Phase Two of our Reopening Plan is set to begin on
Tuesday October 20.

Please help us plan for this transition.

Send a confirmation email to kkoch@marbleheadcharter.com to let us know if your student will stay home for full remote learning during Phase Two.

Updates from our
Head of School
Hello Marblehead Community Charter Families,

We have been tracking the COVID-19 data from the state and continue to be on track to move to Phase Two of our Reopening Plan, the Hybrid Learning Phase, on Tuesday October 20, 2020. Thank you for completing the survey to help us plan. In order to effectively plan for Phase Two we now need a formal email if you are opting to keep your child home to learn remotely during Phase Two. Please email Katherine Koch in our front office only if you will be opting for full remote learning.

Here are some details about Phase Two: Hybrid Learning, that may assist you in making this decision.

Students in Grades 4, 5, 6, 7 will be in-person two days per week and learning remotely three days per week. Students in one Advisory will be here for Tuesday/Wednesday in person and then the other Advisory group will be here for Thursday/Friday.

Students in Grade 8 will be in-person for four days per week: Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

Monday will be a remote learning day for all students.

We may make some adjustments to Advisory groups for Phase Two.

Students who were in the school for in-person support/supervision during Phase One will be allowed to stay in-person for four full days (Tuesday thru Friday) during Phase Two.

We will have two lunch blocks in order to minimize the number of students eating lunch in our Community Room each day. Siblings will eat lunch at the same table. All tables at lunch will have a maximum of four students per table and most will have three students at a table.

During Phase Two, half of each advisory group will be in a classroom together and stay in that room for all classes with the exception of PE and Lunch/Outdoor Recess.

Our HVAC system upgrades allow for increased external air flowing into the building. We will post a summary of the HVAC work that has been completed on our reopening website.

Our schedule during Phase Two will look and feel more like the schedule we used last year. That includes a full length morning recess. A link to the draft schedule for Phase Two can be viewed on our Reopening Website. Please note that minor adjustments to the schedule may be made over the next two weeks.

We are looking forward to welcoming more students back into the school in a few weeks. In order to do this safely, we remind everyone to continue to be vigilant about social distancing, wearing masks, hand hygiene, and staying home when feeling ill. All students and teachers must wear masks while in the school. In Phase two we would prefer that students and staff avoid wearing the gaiter style masks, masks with vents, or bandanas as a face covering. Thank you for your attention to this. During the day we will remind students about hand hygiene and staying physically distanced from peers.

We continue to have space available in Grades 7 & 8 and are accepting new applications at those grade levels. Please share this information with friends and neighbors so we can reach our full enrollment of 230 students. We currently have 211 students enrolled. We are thrilled to welcome new students who started this week and encourage parents of 7th and 8th graders out there to consider joining our community.

As we take advantage of this moment to complete upgrades to our facility like the HVAC upgrades and the installation of touch-free faucets in our bathrooms, we are also looking toward the future. To that end, the Board of Trustees has approved the formation of a Facilities Task Force. The charge of this task force is to evaluate the physical and organizational conditions of the school's building, and for making recommendations for future construction projects to the Head of School and to the Board of Trustees. The Task Force seeks to make recommendations that align with the school's Charter, Strategic Plan, and educational mission. 

Among the goals of the Task Force are:
  • Continue to address space planning issues resulting from COVID-19.
  • Develop a multi-year plan for making building improvements.
  • Identify short term upgrades (cosmetic)
  • Identify prioritized list of deferred maintenance projects that cannot be further delayed (roof replacement, for example)

Members of the community are invited to join this committee. Our hope is to have volunteers from the MCCPS community with preference to those with experience in the fields of construction, architecture, interior design, or other related fields along with anyone with passion for this planning process. Interested members of the community should contact board member Becca Whidden rwhidden@marbleheadcharter.com. Our first meeting will take place via Zoom on October 20 at 7pm.

Happy October, a month with two full moons including a rare blue moon coming on October 31, Halloween. Please be sure to help us get 100% participation in the Student Success Fund. Details are below and we are already 50% of the way to reaching our goal. Thank you!

