home.

We would like to remind McCall Middle School and WHS students who may be in need of tutoring or support from peers in the coming days that WHS National Honor Society students have volunteered to help. The names of members and subject expertise listing is linked here: WHS Student Tutors Course List . Please contact NHS advisor Mrs. Chakladar @ ichakladar@winchesterps.org to get in touch with them and schedule an on-line help session.

As we head into the weekend, I wish you and your family continued health and peace.

Judith A. Evans, Ed.D.

Superintendent

Dear Winchester Families:

Governor Baker just announced school closures will continue until 5/4/20 at the earliest. More details from state education officials will follow tomorrow..

Let's all take a deep breath! Students, teachers, staff members, and parents are already doing excellent work in the new normal. This lengthy closure will lead some families to advocate for a quick move to more structured academics, but please be patient as we work to meet the complex needs of our nearly 5,000 students, over 800 of whom have identified disabilities.. We look forward to your feedback. Please click here for the survey, which will remain open for a week. Teachers will also ask students for informal feedback about what is working well for them and what they would like to see in the future. Please continue to share your kind words and maintain your faith in us. We vow to come out stronger and more successful than we started this school year as we take risks, learn, and grow together.

Judith A. Evans

Superintendent

Student Learning During School/District Closure

A Joint Statement on Shared Beliefs/Goals from the following districts:

Arlington Public Schools Bedford Public Schools

Belmont Public Schools Burlington Public Schools

Lexington Public Schools Melrose Public Schools

Reading Public Schools Stoneham Public Schools

Wakefield Public Schools Watertown Public Schools

Winchester Public Schools Woburn Public Schools

As the Chief Child Advocates in our respective communities, we are coming together to focus on what is best for students in the coming months. We all believe that the initial three-week school closure will be extended. While this probable extension is creating many conversations about what learning should look like during this time away from the classroom, this vision of education will be best coming from those of us who work with children. Our shared belief is that, in future years when children reflect on this time in their lives, what they will remember most are the positive connections they felt at an uncertain time.

School is a special place - a sacred place. All of our communities stress that learning has its foundation in the relationships developed between learners and teachers, whether adults or children. There is no way to replicate this environment in a digital format in the middle of a pandemic over a week/month or two. We are deeply concerned about the physical and emotional health of everyone in our school communities. As such, we commit to planning and supporting learning that lessens stress and anxiety.

Part of this commitment means developing the skills and tools necessary to evolve and prioritize these relationships over the coming months. We are asking all of our educators to check in with their students. Many are already going far beyond connecting. They are doing incredible work untethered by current educational policy to ensure that students feel safe and remain connected to their learning. In our commitment to these relationships, new content and grades are not a priority at this time.

We recognize that there are countless challenges for identified learners who need specialized instruction and know that we will not be able to solve all of these challenges in the short term. As such, we will continue to focus on safety and connection while providing students with learning opportunities. Our biggest challenge in this effort is meeting the needs of our youngest students. The plan for these age groups is to focus on process skills, like observation and description, and to provide practice in key skill areas, like reading, to mitigate regression. These skills are an important objective of our content delivery with classroom instruction when school is in session. Much of our secondary curricular structure is already in place through a learning management system. Middle school and high school teachers will use this familiar tool to encourage critical and creative thinking skills.

Our school communities will continue to make connections, value relationships, develop learning skills, understand service and community, maintain health and wellbeing, and focus on a greater good. In remaining focused on the social and emotional needs of our students and offering learning experiences that support those needs, we believe that our students, your children, will be well served during this school closing.

March 19, 2020

Dear Winchester Families and Colleagues:

I hope you are well and adapting to our shared new normal. We miss our students and colleagues very much and hope we will all be together in our schools as soon as it is safe to do so.

A few reminders:

• Your child(ren) should be well-connected with their teachers and activities through distance learning by now. If you have concerns/questions, please reach out first to teachers and then principals for help. Thank you for your patience as we take risks with new learning methods/approaches. We will seek feedback next Thursday.

• Please note that Monday 3/23 is a non-work day for teachers, as this day will be made up in June 2020.

• Consistent with federal and state guidelines, during this ongoing public health emergency, we are not providing replacement educational services to the general student population during the period of closure. Therefore, the school district is not required to provide services to students with disabilities during this same period of time. We are providing enrichment, extension, and choice activities for all students. We are happy to connect with you on ideas about how to make the activities more accessible for your child.

• Please remember that all town fields, playgrounds, courts, school fields, and playgrounds are CLOSED. This means no practices, play dates, or any other activity that violates social distancing guidelines is permitted.

