Update for September 17

Good evening,

Our 2020-21 school year started today. There were a few times in the past several months where that seemed more dream than reality.

Around 7:15, the first buses started arriving, and the students were incredibly mindful of our passing routes both into and around the building. There were some emotions, for sure, both from many of our students and staff, and while we had a few unforeseen challenges and glitches, we were able to iron out most of the kinks relatively quickly. To those who were most affected by them, and the students who were patient with these challenges, we are both apologetic and grateful, since their patience - collectively and individually - was a true hallmark of the day.

Classes throughout the day showed our staff's commitment to meeting the unique challenges of hybrid learning. Watching classes engage with both students in person and those at home simultaneously was truly exciting to watch.

Dismissal was timely - but we want to make sure that families afford themselves of the opportunity to get a lunch from the school. Students can take a meal for anyone in their home who is under the age of 22; all they need to do is notify the cafeteria staff of this intention, and there is no charge.

It did not appear there were many issues with students logging into the classes after lunch, particularly for those leaving UHS, but we will be keeping an eye on that timing.

All in all, today really was a successful start for cohorts A and C. Tomorrow, cohort B will join us in the building. We remind all our students and families of our etiquette and protocols for remote learning, to consistently check Google Classroom and email to be notified of changes and updates, and to reach out if there are any issues. Typically, that first line of question will be the school counselor, whose names and contact information are listed below:

Ashley Smith: asmith@uxbridge.k12.ma.us (Last names A-Go)

Jamie Toto: jtoto@uxbridge.k12.ma.us (Gr-O)

Emily Cotter: ecotter@uxbridge.k12.ma.us (P-Z)

Finally, our year started today, it started strongly, and it started because of a team effort. To those of you who took the time to thank us for all our effort, we appreciate the sentiment. Know that our work has only just started, and we have a great school year ahead of us. We will certainly do our best to keep you informed.