Informational: April Vacation

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The Public Schools of

Northborough and Southborough

"Ten Schools, Three Districts, One Community of Learners"

Informational Update: April Vacation

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Dear Parent(s) and Guardian(s):

Last evening, Thursday, April 9, 2020, the Northborough, Southborough, and Northborough-Southborough Regional School Committees held a Special Combined Meeting to discuss April Vacation. After reviewing the faculty, staff, and parent April Vacation Survey data,* as well as considering the pros and cons of holding or canceling, the committees voted to cancel April Vacation and conduct remote learning ( NSBORO-CONNECT 2.0 ) Tuesday, April 21 through Friday, April 24 (The District will be closed on April 20th, in observance of Patriots’ Day). With the committees’ vote to amend the 2019-2020 Student Calendar, the last day of the academic year will be Tuesday, June 16, 2020.

This decision reflects a desire to maintain the continuity of remote learning for students and prepares for the possibility that in-person schooling may be suspended beyond May 4th, the current end date of school closures in Massachusetts.

On Monday, April 6, 2020, the District launched its remote learning plan, NSBORO-CONNECT 2.0 . The early feedback educators, principals, and I received has been positive. The feedback also included suggestions to improve and finetune remote learning. Early next week, the District will be reviewing NSBORO-CONNECT 2.0 and will make adjustments, where necessary. I want to acknowledge the excellent work of our District and school-based leaders, faculty, and staff preparing for NSBORO-CONNECT 2.0 .

Lastly, I want to highlight a couple of essential NSBORO-CONNECT 2.0 principles:

We recognize that our families, students, and faculty are functioning under unprecedented circumstances. The priorities of each family may be different based on their current situation. As such, we want to provide a flexible learning environment that can accommodate each family's needs. We will work closely with families who need modifications to NSBORO-CONNECT 2.0 .

Faculty, staff, and school and District leaders are available if you need support, have an idea, or question. Please do not hesitate to reach out to your child’s teachers, principal, or me. The way we improve is by receiving feedback from our parents and students.

Maintaining connections between faculty, staff, students, and families is paramount .

What continues to be evident is that the District’s greatest strength is our strong community and the way in which we connect and support one another. Educators and families will continue to work together on behalf of our students.

Respectfully,

Gregory L. Martineau

Superintendent of Schools