March 11, 2022 Gill School Newsletter

Friday, March 11, 2022

March 11, 2022, Newsletter

 

Dates to Remember:

  • March 16- School Council Meeting- 3:30
  • March 17 & 18- Parent-Teacher Conferences
  • March 23- Early Release- 11:50
  • March 25- Term 3 Report cards and Progress Notes

Dear Gill Community,

As you likely have heard, the mask mandate will be lifted in the schools on Monday, March 21st. Mask wearing will be optional. Please see the Superintendent’s letter enclosed for more details.

Parent-Teacher conferences are scheduled for next Thursday and Friday. If you have not yet scheduled a conference, please reach out to your student’s teacher. If you cannot make these conferences in person, arrangements can be made to conduct a virtual conference.

We had a really great time last week for Read Across America week! Each day had a special event:

  • Monday had a “Drop everything and Read time”
  • Tuesday- Students decorated tote bags purchased by the Gill PTO and other book activities.
  • Wednesday- Dress like your favorite book character
  • Thursday- Guest Readers from the Turners Falls High School
  • Friday- Students were able to select five free books to take home to keep.
     

Have a great weekend!

Lisa Desjarlais, Principal

 

 

Message from Superintendent Brian Beck:
 

Dear GMRSD Community,

  1. Gill-Montague Regional School District’s mask mandate is still in effect. Our district has carefully reviewed the data with members of the local Board of health, school administrators, school and regional health professionals to make an informed recommendation and was presented to the School Committee, at the most recent meeting. After careful consideration and a review of declining regional, local and school-based COVID cases, face masks will become optional for all students and staff, with some exceptions, as of March 21, 2022.

 

This will be a significant change in practice after the past two years and, understandably, individuals will be at different stages of comfort with the shift. As a district and community, it is imperative that we respect each person’s choice in whether to continue to wear a face mask or not and allow everyone to make the choice that is best for themselves and their families. While individuals will make different choices, we are asking our community to suspend judgment about decisions others make in this regard. As we transition to a mask-optional model, here are a few important points to keep in mind:

  • Masks will no longer be required on school transportation, but windows will continue to be open.
  • School nurses’ offices are the only areas in the schools in which masks will still be required.
  • Anyone who tests positive for COVID must still quarantine for 1-5 days and will be required to wear a quality mask for days 6-10 upon returning to school.
  • All schools will maintain adequate ventilation systems throughout the buildings, continue routine weekly COVID testing and distribution of free at-home test kits.
  • DESE COVID Response Protocols will still be followed. This includes dismissing students home that present with any of the COVID symptoms that are listed in the response protocol.
  • The CDC recommends that all unvaccinated individuals continue to wear a high-quality face mask for their own protection.

Thank you to all of the GMRSD community for working together as we implement this change in COVID mitigation strategies. Case counts have dropped significantly in our community over the past weeks. The CDC rates Franklin County as LOW risk of transmission of the virus. In addition, we have had no positive cases in the last two weeks of pool-testing samples. Pool-testing remains a highly effective way for the district to monitor the presence of COVID in schools and to respond to cases quickly to avoid transmission. We strongly urge all families to register their students for the weekly testing program as well as participate in the school provided at-home testing option. As we have throughout the pandemic, we will continue to monitor local and regional case counts and local and state health department guidance to provide the necessary safety measures as needed.