Hello Marblehead Community Charter Families,

Cold/Flu season is here and it takes all of us making common sense steps to keep ourselves and our community healthy. Please continue to keep students home when they are sick. If students are returning to school after an illness or they only have very mild cold symptoms and you elect to send them to school, please insist that they wear a mask while at school. We have cases of COVID, flu, stomach bug, and strep within our community and we would like to limit the spread. While we have a small spike in COVID cases that is mostly isolated to grade 6, most are experiencing very mild symptoms. We have masks and hand sanitizer available at the school and if you are in need of additional at-home COVID tests we may be able to provide them upon request while our supply lasts. If everyone washes their hands frequently with soap and warm water, uses hand sanitizer, avoids licking their fingers, and we wear masks whenever we have even the mildest of symptoms or when returning from illness, we will dramatically limit the spread of any virus.

We rely on our teachers covering for one another when there is an absence. Our capacity to do this is strained when we have a high number of staff out with illnesses. Please do your part to keep our community healthy.

We are also increasing the frequency of sanitizing classrooms and common spaces at the school during cold/flu season. Each of our classrooms is equipped with an air purifier. Together we will continue to take these common sense steps to keep everyone healthy. Ultimately we rely heavily on you to make good decisions about whether or not to send your child to school. Thank you all for your attention to this.

Next week we have our Music Extravaganza concert. Please consider attending this event to listen to the jazz band, honors band, chorus, strings, and rock band.

Finally, I have been speaking with a number of families about their experience with Exhibition and Student Led Conferences in December. Improving upon both of these important events is a top priority for us at MCCPS. I invite you to either email me directly or schedule a time to meet with me to share your feedback. The information gathered will help us improve. We have heard a wide range of feedback and would like to have even more to best inform our decisions about how to improve.

Enjoy the long weekend with an early release day on Friday and no school on Monday. At morning meeting today and tomorrow we are discussing Dr. Martin Luther King, jr. and the day of service on Monday.

Peter Cohen, Ed.D

Head of School