Peter Cohen, Ed.D
Head of School
MONDAY OCTOBER 19 is FLU SHOT DAY at MCCPS!
We will host a CVS Flu Shot Clinic on Monday October 19. There will be no classes on Monday October 19, as our faculty has a full day of professional development to be ready for Phase Two. This will also provide flexibility in when students can come to the school that day for their vaccination. In order to get the flu shot, please complete this registration process. This clinic is for students of MCCPS only.


Please choose a specific time (15min increments) and enter your insurance information, demographic information, allergy and general health information, COVID status, and it provides a PDF of the vaccine statement in English and Spanish that you must view and/or download. You then check a box to e-sign for consent and submit. While participation in this clinic on October 19 is optional, please note that the Governor has issued a mandate that all public school children including students at public charter schools receive the influenza vaccine by December 31, 2020. This is our way of adding an option for families to comply with this mandate.
Update from Student Services

Special Education Parent Letter:
The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has developed a letter to families sharing information and resources related to supporting students with disabilities as school reopens. The letter to families has been translated into several languages and posted on the DESE website. The letter and translations can be found at: http://www.doe.mass.edu/covid19/sped/back-to-school-letter/.

MCCPS SEPAC: 
Join us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/groups/mccpssepac/

Upcoming MCCPS SEPAC Event: 
MCCPS SEPAC Meeting - Monday, Oct 5 from 6:30-7:30
Featuring Linda Murphy, Co-Founder of Peer Projects Therapy From the Heart, in Beverly, MA

Topic: Using a Thoughtful Language Style to Help Kids with Social Learning Challenges Feel Competent, Connected and Understood!

Register in advance for this meeting:
 
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Student Success Fund
This year we face unprecedented expenses to upgrade our facility and provide PPE and other health & safety equipment to meet new standards of health and safety due to Covid-19.

Your support is more important than ever to help us support our students!

The Student Success Fund helps to sustain valuable programs and activities such as:


Assignment Books for all students
Remote student Chromebook support
Music Programs including concert band, jazz band, strings & chorus
A Variety of Enrichment Courses
A New Phone System
Books for our Library
Guest Speakers/Artists
Scholarships for Field Trips
Student Magazine Subscriptions
Free Fruit at Meals & Recess
Playground & Gym Equipment

Your Support is Appreciated
Please Pay your Student Success Fund today!
The annual investment is $150 per student or $250 per family  

(installment options available)
Or by check made payable to MCCPS
Thank you for your continued support!
Upcoming Events

Monday October 5 - 7th Grade Field Trip to Pioneer Village
Monday October 12 - No School - Indigenous Peoples' Day
Monday October 19 - Flu Shot Clinic
Tuesday October 20 - Phase Two Begins
Saturday October 24 - Recycling Drive


Upcoming Meetings (via Zoom w/ links on our website calendar)

Friday October 2- PTO Meeting - 8AM
Monday October 5 - SEPAC Meeting - 6:30PM
Tuesday October 6 - Governance Committee Meeting. -7PM
Tuesday October 13 - Personnel Committee Meeting - 7PM
Tuesday October 20 - Facilities Task Force Meeting - 7PM
Wednesday October 21 - Finance Committee Meeting - 7:50AM
Tuesday October 27 - Board of Trustees Meeting - 7PM

Recycling Drive - October 24

We are having a Recycling Drive on October 24 from 9 am - 12 pm if you could start to save your old tv's, laptops, monitors, printers, appliances, microwaves, AC, batteries, and even old car seats; this is only a small list of what we will take.

Please check out our complete list of items on the website  www.marbleheadcharter.org/RecyclingDrive/ or call 781-631-0777; also, if any parent would like to volunteer to help that day, please send an email to btaranto@marblehcharter.com. 

Become a Parent Ambassador
At Marblehead Community Charter, COMMUNITY is our middle name. Everyone - teachers, parents, students, administrators, and staff need to do their part to support our school.

Please consider joining the PTO and become an ambassador for our school. We are seeking four parent ambassadors in each grade level.