Reminders & Headlines:

Halloween Dance - Friday October 29th

Wednesday November 3- Early Release Day - Noon Dismissal

Read on for information about:
The Halloween Dance
Honoring our Veterans
The Pandemic Response Task Force
The Strategic Planning Process
The 8th Grade Washington DC Trip
and more
Updates from our
Head of School
Hello Marblehead Community Charter Families,

I never should have mentioned the spectacular October weather in last week's newsletter. This week's storm packed a punch and led to an unexpected "snow day" on Wednesday minus the snow. Hopefully power has been restored to all of your homes and only minimal tree damage was left behind after this powerful nor'easter. We have rescheduled the Halloween Dance for Friday evening. Apologies for all of the emails about the dance schedule during the storm, as there were a lot of moving parts to coordinate. A reminder, that the dance is for our current MCCPS students only. Students may not bring guests from other schools to this event. As the event will take place indoors, masks are required. All students who pre-purchased tickets will be on a list at the door. Tickets can also be purchased at the door or at the Front office during school hours. Thank you to the PTO and all of the parent, community, and faculty volunteers for hosting this special event for our students.

As students are able to wear their costumes to the dance and again on Sunday for the actual Halloween holiday, students should not wear their costumes to school on Friday. After Halloween, the MCCPS Student Council is again sponsoring a candy drive next week. Please send in your leftover candy that wasn’t handed out or the excess from your children’s collections. The items don’t have to be in the closed original bag but each item must be individually wrapped. The candy will be donated to an organization that sends care packages to the military serving abroad and to SPUR that distributes it in grab-and-go meals locally.

After the weekend, November arrives and our attention will then turn to a more serious holiday, Veterans Day. On Wednesday, November 10 at 7:45 am, we will hold a Veterans Day program to honor the veterans who have served and continue to serve our country. We are asking our parents and other relatives who are veterans to attend this program. There will be several presentations and a chance for students to ask questions. Please RSVP to Ellen Lodgen by Friday, November 5 at elodgen@marbleheadcharter.com if you are a veteran and can attend or have a relative that can attend. 

The Board of Trustees has established two new working groups and we will need volunteers to join this work. The first is a Pandemic response Task Force. This group will be co-chaired by a Board Member, Ndack Toure and our very own Nurse D. The group will meet to review procedures and protocols for the pandemic. This would include a discussion about the pros/cons of implementing a COVID testing program and creating a handbook for responding to a crisis. For example, creating efficient procedures for contact tracing and dismissing students. Much of this is in place already. This committee would formalize the procedures we have followed during this pandemic and help create a playbook to help us with preparedness for any major event that impacts the daily operations of the school in the future. If interested in joining this task force, please contact me, Lauren Donadio, or Ndack Toure.

The second working group is the Strategic Planning committee. Our current Strategic Plan is set to expire in 2023. Therefore, the time is upon us to begin holding focus groups to gather input from all stakeholders in order to develop the next Strategic Plan that will be in place from 2023-2028. This group will be co-chaired by me and MCCPS alumni, current teacher, and member of the Board, Nick Santoro. We will reach out with more information about how to participate in the strategic planning process soon.

Along with the return of the Halloween Dance, we are excited to bring back the 8th grade trip to Washington, DC. Parents/guardians of 8th Grade students should plan to attend an information meeting via Zoom on Monday November 8 at 6:30pm. You will meet with a representative from the tour company and learn about both the trip details and the funding opportunities that your student can take on to help offset the cost of the trip. We hope that all of our 8th graders will participate in this experience. We will record this zoom session for anyone who cannot attend.

Finally, Save the Date - Monday November 22 is the first trimester Exhibition. We will have staggered arrival times based on advisory groups to limit the number of people inside the school at one time. More details coming soon. Groups will arrive either at 5pm, 6pm, or 7pm for this in-person showcase of student learning.

Peter Cohen, Ed.D
Head of School
WHEN: Sunday, November 14th at 10am.

WHERE: Marblehead Neck → we will park at the beach and walk 3 miles together

WHY: My Brother's Table is 100% community based: it is for the community and relies on the community to survive.


Questions?
Please reach out to the three organizers for the school:
Danette Russo: drusso@marbleheadcharter.com
Beth Taranto: btaranto@marbleheadcharter.com
The Marblehead Charter SEPAC would like to invite you to register for our November meeting. 

Being Present: How mindfulness prepares us to focus, connect, and learn.
Please join Kari Pike, Mindfulness Coach; Kate Ventimiglia, Certified Outdoor Mindful Guide and 7th grade Humanities teacher; and Melissa DeLeo, MCCPS School Psychologist, for this interactive presentation.
 
This event is free and open to the public please register at this link: 

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Upcoming Events


Friday October 29 - Halloween Dance!
Monday November 1 - SEPAC Meeting 6:30pm
Wednesday November 3 - Early Release Day for Students - PD afternoon for staff
November 4 & 5 - 7th Grade field trip to Project Adventure
Wednesday November 10 - MCCPS Honors our Veterans at Community Meeting
Thursday November 11 - Veterans Day - No School
November 12 & 13 - Willy Wonka performances
Tuesday November 23 - Early Release Day - Noon Dismissal for all - Thanksgiving Break
Monday November 29 - No School for students - PD Day for Faculty



Upcoming Meetings
(Meetings will take place in person at the school, as COVID-19 protocols allow or if remote, meetings will take place via Zoom w/ links on our website calendar)

Tuesday November 2 - Governance Meeting Meeting 7pm
Tuesday November 9 - Personnel Committee Meeting 7pm
Tuesday November 16 - Facilities Task Force Meeting 7pm
Tuesday November 30 - Board of Trustees Meeting 7pm


Join the PTO
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.