• We are hard at work on a COVID-19/school closure website with links to everything you might want to know and hope to launch this shortly. In the meantime, please check the town website for the latest town news.

A few parents have contacted me with concerns that our children will fall behind if we are unable to provide complete school replacement learning. Let’s remember that this global crisis has presented an opportunity to support a different type of learning and that everyone involved is working so very hard to make this real and lasting.

Please continue to support physical distancing for the safety of everyone.

With respect,

Judith A. Evans, Ed.D.

Dear Winchester Families:

I hope everyone is healthy, at home, and enjoying this beautiful day together.

A couple of reminders:

Please respect social distancing guidelines:

No play dates, parties, sleepovers, or families visiting each other's houses.

Take walks/runs outside, but maintain 6 feet between people outside your family. Avoid playgrounds.

Do not visit nursing homes.

Limit visits to stores/restaurants/coffee shops. Get groceries on off hours.

Prepare food at home if possible.

The School Committee meeting planned for 3/17 will be held remotely. We hope to make a recording available via WinCam after the meeting.

WHS is open tomorrow for students in the free/reduced lunch program to pick up breakfasts and lunches: https://twitter.com/JudithEvans1/status/1238534604757307397/photo/1.

I could not prouder of our teachers and staff members who have been working tirelessly and enthusiastically to plan great learning opportunities for our students during the closure and for the wider Winchester community for your outpouring of encouragement and support.

Be well and stay strong.

Judith A. Evans, Ed.D.

Superintendent

Dear Winchester Families and Colleagues:

Governor Baker tonight announced that all public schools in the

commonwealth will be closed until at least 4/7/20 to help slow the spread of

COVID-19 and protect the most vulnerable among our community. While this additional

week of closure will place additional economic and emotional strains on our school

community, we continue to prepare to support distance learning and maintain our

teachers' strong relationships with our students. We will need everyone's cooperation

and patience as we support recommendations around social distancing. Please stand

firm with your children as you limit their contact with those outside your family for the

greater good. If we all abide by this mandate, we will save lives.

As always, we stand ready to help in any way possible and will provide more updates as

needed.

Judith A. Evans, Ed.D.

Superintendent

Dear Winchester Families:

I hope everyone is healthy, at home, and enjoying this beautiful day together.

A couple of reminders:

Please respect social distancing guidelines:

• No play dates, parties, sleepovers, or families visiting each other's houses.

• Take walks/runs outside, but maintain 6 feet between people outside your family. Avoid playgrounds.

• Do not visit nursing homes.

• Limit visits to stores/restaurants/coffee shops. Get groceries on off hours.

• Prepare food at home if possible.

The School Committee meeting planned for 3/17 will be held remotely. We hope to make a recording available via WinCam after the meeting.

WHS is open tomorrow for students in the free/reduced lunch program to pick up breakfasts and lunches: https://twitter.com/JudithEvans1/status/1238534604757307397/photo/1.

I could not prouder of our teachers and staff members who have been working tirelessly and enthusiastically to plan great learning opportunities for our students during the closure and for the wider Winchester community for your outpouring of encouragement and support.

Be well and stay strong.

Judith A. Evans, Ed.D.

Superintendent

Dear Winchester Families:

I hope everyone is healthy, at home, and enjoying this beautiful day together.

A couple of reminders:

Please respect social distancing guidelines:

• No play dates, parties, sleepovers, or families visiting each other's houses.

• Take walks/runs outside, but maintain 6 feet between people outside your family. Avoid playgrounds.

• Do not visit nursing homes.

• Limit visits to stores/restaurants/coffee shops. Get groceries on off hours.

• Prepare food at home if possible.

The School Committee meeting planned for 3/17 will be held remotely. We hope to make a recording available via WinCam after the meeting.

WHS is open tomorrow for students in the free/reduced lunch program to pick up breakfasts and lunches: https://twitter.com/JudithEvans1/status/1238534604757307397/photo/1.

I could not prouder of our teachers and staff members who have been working tirelessly and enthusiastically to plan great learning opportunities for our students during the closure and for the wider Winchester community for your outpouring of encouragement and support.

Be well and stay strong.

Judith A. Evans, Ed.D.

Superintendent

March 12, 2020

Dear Winchester Families and Colleagues:

The town of Winchester’s Emergency Operations group, which includes representatives from the Select Board, School Committee, Town Manager, Superintendent, Public Safety, state legislators, and Public Health, met today to discuss proposed town actions to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. There was unanimous agreement from those present that additional social distancing measures are needed to slow the spread of COVID-19 in our community.

