Your Narragansett Schools Reopening Update
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Our district-wide Reopening Committee continues to work on the planning and strategy for the new school year. The group is comprised of sub-committees, who are focused on important areas of planning that will help create the overall district plan for students and staff come fall.
The sub-committee groups are as follows:
Governance and System Development
Mental Health and Special Populations
Instructional Technology
Health and Safety
Curriculum, Instruction, and Professional Learning
Communication and Feedback
Operations and Transportation
In this newsletter, we will share updates from each group as well as ways to engage and offer feedback on the progress being made as we near the opening of school. Our goal remains to keep in constant communication with you so that you are not only confident with how we are building our strategy, but also can have opportunities to offer feedback and share any questions you may have regarding your respective school.
Reopening Website
We have created a dedicated page on our district website on the main menu containing all of this information as well as any future updates, links or surveys to complete, which can be found on the left navigation pane once you're on the page.
Once our plan is finalized, we will also share the document with the community and post on our website for easy reference.
Thank you for your support and engagement as we continue working towards our reopening goals.
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Crush COVID App Resource
If you haven't already, we encourage you to learn more about and download the CRUSH COVID RI App. This app is a COVID-19 pandemic response app that provides Rhode Islanders with easy access to all of the resources required during the public health crisis, and includes features such as a location diary and symptom diary.
All Rhode Islanders are encouraged to use the CRUSH COVID RI app and take an active role in slowing the spread of COVID-19 in Rhode Island. You can make a difference in the health of your loved ones and your community by helping us track the virus in our state
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Upcoming School Community Forums
As we continue to work on our plan, we know many families may have questions or concerns about what the fall with look like.
Starting next week we will be hosting virtual community forums within each school to help share updates and talk to our families about how we're working best to support students and staff. The format will begin with an overview of where we are and then open the floor to questions and comments.
To help us prepare, we have created a way for the community to submit questions and concerns beforehand, enabling us to share as much information as possible. Your submission will remain anonymous and you can submit as many questions as you would like. This will also help us create a FAQ that will be updated consistently and used as a reference.
Please use the below link to submit your questions.
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Save the Date for the below forums for your school:
Staff Forum-
July 22, 2020 | 10am- Link will be shared with staff
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Lessons Learned Surveys
As we look to the 20-21 School Year, we want to reflect back on our experience this spring in Distance Learning so that we can better prepare for the scheduled distance learning days as well as the possibility of a return to a full distance learning structure. We need your input and feedback to design virtual learning that can better support our students and families. Teachers have been asked for their input and feedback as well. Now that you have hopefully had some time to breathe since the completion of the school year, we invite you to fill out the following form(s) as they apply to you:
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Student Learning Preference Survey
If you haven't already, we are asking families enrolled in the Narragansett School System to take the below survey to select an initial preference of return-to-school options to help us understand student and family needs and to plan for additional supports which will be required. Your option choice will not prevent you from changing your needs as the school year progresses as we know state guidance, health situations, and comfort levels are continually changing.
Please complete this form
no later than July 24th. Our district staff will try to accommodate as many people as possible and will update you on more detailed options as they are finalized.
*If you have multiple students in the district, please fill out a survey for each student.
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Reopening Sub Committee Updates
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Governance and System Development
The Governance and System Development Group has been working to create the appropriate policies and systems to support our return to school. This includes attendance, communication, teacher assignment, and scheduling. Additionally, the committee has developed the following guiding principles to frame our planning:
Vision and Guiding Principles for Re-opening
To support all stakeholders in reopening schools, Narragansett will follow eight guiding principles for the planning, decision-making, and execution of returning to school:
- We will prioritize the health, safety, and well-being of our school community.
- We will be transparent in our communication. We will share what we know and what we do not know. We will be clear about what we can control and what is outside of our control.
- We will be intentional about matters of equity and begin by addressing the needs of our most vulnerable student populations. We will center decisions on what is best for all students, families, and educators, especially those most impacted by inequity and COVID-19.
- We will build on our strengths, including our technology resources and the size of our community
- We will plan for multiple reopening scenarios in response to public health guidance, spanning from full in person to full remote learning.
