September 12, 2020
Dear Uxbridge Families, Students, and Extended Community:
At long last, we are ready to provide some final details for students and families regarding next week’s return to school. While this message is lengthy, and may not be a one-sitting read, it will have almost EVERYTHING you need to prepare for day one.
If you are not inclined to read everything, there is a three-part video series that should help answer most of the questions, as well as a slide presentation that provides a great deal of information:
Reopening Procedures Slide
Back to School Video 1: Safety Protocols
Back to School Video 2: Procedures and Academics
Back to School Video 3: What’s Next
Also, please note the following documents and links:
Reopening Webpage (including Supply Lists)
Covid Handbook Addendum
Nurse’s Update
Safety and Handbook Verification Form
It is with a great deal of gratitude and appreciation that we are at this point and able to be confident in saying we are ready to open school. While this information may seem overwhelming, we are sharing today, so that everyone can take a few minutes each day to process, in advance of Thursday.
Please reach out if you have any questions.
This document is also broken up into some sections to help with navigation. Clicking on the link below will help navigate to that section of this document:
Back to School Updates
SAFETY
Update on Arrival Time and Procedure
Parent Drop-Off
Class Transit and Classroom Procedures
Changing Bus Assignments, Cohort Assignments, or Learning Models
Class Schedules
What to Expect on the First Day
Fully Remote Model Students and Families
Wednesday Schedule
Athletics
Expectations for Online Class Meetings
ONLINE LEARNING EXPECTATIONS
Handbook Verification
Sample Syllabi
A Final Word
Students Responsibilities This Week
SAFETY
All students are required to wear a mask. A mask must cover the nose and mouth, and it must be two-ply, washable fabric.
In terms of health requirements, Any student who has these symptoms should stay home, get a COVID test and consult with their primary care physician:
Cough (not due to known cause)
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
fever of 100.0 F or higher
chills or shaking chills
congestion or runny nose (not due to known causes and
when in combination with other symptoms)
muscle aches or body aches
headache (when in combination with other symptoms)
fatigue (when in combination with other symptoms)
sore throat
new loss of taste or smell
vomiting, diarrhea, nausea
Students with any symptoms should not report to school. They can log into school remotely. Students who are symptomatic at school will be sent home with notification and a requirement to be tested, and can only return to school if certain criteria are met (see the COVID-Addendum to the Handbook).
When students arrive:
Update on Arrival Time and Procedure
Please note that we are modifying our arrival time and procedures this year.
Students may not enter the building until 7:20 a.m.
Students may only enter through one of the following three entrances:
the main entrance
the gym entrance
the entrance at the end of the B-wing
Students must wear an appropriate mask covering the full mouth and nose.
Students must sanitize their hands upon entry using sanitizer provided by the school.
Each student will report direct to their first period class.
At 7:40am, we will lock all entrances to the school.
Students arriving after 7:40 am must enter through the main entrance.
When students are late, if they have a smart device, they will scan the QR code outside the main office that will notify the office, via email, that they have arrived. The student will then report directly to the first period class without stopping at the office.
Parent Drop-Off
The drop-off procedure for parents is changing, so please pay attention to this section if you are planning on driving a student to or from school.
In the morning, parents will not be permitted to drive all the way to the school. They will drive down the driveway until the first road, and will turn left and proceed to the student parking lot. Entering the student parking lot, parents will turn right and proceed down toward the school, where student dropoff will occur. The students being dropped off will exit the vehicle and enter the door at the end of the B wing.
Please follow the signs upon entry. A video for the drop-off will be forthcoming.
Class Transit and Classroom Procedures
When in the building, students are required to pass on the right side of the hallway. All corridors are marked with a line in the middle which provides passing routes. To access stairwells, students will have to familiarize themselves with the patterns for the individual staircases to traverse up and down:
Stairwell at end of B wing is DOWN ONLY
Stairwell at end of A wing is UP only
No classes will meet outside the locker rooms.
Stairwell at center is two-ways (Commons)
Stairwell in D-wing is UP ONLY
There is NO stopping at lockers between classes.