Effective Monday, March 16, 2020 through Friday, March 27, 2020 all Winchester Public Schools will be closed. This includes all classes, athletics, and activities. This initial two-week closure may be extended based on the orders of government or public health officials. Many local communities have also decided to close schools for the next two weeks, including Lexington, Belmont, Burlington, and Bedford.

At tomorrow’s professional development sessions, teachers will work to identify content and strategies for distance learning and we will notify families about these plans next week. It is our hope to continue to support student learning and maintain strong teacher-student relationships during this school closure period.

We recognize that this closure will be very difficult and stressful for families, but our first priority is to support the health of all involved. In the coming days we will make and communicate plans to support special student populations and their families. School principals will communicate times early next week when buildings will be open for students to pick up any materials they may need during the closure.

This has been and will continue to be one of the most challenging and uncertain times many of us have ever faced. Let’s please remember to be kind and patient with one another as we navigate these complex issues. Thank you in advance for your understanding and support. More detailed information about the closure will be sent to you in the coming days.

Sincerely,

Judith A. Evans, Ed.D.

Superintendent

Joint Press Release from the Town of Winchester and Winchester Public Schools for March 11, 2020: Ambrose School COVID-19 Update

Late this afternoon the Massachusetts Department of Public Health notified the town that an Ambrose School student tested presumptive positive for COVID-19. The student has been consistently asymptomatic and has been deemed by DPH to be at very low risk of transmission to others. The student has been out of school since March 6, 2020. Out of an abundance of caution, the district will close school for all students and staff members of Ambrose School on Thursday, March 12, 2020 to allow time to complete appropriate notifications to close contacts and conduct deep cleaning. Other than Ambrose, all other district schools will be open tomorrow (3/12/2020) as usual.

The Winchester Health Department is in the process of notifying close contacts of this student, who will be advised to self-quarantine for a prescribed period of time. Close contacts include the student’s direct classmates, teacher, and several other staff members. Students and teachers in other classrooms at Ambrose and in the district are not deemed to be at risk and will not be asked to self-quarantine.

This action is taken after consultation with public health and town officials and aligns with the recommended course of action from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Other than the two adults described in yesterday’s notice (one of whom is this student’s parent), no other district students or parents have presumptive or verified COVID-19 positive results.

All Winchester Public Schools will be closed on Friday, 3/13/2020 for a long-planned teacher professional development day. This teacher meeting time will be used to develop plans and protocols for distance learning in the event of a school/district closure.

Given the current course of COVID-19, it was inevitable that it would impact our community, including our school district, staff and students. This is still difficult news to learn about and share. Please know that both town and school personnel are working to plan, prepare, and respond to this evolving situation and are here to support all members of our community.

A few important reminders:

• Parents, students, and staff members who are ill with fever, cough, or shortness of breath should first contact their primary care physician, who will offer advice about treatment and testing.

• Questions about school issues should be directed to the building principal and/or nurses.

• Questions about public health should be directed to the Winchester Health Department.

• The town website has the most up-to-date information on COVID-19

here: https://www.winchester.us/coronavirus

March 11, 2020

Dear Winchester Parents and Colleagues:

Thank you for your support as we work very closely with the Department of Public Health (DPH) and other town officials to react to the recommendations of state and federal authorities related to COVID-19. This is an evolving situation and we are working hard to provide clear and accurate information.

We have a few updates related to scheduled district activities in the coming weeks. Due to DPH/CDC social distancing recommendations, we are canceling or postponing many large group activities and limiting interactions between our students and members of the public where possible. Listed below are a few of the modified, deferred, or cancelled events.

Events with NO CHANGE planned at this time:

• Kidsborough before and after-school programs

• School-based after-school enrichment for small groups

• SAT Testing (done in small groups in classrooms)

Events/Practices cancelled or rescheduled:

• Out-of-town field trips, including the grade 8 Washington D.C. trip.

• Large group events where we cannot provide opportunities for "social distancing" and/or that include community members (plays, musical performances, kindergarten transition night, etc.) Principals will share more information on re-scheduling of individual events for their schools.

• All-school or grade-level meetings.

• Limiting access for volunteers and visitors to schools/classrooms.

• Suspending many building rentals to community groups, since our capacity to support deep cleaning after each use is limited based on current staffing levels.

• Elementary parent conferences are still scheduled, but will be moved to phone conferences.

Guidance on Student Absences

If students are ill, we expect that they will stay home until fully recovered. Make-up work and grading practices will be adjusted to meet the needs of returning students.

