Danvers Public Schools July 31 Reopening Models
The following document outlines the three potential learning models that Danvers Public Schools is presenting to DESE on July 31.
To watch the Danvers Public Schools School Committee presentation, please click here.
Update 7/13: Summer Learning Resources
Hello Danvers School Community,
We are very pleased with the response to our DPS Family Return to School Survey over the past few days. We’ve had close to 2,000 responses to the survey and look forward to many more through this week. Please check your email for the link, and remember that the survey closes on Friday, July 17, 2020.
Danvers Public Schools is committed to providing our students with quality educational materials that will enrich their learning throughout the summer. The summer learning resources you will find on our website are a culmination of the collaboration between our teachers and administrators. Our learning resources are divided by levels – elementary, middle and high school students.
Our focus for this summer is on summer reading. Reading just twenty minutes a day is our goal for all students. At the forefront of our learning resources at each level is information about our summer reading programs. We also include resources for the core academic areas, social justice and social emotional learning. This year we added social justice resources as we believe it is important for us to support our community as we face social justice issues together. To that end, we have listed curated websites and book recommendations for our students, families, and educators.
In closing, please utilize our website for summer reading lists, optional summer learning resources, and social justice resources. We would also like to remind you at this time to complete the 2020 census if you have not already. If you have any questions about any of these resources, please feel free to reach out to dpscurriculum@danvers.org.
Thank you,
Lisa Dana
Keith Taverna
Mary Wermers
DPS Family Return to School Survey
Dear Danvers School Families,
On June 25th the Commissioner of Education released Initial Fall School Reopening Guidance that asked districts to plan for three learning scenarios (in-person, hybrid, and remote) for the reopening of schools in September. The district has three committees working on these plans – DPS School Reopening Committee, Curriculum and Social Emotional Learning Subcommittee, and the Danvers School Administrative Council. These committees need your feedback to better prepare for each of these plans.
We’ve developed a survey for families to complete in order to gain your perspective on the reopening of schools. Knowing that every child learns differently, we are asking families to fill out one survey for each child in our schools. This will help provide a detailed picture of all our student needs.
Please check your parent email for the survey link
Remember this is an initial survey meant to help the district develop return to school plans. You are not committing to any plan at this time. We recognize that your family choices may change with continued information from the State. We intend to follow up with families later in the summer to finalize our return to school plan. The health and safety of students is our shared primary goal!
The survey will be open until July 17, 2020.
Thank you for your participation!
Lisa Dana
Keith Taverna
Mary Wermers
Danvers Public Schools 2019-2020 Final Accomplishments
DPS COVID-19 Update 4/2: Special Education
Letter to Parents/Guardians of Students with Special Needs
Danvers Public Schools
April 2, 2020
Dear Parents/Guardians;
During this exceptional time, Special Education providers in the Danvers Public Schools are actively engaged in supporting remote learning opportunities for students as we strive to flatten the curve of COVID-19. Our top priorities are to keep students and their families connected to us, support students as they learn at home as well as provide and modify these remote learning opportunities to the best of our ability and try to maintain aspects of normalcy in a time of enormous stress.
As you know, COVID-19 is the obstacle to providing service and instruction that we normally would. During this pandemic, the regular school day cannot be replicated. We cannot provide all expectations of an Individual Education Plan (IEP) nor can we evaluate students as we would if school were open. Despite severe constraints on our interactions with students we are working hard to provide opportunities that honor the intent of each student’s IEP. This work is different from specially designed instruction but is aligned to the IEP. We are regularly coordinating, collaborating and communicating with general educators, administrators, support staff and consultants.
Our Special Education providers, inclusive of related services providers, are planning activities and lessons that focus on maintenance, engagement and Social Emotional Learning. We will hold some annual reviews via video or teleconferencing with parent/guardian permission and if the health, safety of our students, parents/guardians, staff and community permits.
Our approach during this unavoidable shift to remote learning opportunities is consistent with the guidance issued by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and the U.S. Department of Education. Of note, the Office of Special Education Services of the U.S. Department of Education maintains that the IDEA was not designed to deliver education during a pandemic and has advised that we focus on the safety, health and welfare of students and staff in our community first and foremost; provide FAPE by delivering services the best we can and to as many students as is reasonable under the constraints we face; and demonstrate a good faith effort to provide services.