When in class, students are required to wear masks at all times. If a student is taking a drink of water, the proper way to do so is to lift the mask over the lips, keep the nose covered, take the drink, and then put the mask back down over the mouth.
Most classrooms will not be permitting food. This is not negotiable and based on teacher discretion, mostly due to safety and sanitation considerations.
When students need to use the lavatory, an E-hall Pass will be filled out. Each classroom has a designated lavatory assigned to it, typically the one closest to the classroom. If a student gets to the bathroom and it already has two students present, they are asked to wait outside until one person exits. There will never be more than ten total students out of class in the building at any one time, which puts the likelihood of multiple students in the restroom as much slimmer.
The nurse’s office is reserved only for students who are (a) not well or (b) have chronic medical conditions that require monitoring. Students may not use the nurse’s office for emotional convalescence or the restroom. Basic first-aid (i.e. a bandaid) can be secured from a teacher.
Mask breaks will take place mid-morning. The procedure has been shared with teachers, and is, at this time, limited to outdoor spaces. A procedure for indoor mask breaks will be forthcoming, particularly for times of inclement weather.
If a student fails to mask properly, and this is causing a potential safety issue for others in the building, there are tiers of responses that are followed to ensure that students do not compromise the well-being of others. Typically, a first step will involve a conversation with a school counselor before the administration will have the student brought home to learn remotely. A pattern of disruption and failure to comply with mask regulations could result in a student being assigned to remote learning on a more permanent basis.
Before leaving classrooms, students will share in the responsibility of cleaning desks. Their individual classroom space will be sanitized with an alcohol-based solution prior to departure for the next class. These solutions have been approved by the CDC, DPH, and Board of Health as suitable for student use and as a virucide.
At 11:45 a.m., the first call for dismissal will take place. Students who ride the bus will be dismissed to their respective buses.
If students are picking up lunch before leaving, there will be a line-up process that allows for six-foot distancing. Students will pick up lunch, provide their name and number to the cafeteria staff, and exit the door that they entered at the start of the day. Subsequent groups - student drivers/passengers and parent pickups - will follow the same process.
The students will then transit home and will, after eating or while eating, log into the fifth period class of the day. We anticipate that most students will be able to sign on by 12:45. The fifth period class will end around 1:00-1:05, and will be followed by the sixth and seventh classes of the day, which are entirely remote. The full bell schedule is linked here.
Remote expectations, for students who started the day in-person and for students who are entirely remote for the day or week, appear below.
Students who intend to stay on campus for after-school athletics will be supervised in the auditorium. However, only those students who have the 2:15 practice will be permitted to stay. Students who have practice starting at any other time will be required to arrange transportation back.
Changing Bus Assignments, Cohort Assignments, or Learning Models
Our work to develop academic and transportation schedules has been extraordinarily complicated and any changes to our current schedules will be difficult to implement. Given that, we understand that families sometimes move to a new address during the school year and students need to be assigned to a new bus route. We also understand that there may be reasons why students need to change from the Hybrid Model to the Remote Model during the school year, or from the Remote Model to the Hybrid Model. We also know that some students would prefer to be assigned to a different cohort. This message addresses each of these topics.
Bus Assignments
Students who ride the bus to school will be assigned a specific seat on a specific bus. Students will not be permitted to board a bus unless they are eligible to ride that bus.
Any student who rides a bus to school and who moves to a new address must communicate with us prior to the move so we can coordinate transportation for the student from their new address, if it is available. In such cases, we will try to not change the student’s cohort assignment, but it may be necessary for us to do so. Also, with busing now having a waitlist, we will do our best to accommodate.
Cohort Assignments
Unfortunately, we simply cannot make any changes to cohort assignments. We know that our inability to change cohort assignments is a source of hardship for some families, and we are truly sorry that we cannot be more flexible. At this point, we have accommodated all family changes.