- We will incorporate new knowledge discovered through advances in research and practice in battling COVID-19 (see Harvard School of Public Health website.)
- We will listen to and prioritize student, staff, and parent/caregiver voices by building in regular opportunities for reflection and feedback.
- We will ensure that our district and school plans are sustainable and consider the mental, physical, and social/emotional needs of the school community SEL Roadmap Resource.
We are also preparing for multiple reopening scenarios. Given the uncertainty of the spread of the disease and impact on the State and its different communities, we are preparing for multiple reopening scenarios ranging from limited to full in person instruction. The continuum below depicts starting scenarios, which are dependent on the amount of community spread of COVID-19. The continuum spans from full distance learning to full in-person learning, in accordance with Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and RIDOH guidance.
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Mental Health and Special Populations
This team is answering questions such as how are we supporting the mental health and wellness of our students, staff, and school community? What are the needs of our most vulnerable students (Special Education, students in poverty, homeless, chronically absent)? What are the legal requirements for which we need to account, and what supports need to be developed within each scenario?
As we prepare to return to school on August 31st, safety, health and wellness of our students is our focus. The special populations subcommittee has been focused on the wellness of our students and staff, special education, and the needs of vulnerable students.
Key decisions ready for implementation:
- A survey has been sent out to the parents of our youngest students, preschoolers. This year, we will continue to offer preschool to children throughout our district through two different program options: three full days and five full days. This will allow us to have stable groups of students and staff. This is key to the guidance from RIDE and CDC. We will not be providing bus transportation to students who attend without special education needs. This will assist us with safely transporting our students with significant needs to preschool.
- The mental health and wellness is key to a successful transition back for all members of our schools, children and adults. Our committee is dedicated to creating more robust resource pages on our website for students, families and staff. These pages will include strategies, links, activities and resources to promote wellness for our entire community. We are working to develop partnerships with outside agencies as part of this work. Our school psychologists, social workers, student assistant counselors, SEL coach, nurses and school counselors are ready to provide support to students, families and staff to make our reopening a success.
- Special education services for those requiring extended school year services are being done through a distance learning model while our district prepares our schools for our safe return on August 31st. We are reviewing the needs of our students and making sure that we have the proper PPE and settings for all students to engage in learning upon their return. We anticipate that IEP meetings will remain in a virtual format to limit the number of visitors to the schools and help us maintain stable groups for our students and adults. If we need to transition to a hybrid model of in-person and distance learning, students with the greatest needs for in-person instruction will be considered to remain in-person during these phases as long as guidance supports this plan.
- Finally, we encourage families to spend time wearing masks. Students will need to be used to wearing their mask and seeing others in masks to make this comfortable for them upon return. Wearing masks will be part of our safety protocol for all or some of our day based on guidance.
Your feedback and questions are welcome. If you would like to discuss your child's needs for the reopening of school, please reach out Melissa Denton, Director of Student Services. She can be reached by email at
mdenton@nssk12.org or by phone at 401-792-9426.
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Instructional Technology
This team is answering questions such as w
hat technology hardware and software are needed to support the different possible learning scenarios? What infrastructure development is necessary to support continued distance learning or a mix of in-person and distance learning? What lessons were learned through distance learning at each age group?
- Completed plan for device distribution to students for a full in person reopening and a plan for distribution for a distance learning reopening if necessary
- During the summer we will continue our normal procedures for ensuring all systems are up to date, testing wireless access and conducting updates as needed
- PowerSchool Learning lead teachers will continue their work being a resource for teachers and in assisting of training of teachers on professional development days.
- The elementary school is exploring the best option for a learning platform for their students
- We have begun the implementation process for the Clever software. This will be a Single Sign on solution to many of the resources students use. This will eliminate the need for students to remember multiple username and passwords and will provide seamless access to those sites.
- Completed survey to staff on their top 3 tech tools used to facilitate distance learning and we will survey teachers on connectivity during video conferences at home.
