General – Danvers Public Schools

DPS COVID-19 Update 3/30: MA DESE Info & Resources

March 30, 2020/in General /by Whitney McNeilly

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.

Download (PDF, 145KB)

DPS COVID-19 Update 3/27: FAQs & Engaged Students Page

March 27, 2020/in General /by Whitney McNeilly

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

March 23, 2020/in COVID-19 update, General /by Whitney McNeilly

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 3/19: Social Distancing and Learning Resources

March 19, 2020/in COVID-19 update, General /by Whitney McNeilly

Download (PDF, 190KB)

DPS COVID-19 Update 3/17: Family Resources

March 17, 2020/in COVID-19 update, General /by Whitney McNeilly

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.

DPS COVID-19 Update 3/13: North Shore Schools Closing

March 13, 2020/in COVID-19 update, General /by Whitney McNeilly

Download (PDF, 68KB)

DPS COVID-19 Update 3/12: Schools Closed March 13 – April 6

March 12, 2020/in COVID-19 update, General /by Whitney McNeilly

DANVERS PUBLIC SCHOOLS WILL BE CLOSED MARCH 13- April 6

Out of an abundance of caution, we will be closing schools along with all town buildings tomorrow Friday, March 13th through Monday, April 6. At this time there have been no presumptive cases of COVID-19 involving any students or staff of the Danvers Public Schools. The situation continues to evolve quickly and collectively we believe the time is now to take action.

This closing includes all athletics as well as extracurricular/after school activities and events. During this time away from school, the Department of Public Works will be taking proactive steps and completing a deep cleaning of all school buildings. We will continue to communicate additional information over the coming days.

To make this decision we have been in contact with the Town Manager’s Office, Danvers Department of Public Health, Danvers Police Department, Danvers Fire Department and Danvers Department of Public Works. We continue to monitor the most up to date information from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Center for Disease Control and World Health
Organization around COVID-19.

Thank you for your continued cooperation. Click here to view a press release from the North Shore Superintendents regarding the school closings in our area.

We will continue to assess the situation. We will be in touch Monday, March 16 with more information and learning resources.

Sincerely,
Lisa Dana
3/13/2020

GRAB & GO LUNCHES AVAILABLE FOR STUDENTS IN NEED

We would like to follow up on our school closing communication with some resources for you. First, please know that we will have “grab and go” lunches available for students in need at Danvers High School in the Atrium from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM Monday 3/16 through Monday 4/6.

ONLINE RESOURCES

Additionally, we also wanted to share some resources to help with talking to your children about the Coronavirus:

How to Talk to Children about the Coronavirus:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/how-to-talk-to-children-about-the-coronavirus-2020030719111

Talking to Teen/Tweens about Coronavirus:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/02/well/family/coronavirus-teenagers-anxiety.html

**Here is a pamphlet from the article:
https://www.hemot.eu/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Pamphlet_HEMOT_english.pdf

A Comic created from NPR based on interviews with experts:

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/02/28/809580453/just-for-kids-a-comic-exploring-the-new-coronavirus

The NASP released a resource for parents:
https://www.nasponline.org/resources-and-publications/resources-and-podcasts/school-climate-safety-and-crisis/health-crisis-resources/talking-to-children-about-covid-19-(coronavirus)-a-parent-resource