Changing Models
We cannot accommodate a change from remote to in-person at this time. We will revisit cohort size in a few weeks. Even if a change is permitted, transportation may not follow. In terms of students who may request a move to the remote learning model, a conversation with the student’s counselor should occur first.
Class Schedules
The master schedule for classes looks like this:
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
A
E
B
F
C
G
D
B:
F
C
G
D
A
E
C:
G
D
A
E
B
F
D
A
E
B
F
C
G
GRAB & GO LUNCH
GRAB & GO LUNCH
GRAB & GO LUNCH
GRAB & GO LUNCH
GRAB & GO LUNCH
E
B
F
C
G
D
A
F
C
G
D
A
E
B
G
D
A
E
B
F
C
The rotation would look like:
Monday
Tuesday
Thursday
Friday
Monday
Tuesday
A:
E
A:
E
B
F
B:
F
B:
F
C
G
C:
G
C:
G
D
A
D
A
D
A
E
B
GRAB & GO LUNCH
GRAB & GO LUNCH
GRAB & GO LUNCH
GRAB & GO LUNCH
GRAB & GO LUNCH
GRAB & GO LUNCH
GRAB & GO LUNCH
ALL REMOTE
E
B
E
B
F
C
ALL REMOTE
F
C
F
C
G
D
ALL REMOTE
G
D
G
D
A
E
What to Expect on the First Day
The first day of school is on September 17. Students in Cohort A will come in-school and students in Cohort B will stay at-home. September 17 will follow a Day 6 Schedule (GABC in person for cohort A&C, remote for cohort B&D; DEF remote for all students)., and September 18 will follow a Day 7 schedule (DEFG in person for cohort B&C, remote for cohort A&D; ABC remote for all students).
By Wednesday, September 16, all students will receive messages from their teachers with information and introduction to the courses, as well as Google Classroom sign-in codes for the classes.
Cohort A and C
Students in Cohort A will report to school on September 17 in the morning and will learn remotely on Friday, September 18. Blocks G, A, B, and C will meet in person for Cohorts A & C on September 17.
Cohort B and C
Students in Cohort B will learn remotely on September 17 and report to school on September 18. Blocks, D, E, F, and G will meet in person for Cohorts B and C on September 18.
The regular “Monday-Tuesday” and “Thursday-Friday” schedule will start the week of September 21.
While we have a great deal of confidence in our planning for Thursday, we are equally confident that we will encounter many challenges on this first day of in-school classes since March 13. As we work to implement new safety protocols and procedures for the first time, we may experience delays at many points during the day. Boarding buses, entering the building, and serving breakfast may all take longer than usual. Our mask-breaks could take longer than planned, as could lunch service, and, subsequently, the start of afternoon classes may need to be adjusted.
We want all students and families to be ready for such delays. If we do encounter such delays, please understand that we will work to resolve them quickly, but only when we are ready to proceed in a manner that keeps everyone safe.
Exterior doors will be locked and students will not be permitted to enter the building until 7:20. They can, upon arrival, wait outside, and, if six feet apart, lift masks.
Students who ride the bus will most likely arrive between 7:20am - 7:30am. Students who choose to eat breakfast at school will do so at an assigned seat in the cafeteria.
Once students reach their 1st period class, teachers will guide students to their assigned seats and begin orienting students to new routines in both the classroom and the school. Most classes will have live streaming links available for students at home. Keep in mind that the priority at the start of these classes will likely be assigning seats and ensuring that safety protocols are being followed in the building, so remote students - please be patient..
At some times, students will have assignments due by a specific time on at-home days that they will submit via Google Classroom. At other times, students will work on tasks in preparation for their next in-school or virtual class meeting and will not need to submit a specific assignment. Students should expect to engage in 4-6 hours of activity on each of these at-home days.
There are also some teachers who may be teaching their classes fully remotely. Should that be the case, the students will be reporting to the auditorium, where they will be supervised and able to complete the class activities using streaming technology, such as Zoom or Google Meet, and there are also options for students to work on assignments that will be provided by teachers who are remote. These classes will communicate directly with students on a case-by-case basis.