- We continue to submit privacy agreements to companies indicated by teachers on the Tech Use Survey sent out this spring and look for alternatives to companies who do not sign.
- We have determined that if we go to distance learning we will need to get a district license for Zoom.
- We are extending our 1:1 program to grade 1-12 for the 20-21 SY
- We have plans for building tech support for a full in-person reopening as well as for a distance learning reopening with a combination of these two plans should we be in a partial return scenario
- We will be working toward building a central location on the school website in which we will post video tutorials for staff, students and parents on how to access and use online services and resources.
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Health and Safety
This team is answering questions such as how will we keep students, staff, and the community healthy and safe when we reopen? What processes and procedures need to be in place in our day to day routines? How will this differ based on reopening scenarios?
The Health & Safety subcommittee has been working diligently to create policies and procedures that will help our NSS community prevent the spread of COVID19 upon reopening.
These plans include required daily screenings for all students and staff, procedures for isolation and quarantine for when a student or staff screens positive for COVID-19, as well as creating required training procedures for all students and staff to be conducted prior to the start of the school year and content for signage to be placed throughout the community.
Additionally, requirements regarding mask wearing, hallway patterns to limit interactions between stable groups, and arrival and dismissal procedures have also been addressed by this committee in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
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Curriculum, Instruction, and Professional Learning
This team is answering questions such as what are the learning needs of our students and the professional learning needs of our faculty? What lessons have we learned from distance learning this Spring? How can we prepare for differently organized in person learning, a blend of in-person and distance learning, or more distance learning?
This group has been meeting to plan for the Curriculum and Instruction part of our re-entry plan.
Plans have been drafted on looking at data provided by teachers in the Spring of 2020 about which priority standards were taught, which standards we need to instruct more deeply due to distance learning, assessing our students, planning for interventions, and planning for the possible blend of in person and distance learning moving forward.
Our group has been attending professional development sessions with RIDE as well as other districts in both Rhode Island and Connecticut to ensure we implement best practices when making these important instructional decisions.
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Communication and Feedback
This team is answering questions such as how will we engage the community in our planning process and keep students, faculty, and staff apprised of developments? How will we seek and incorporate feedback from key groups?
The communication committee has been continuously working on keeping the entire school community informed. Our most recent focus has included:
- Creating a first round of communication for our June monthly newsletter about our task force being formed and what that meant for planning
- Creating a transportation survey to enable our operations teams to plan bus routes and necessary changes to our current processes.
- Creating and distributing newsletter such as this one to keep our parents, staff, and students informed about the progress our team and the state is making
- Working with the operations and health and wellness teams to create signage on safety reminders and guidance to be placed throughout our schools and district offices.
- In the process of creating a web page to live on our district site to host all reopening information and guidance as it becomes available.
- Organizing staff and parent forums
- Creating FAQ survey and answered questions for further guidance as we enter the new school year.
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Operations and Transportation
This team is answering questions such as how will we ensure our schools are clean, safe, and ready for learning? What physical space adjustments need to be made to accommodate CDC recommendations? How will we safely get students to school?
The operations team, which includes transportation has been developing plans for immediate needs such as inventory control and procurement of these necessary materials for cleaning, disinfecting and preventing spread of disease. We're auditing necessary materials and supply chains includes hand soap, hand sanitizer, and paper towels. We are also working through determining who will be responsible for the ongoing procurement and distribution of these materials.
Currently our inventory shows an adequate supply of cleaning materials; additionally, supplies have also been ordered that show extended lead times.
We have also met with school-based staff to review cleaning and disinfection policies. An annual cleaning and disinfecting training is being provided to custodial and maintenance staff on July 22, 2020. This year, enhanced cleaning and disinfecting procedures will be added to the annual training, which will be provided in Mid-August. Furthermore, proper cleaning and disinfecting procedures will be provided in a training to all transportation staff.
We're consider the availability and feasibility of alternative transportation options (volunteer drivers, family
members, carpools, etc.) and proposing solutions for increasing modes of transportation to decrease the
demand for buses.