Some families may opt to keep their children absent from school due to health concerns. While we lack the capacity to provide individual learning experiences for absent students during such absences, we will be flexible about grading and make-up work upon their return.

School Closure/Distance Learning

While we hope to avoid school closures, we are planning for ways to provide meaningful technology-based learning experiences for our students if needed. Stay tuned for more information on this topic.

I appreciate the many e-mails and calls of support this morning and your understanding that this is a complex situation that will require close attention, much collaboration with town officials, flexibility, and patience from all of us.

Sincerely,

Judith A. Evans, Ed.D.

Superintendent

March 8, 2020

Dear Winchester Families and Colleagues:

I am writing to provide an update on the district’s response to the COVID-19 virus for this school week. As is the case with many other local communities, the town health department is assessing possible COVID-19 exposure/illness among members of our town population. At this time, we have no confirmed cases of COVID-19 among our students, staff members, or town residents. No school closures are recommended or anticipated at this time.

I would like to emphasize that the town and schools are working together to follow all Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Department of Public Health protocols to limit the spread of illness through extra cleaning and disinfection protocols each day. The Department of Public Works (DPW) continues to:

• Disinfect touch points several times each day, using approved methods/materials.

• Use electrostatic disinfectant foggers in our schools.

You can help keep everyone well by reminding your children to:

• wash their hands frequently and well

• sneeze/cough into a tissue or elbow

• stay home when ill

While we hope it will not be needed, the leadership team has been working on plans to address potential school closures or extended student absences. We expect to release a draft plan later this week. These plans include:

• possible distance learning options

• special education/mental health support

• food service (especially for students eligible for free/reduced lunch)

• transportation

• business office functions

• personnel support

In uncertain times such as this, our greatest strength is our capacity to support one another with calm, patience, and focus. We are all very concerned about our students, our families, and ourselves and want to do all we can to keep everyone healthy. We can

best support one another by avoiding the spread of rumors or speculating about the health of individual community members, stigmatizing those who become ill, or by comparing our community’s responses with the actions of other towns.

As always, individual concerns about your family should be brought to the attention of the school principal/nurse, as should questions about any planned absences. We are in daily contact with public health staff members and will share with you any additional news as it becomes available.

With respect,

Judith A. Evans, Ed.D.

Superintendent

Dear Winchester Families and Colleagues:

As promised, I am writing to provide an update on the latest guidance from state and federal officials and public health departments about the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

While the risk to Massachusetts residents continues to be low, here are a few important reminders and updates:

• Students and staff members who are sick should stay home from school.

• Avoid close contact with those who are already sick.

• Cover your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing with a tissue or the crook of your arm.

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth.

Here are some CDC fact sheets to help students, families, and staff understand COVID-19, along with steps we can take to protect ourselves:

What you need to know about coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/2019-ncov-factsheet.pdf

What to do if you are sick: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/what-you-should-do.pdf

Stop the spread of germs – help prevent the spread of respiratory viruses like COVID-19: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/stop-the-spread-of-germs.pdf

International Travel/Hosting/In-country Travel

To slow the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) into the United States, CDC is working with state and local public health partners to implement after-travel health precautions. Beginning with travel on March 2, 2020, students and staff members will be asked to stay home for a period of 14 days from the time they left an area with widespread or ongoing community spread (Level 3 Travel Health Notice).

Countries that have a Level 3 Travel Health Notice (widespread, ongoing transmission):

China

Iran

Italy

South Korea

While the governor has requested the colleges and school postpone planned international travel for students, no such trips are planned for Winchester students for the remainder of the school year. We are currently reviewing plans for hosting French exchange students in town later this month and will have a decision on this early next week, after consulting with the appropriate officials. The grade 8 Washington trip is similarly under review, with no current restrictions on this type of travel being recommended at this time. The middle school administration will provide additional details on contingency plans should this advisory change.

Preparedness

It is important to know that the district is working in partnership with public health officials to review, update, and implement emergency operations plans (EOPs). These plans include:

• Establishing procedures for students and staff who are sick at school or at home. Providing training for nurses on specific protocols to manage those who present with illness.

• Performing enhanced environmental cleaning, including daily cleaning of frequently touched surfaces (e.g., doorknobs, light switches, countertops).

We care deeply about the health and well-being of our students and staff members and will remain vigilant about conferring with public health officials, our school nurses, and federal/state officials to monitor and respond to new information as it becomes available. If you have any questions about your child’s health, please contact your school nurse and building principal. Thank you in advance for your patience and cooperation as we face this challenge together.

Sincerely,

Judith A. Evans, Ed.D.

Superintendent