Finally, please note that due to the pandemic and some of the guidance we currently have, some classes may have different expectations than what was actually expected. For example, “Team Sports” will be taught in concert with all physical education classes, as our courses take on a common theme each week, because contact activities and changing clothes are not permitted. Additionally, some classes, like Foods or Art, will have very specific safety protocols and procedures for partner work and sharing materials, and some equipment will not be able to used collaboratively in our fabrication shops, while science labs will be organized differently.
Fully Remote Model Students and Families
This update is designed for students and families enrolled in the fully remote model.
Teachers will be sharing direction for individual classes with respect to expectations for fully remote classes. For the four classes that meet in the “morning,” while some students are in-person, most of our classes are requiring students to log into a link to the class, typically through Zoom. There will be some classes where that is not going to take place and an assignment will be shared. This will be provided in advance by the teachers.
The afternoon classes will proceed synchronously, with all students remote, including students who were in-person during the morning.
The goal is for our remote students to have as close to a similar experience as those students who may be in-person. Please note that some activities, particularly those that involve specialized equipment, may not be easily replicated for an at-home environment, but our teachers will be communicating what those expectations will be.
Wednesday Schedule
On Wednesday mornings, our students will be in class from 7:30-10:30 a.m. From 7:30-9:00 or so, our students will participate in an advisory with a predetermined teacher and grade-level group. During this team, our counseling team will be providing its series of lessons, the counseling curriculum, opportunities for students to connect with other teachers, and cross-checking Google Classroom and iStudent for outstanding assignments.
The second part of the day will be dedicated to Passion Projects, which will enable our students to complete an independent study driven by a specific topic or theme. In grade 8, these take a civics theme, in grades 9-10 a career exploration, grade 11 a future planning, social justice, or financial literacy theme, and grade 12 post-secondary planning and college applications. Through this time, essential skills will be the focus and foundation of all that is done, and students will work on topics like time management, effective communication, and study habits, while also focusing on some of our social-emotional competencies.
Wednesday afternoons will be dedicated to asynchronous work, likely completing assignments in advance of Thursday and Friday class time. The “morning session” ends at 10:30.
PLEASE NOTE: Fully in-person students attend school on Wednesdays from 7:30-10:30 a.m.
Athletics
Mr. Carbone will provide a full update on athletics. Our school will be competing in a pod, and there will be four shortened athletic seasons in Massachusetts this year. The addition of a new fourth season is designed to permit students to compete in Fall sports that are not presently authorized to play. These sports are:
Football
Cheer (competition)
Girls Volleyball
The following Fall sports are scheduled to start practice after school on October 5:
Boys and Girls Soccer
Boys and Girls Cross Country
Girls Field Hockey
Golf
Our digital registration platform, www.familyid.com, is open and accepting registrations for Soccer, Cross Country, Field Hockey, and Golf. Students who wish to register for these sports should do so immediately.
Students may not practice without an appropriate physical exam. All physicals exams must have been completed within the last 13 months. Please scan and email any valid physicals to the school nurse at tschiller@uxbridge.k12.ma.us.
If you cannot scan and email, please send the physicals to school with your student-athletes and they can drop them off at the Main Office on their first day in the building, immediately after dismissal and before exiting campus.
As an FYI: Locker room space will not be available to students. We appreciate your understanding.
Expectations for Online Class Meetings
We use Zoom as our platform for online class meetings, whether for remote students, students in the afternoon classes, or the Wednesday class sessions.
We expect mature and responsible behavior from students in online class meetings at all times. If a student is not meeting these expectations, the teacher will remove the student from the meeting and refer the student for discipline. Consequences may include out-of-school suspension.
Students should not have any other people present during online class meetings other than family members in his/her immediate household.
ONLINE LEARNING EXPECTATIONS
To promote online safety, students MUST use their real names as their online username to enter any virtual classroom setting. Students will not be allowed to enter Zoom sessions with alternate names.
Students should join the classroom from a family space (kitchen, living room, den, etc.) whenever possible
Mute the microphone upon first entering the meeting.