Finally, a recent survey has been sent to parents to find out their needs for bussing. 500 responses were recorded and based on this survey data, a transportation plan will be developed, which will provide Narragansett School District with the amount of students requiring busing in the morning and afternoon as well as percentages of students accessing alternative transportation options.
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School Committee Update
Our dedicated School Committee members have been hard at work to ensure continued meeting operations while making it easy for the community to stay updated and connected.
Our meetings have gone virtual and are accessible to the public. Our next scheduled regular business meeting is this
Wednesday, July 15th, 2020 at 5:00pm.
To join on the night of the meeting, please use the link below to be directed to the zoom meeting or call 1-929-205-6099
Attend By Calling In:
- Phone: 1 929 205 6099
- Meeting ID: 967 1658 6553
- Password: 571912
Attend by Video:
- Link: Click Here
- Meeting ID: 967 1658 6553
- Password: 6b32u6
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Summer Meals for Kids
Thanks to
Healthy Bodies Healthy Minds, Washington County this summer season. All children 18 years and under are eligible for these meals; no paper work is necessary. Your child does not have to be with you to pick up meals and you
do not have to live in the town you pick up meals in.
South Kingstown: Pick up will be Curtis Corner Middle School 8AM – Noon M-F. On Friday families can pick up breakfast and lunch for the weekend.
North Kingstown: Bagged breakfast and lunch will be offered for pick up on Tuesdays and Fridays 10:30-12:30 at two sites. The meals will cover breakfast and lunch for the entire week. When families pick up on Tuesday, they will get meals for Tuesday through Thursday and on Friday they will get meals for Friday through Monday. The two pick up sites are:
- North Kingstown High School, 150 Fairway Dr.
- 6997 Post Road, North Kingstown (in the large parking lot on the side of the road)
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NSS Curriculum Academy
On June 22-24th, twenty-three Narragansett Teachers participated in the annual NSS Curriculum Academy, which was facilitated by our Curriculum Team (Gail Dandurand, Director of Curriculum, and Curriculum Coaches Emily Chartier, Tracey McCallig, and Vanessa Miller).
Due to COVID restrictions, this year's academy was done virtually.
Professional Development and Planning took place in various areas including new curriculum materials in pre-school, phonics, mathematics, ELA, and Social Studies. This annual event allows staff the opportunity for professional development with new materials and/or curricula so that they are ready to implement when school resumes.
Thank you to our Curriculum Team who continue to enhance educator learning and engagement, making each year full of additional resources to benefit students!
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FirstWorks Virtual Summer Camps
FirstWorks is excited to partner with the Rhode Island Department of Education to bring virtual summer camps to Rhode Island public school students during Summer 2020!
Dance
: July 20 – 24, 10:00 – 11:30 am
FirstWorks Summer Moves Virtual Dance Camp includes percussive dance (tap), contemporary ballet, hip-hop, and more! Led by a diverse group of talented dancers who have performed on stages around the world and for FirstWorks. Virtual Dance Camp will include Shake It Up classes with all female tap dance band Syncopated Ladies, creative movement with Metamorphosis Dance, hip-hop and storytelling with Sokeo Ros, and movement workouts with the principal dancer of America’s first fully multi-cultural ballet company, Complexions Contemporary Ballet! No previous experience necessary. Grade 3 – 8.
Theatre
: July 20 – 24, 1:00 – 2:30 pm
Join FirstWorks for our week-long Virtual Theater Camp and get ready to stretch your imagination (remember plays are called PLAY for a reason)! Together with theater educator Sophie Siegel-Warren, puppeteer Heather Henson, costume designer Machine Dazzle, and spoken word artist Chachi Carvalho, students will learn the basics of playwriting and stage presence, including crafting creative monologues and developing unique characters who they’ll bring to life from home. No previous experience necessary! Grade 5 – 7.
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Narragansett Elementary School
55 Mumford Rd, Narragansett, RI 02882
(401) 792-9420
Narragansett Pier Middle School
235 S Pier Rd, Narragansett, RI 02882
(401) 792-9430
Narragansett High School
245 S Pier Rd, Narragansett, RI 02882
(401) 792-9400
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