We care deeply about our students and community. Danvers Public Schools Special Education staff as well as all related service providers meet regularly as groups and with general educators to coordinate our ongoing efforts to support our students. We will continue to do so. Please, please take care of yourself and your loved ones. Follow the guidance by the CDC. Together we can do this.
Most sincerely,
Dr. Mary Tatem
Director of Student Services
DPS COVID-19 Update 4/1: Information from Town of Danvers and State of Massachusetts
We hope you are all staying well during this school closure period. We would like to remind you of a few resources:
- Danvers Public Schools: Keeping Danvers Students Engaged webpage includes remote learning updates, tips for parents, resources for families to order a free lunch delivered to their home, and answers to your frequently asked questions!
- Town of Danvers: Information on Coronavirus and communications from the Town
- State of Massachusetts: Social Distancing, Stay at Home Advisory, etc.
Thank you,
Danvers Public Schools
DPS COVID-19 Update 3/30: MA DESE Info & Resources
Dear Danvers Families,
Please see the letter below from Commissioner, Jeffrey C. Riley and the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).
The letter addresses the remote learning recommendations as well as updates on a range of other matters related to the school closures. Please visit the DESE site for more information and resources.
To read this letter in Spanish, click here. Additional language options will be available on MA DESE’s website.
DPS COVID-19 Update 3/27: FAQs & Engaged Students Page
Dear Danvers Families,
As the second week of our school closure comes to an end, we wanted to provide some context for our next steps in growing our current district learning resources into a more robust remote learning experience for our students. First and foremost, we want to thank you for your patience and support of our first phase of learning for your child(ren). We can all say that this has been an interesting and challenging time given the rapid changes we’re experiencing. In the resources we have put out for families, we hope that you have taken advantage of the social and emotional resources as well as the academic ones. The district spent the first two weeks focused on providing creative and engaging learning resources while encouraging our teachers to reach out and connect with their students. We will continue to provide similar learning experiences as planned for the week of March 30th – April 3rd.
However, as you now know, the Governor has extended our time away from school until May 4th. He suggested that this amount of time “…will allow school districts to provide the best possible opportunities for remote learning to all students.” With that said, our district will transition to a new phase of remote learning – one with teachers providing more robust and structured learning experiences aligned with their grade-level and course standards starting on Monday, April 6th.
The district has developed a Frequently Asked Questions form to help you navigate information available to families including remote learning, students in need of lunch, internet service or other needs. Additionally, you can access district learning resources on the Engaged Student web page.
Again, we thank you for your patience and support for our school district and teachers during this unusual time. Please feel free to reach out to us or your school principal with anything you may need to assist with your child’s remote learning.
Please take care,
Lisa Dana
Keith Taverna
Mary Wermers
DPS COVID-19 Update 3/23: Accessible Learning Opportunities
Dear Danvers Families,
As we start our second week away from school, the Danvers Public Schools has developed accessible learning opportunities for the week of March 23-27, 2020. Students are highly encouraged to complete these learning experiences. We are also encouraging students to read independently (or with a family member) for at least 30 minutes a day.
It is important to remember while we are away from school that we take time to care for ourselves and our children. We have posted a number of social emotional learning activities that we feel will help us with the anxious time that many of us are experiencing. Please consider participating in these activities as part of the academic learning tasks that we have provided. To access these learning opportunities, please click here to visit our website at danverspublicschools.org
As we continue to work with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), please know that the district continues to work on developing strategies and resources to sustain learning and vital services throughout this closure period and beyond.
We thank you for your support during this rapidly changing time and hope that you are all staying healthy and safe.
With gratitude,
Lisa Dana, Keith Taverna and Mary Wermers
DPS COVID-19 Update 3/17: Family Resources
Please view our new Family Resources page for ideas on how to talk to your kids about coronavirus, how families in need can sign up to receive a free lunch delivery, and information for families experiencing homelessness.