Videos must be on.
Do not join or partake in a video conference before the teacher instructs you to do so.
Always exit the video conference when instructed.
Be on time.
Be an active participant.
Wear school-appropriate clothing and use school-appropriate language.
Frame the camera correctly.
Be aware of your background. Make sure it is appropriate for a school setting and will not distract the teacher or classmates.
Have the right light to enable others to see you.
Look into the camera when speaking.
Pay attention. Give your focus to the person speaking. Do not interrupt. Raise your hand or ask to speak in the chat box. Avoid side conversations, facial expressions, or actions that cause a distraction.
Mute yourself after speaking.
Students are NOT allowed to take pictures, record, and/or distribute any personal information of any individual during a virtual learning experience. (Note: teachers will also not be taking pictures or recording any virtual sessions on Zoom.
Handbook Verification
Prior to the start of the school, we are asking that students and parents review our Student Handbook and the Handbook addendum, which includes all of our procedural updates for the coming year. You should also review this document, which includes pertinent safety information.
After reviewing both documents, please check all student and parent contact information in iParent. Following that step, please review and fill out this form. This will be required of all students.
Sample Syllabi
Our entire staff has been working incredibly hard at making sure that expectations for the coming year are clear, consistent, and well-defined at the onset of the year. To those ends, we wanted to share some examples of what students and parents can expect later this week:
World Language Web Site
Physical Education Syllabus
History: Global I Syllabus (Grade 9)
World Literature Honors
Concert Choir
Fine Art
Each teacher will share syllabi and course information before the first day of school.
A Final Word
I know that the start of this school year is exceptionally challenging for students and families. Over the past several weeks, we have shared a mountain of information with you that is overwhelming and impossible to quantify. As a parent, I share in your feelings of overwhelmedness, and I am hoping that all of our planning results in smooth openings for our students and families next week.
Regardless of the plans, however, there are still bound to be hiccups, challenges, and anxiety, from everything about schedules, siblings, unfamiliarity with the building, safety protocols, and just getting back to the business of school after such a long period of time away. We have been sharing a theme of being in this together - we are working hard to make sure that anything urgent is addressed, and that our empathy and patience remains steady.
Many of our staff members have planned a deliberately slow start to new academic instruction to provide ample time to orient students to the building, our new safety protocols, and the technology being used in class. Please know that students are not falling behind in these opening days as we ensure that the tools and protocols needed for success are implemented with fidelity.
Finally, there will be no more schedule changes honored, and cohort changes for reasons other than siblings cannot be made.
Students Responsibilities This Week
Students should login in to their Uxbridge email to view emails and Google Classroom invitations from their teachers. If students have difficulty with the technology, their teachers will assist them when they come into the building
In summary, here is what students should do before Thursday:
Log into your email by Wednesday and make sure you have your class schedule, Google classroom links/codes, and relevant Zoom links. (If you are fully remote, there may be seven links).
Check the Google classrooms for each of your classes to find updates for the first day of class, so you are prepared
View safety videos, reopening slides, and guidelines
Have a mask ready to go for the first day of school
Read the Student Handbook and Student Handbook addendum.
Sign off on having read, and understood, the Handbook
Check iParent/iStudent for your schedule and validate biographical and contact information
Check the reopening website and supply lists to see if you need anything
Make sure your Chromebook or iPad is charged.
Get your mindset ready for returning to school!
On a personal and professional note, Mr. DiMeglio and I are grateful for the efforts of so many to make this school year possible. We would not be reopening Uxbridge High School without the efforts of our fellow administrators, other colleagues across the state, our central office team, the facilities and custodial crews, our office staff, our local officials, and, of course, our faculty and instructional support staff. Their work over these past months and, in particular, these past couple of weeks has been inspiring and a reminder of the level of professionalism we sometimes take for granted as denizens of UHS.
Thank you for all your patience and understanding over these past several months. We look forward to reopening school and, finally, seeing our Spartans back at school.
Be safe.
Michael D. Rubin
Principal
