Pittsfield Families,
Last week’s announcement by our governor that schools are to remain closed for the remainder of the school year was disappointing, but not surprising. We are hopeful that our fourth quarter of student learning will be beneficial for all our students. Parents are reminded that contact teachers directly with questions about course content or procedures.
Here are your updates for today:
Attendance. Reminder to families that the district is required to take attendance during our daily check-in’s with students. Because of this, we encourage good attendance during our remote learning period.
CRTC. PMHS students participating in CRTC (Concord Regional Technical Center) programs are advised that the CRTC will be taking April vacation as scheduled.
End-of-Year Transition Celebrations. In addition to our PMHS graduation ceremony and other senior activities, we have begun to discuss possibilities for our other traditional transitions: kindergarten to first grade, fifth and sixth grade to PMHS, and eighth grade promotion. We’ll have details to share as plans are finalized.
Last Day of School. The Pittsfield School Board has established Friday, June 12, as the last day of school for our 2019-2020 school year. Reminder that next year’s calendar has also been established by the Board and is posted on the district website.
Learning Materials. Reminder that materials pick-ups are now scheduled for every two weeks. Our next pick-up will be this Thursday, April 23. Remember also that all pick-ups will be scheduled for PES, regardless of the grade. Materials not picked up on Thursday’s will be mailed to student homes on Friday’s; an exception would be for tech equipment or other large materials, which will be delivered by school bus during daily food delivery runs.
Meals. The district is providing meals to all students upon request. Meals are delivered between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. daily or between 11:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon for families who opt to pick up meals at PES. In addition to lunch, meals include breakfast for the following day. Be assured that the district is utilizing meal delivery best practices to minimize the danger of potential danger of exposure to the virus.
We are currently finalizing arrangements to provide weekend meals as well. More information will be provided later this week as plans are finalized; we expect weekend meals to get under way next weekend, the weekend of April 25-26.
Families who receive meal deliveries are requested to leave a cooler or box at your door to minimize personal contact. Derek Hamilton is coordinating food deliveries; questions and requests should go to Derek vis email (dhamilton@sau51.org). Thanks to our outstanding food service staff!
Our PES and PMHS food pantries continue to function during the period of remote learning, offering personal toiletries in addition to food items. Please contact Mike Curtin via email (mcurtin@sau51.org) to arrange for service from our food pantries.
Medications. Since our schools will remain closed for the rest of the school year, our two school nurses will be contacting families this week to make arrangements for the pick-up of any and all prescription medications now in custody of our health offices.
Personal Belongings. And also because of the continuation of school closure through the end of the school year, district staff will be collecting all personal belongings of our students – from cubbies, classrooms, lockers, etc. – and ready belongings for pick-up by students and parents. We’ll be starting with our kindergarten classrooms and moving up the grades from kindergarten. Family members will receive a message on Wednesday of this week advising of the availability of personal belongings.
At this time, we’re planning for pick-ups to take place on Thursday’s from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.; this week, pick-ups will take place at PES. We may also schedule late afternoon / evening pick-up sessions if needed.
Playgrounds. In the interest of minimizing potential coronavirus spread, the Pittsfield School Board has closed the district’s playgrounds (Drake Field and PES), as well as the basketball court and tennis courts at Drake Field. We are sorry for this inconvenience and look forward to the reopening of the district’s playgrounds. Drake Field itself is remaining open, with the caution that citizens practice safe social distancing while at the field.
Preschool and Kindergarten Registrations. Families who would like to have your preschool children entered into the annual lottery for preschool slots are requested to complete a pre-registration form at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf63irLZKfIRr6DWQ65g9PFmVs2Klcc-ChVo5Co90AsweJ_gA/viewform
Families who are anticipating that a child in your household will begin kindergarten next year – reaching the age of 5 years old by September 30, 2020 – are also asked to complete the pre-registration form linked above. If you know of other families who may be interested in kindergarten registration, and who may not be receiving this message, please pass along this information.
Remote Learning Term. Governor Sununu has announced that our remote learning format will continue through the end of our 2019-2020 school year.
Seniors. Regarding graduation and senior activities, our PMHS administration will be reaching out to students and families this week: please stay tuned for this important info update coming your way!
School and SAU Offices. Reminder that we ask that our school and SAU offices not be visited; please email individuals with whom you would like contact. We will do our best to respond to email messages within twenty-four hours during the week.
We are so grateful for our students, families, and school staff for supporting student learning with our new restrictions. Certainly, these restrictions have added to the usual stress of everyday life for most folks; we wish you the best for good health and happiness.
Sincerely,
John Freeman, Superintendent of Schools
Derek Hamilton, Dean of Operations