Aggie Weekly- Summer Edition

Good Afternoon Students, Parents, and Community Members:

We hope that everyone has had a safe and enjoyable summer break.  We wanted to share some updates since we last sent out information in June.  The campus is under construction and we were still able to host graduation for the Class of 2020 on Sunday, July 19th.  See some of the photos below as well as the Class of 2020 Commencement Ceremony Slideshow.  

On Monday, July 27th, the Commissioner of Education shortened the school year to 170 school days for students. We will be releasing an updated school calendar very soon.  These 10 days will be used to train staff for all three plans for fall reentry as well as a focus on social emotional learning and curriculum development that is linked to the MA state standards. 

Fall Reentry Information: 

We hope that you and your family are doing well during this summer recess.  We wanted to reach out to inform you that we are continuing to work on our three plans that are required by the Department of Education (DESE) for reentry in September.  Our top priority is the health, safety, and well-being of the Bristol Aggie community.  As Commissioner Riley has stated: we can “mitigate the risks associated with COVID-19 for in-person school programs and prevent the significant consequences of keeping students out of school and isolated.”  The medical community “supports the return of our students to in-person learning, with appropriate health and safety guardrails in place. 

The DESE guidance documents (see below) provide us with guidelines and recommendations for reentry.  We want to be clear that we will be developing a plan that works for Bristol Aggie.  This plan may not work in other communities, as well as other communities plans may not work at Bristol Aggie.  We will need to exercise patience and flexibility as we understand that we are constantly monitoring the COVID-19 trends and plans may change depending on rates of infection.  

Since our last correspondence on July 1st, the Fall Reentry Team has been working on our initial reopening plan that will need to be submitted to DESE by Friday, July 31st.  This plan is a general overview of the reentry plan.  A comprehensive plan will need to be submitted by mid August.  Prior to the submission of the final plan we will host a Zoom meeting with parents and students on Wednesday, August 5th at 3:00 pm.  The meeting will be recorded (our max capacity is 100) and sent to students and families. We encourage students and parents to use one login to allow for more guests to attend.   Please check your email for the Zoom details (login and password).  Please understand that we will not have all the answers in this meeting, but the goal will be to share the work of the Fall Reentry Team and gather feedback from students and parents. 

 Below are some of the DESE guidelines we are using to build our framework: 

1. DESE Reentry Guidance (6/25/20)
2. DESE Protocols to Responding to COVID 19 (7/17/20) 
3. DESE Transportation Guidance (7/22/20)
4. DESE Facilities Reopening Guidance (7/22/20)
5. DESE Fall Remote Learning Guidance (7/24/20)
6. DESE Guidance for Courses Req Additional Safety Considerations (7/24/20)
7. DESE Memo on Additional Staff Training Days (7/27/20)

1. In-person learning with new safety requirements: For the fall, the box in light blue represents our goal to get as many students as possible back into schools for in-person learning—safely. In this model, all students return in person to school settings that are appropriately modified to accommodate the health and safety requirements outlined above. Examples of modifications could include altered classroom configurations, setting up additional learning spaces, and schedule changes. 

2. Hybrid learning: In addition, all districts/schools must create a plan for a hybrid model in the event they are unable to bring all students back to school under the health and safety requirements despite their best efforts, or in case of COVID-19 related circumstances. A hybrid model means that students would alternate between in-person and remote learning. For instance, students could switch between in-person and remote learning on alternating weeks or days of the week. 

3. Remote learning: All districts and schools are required to have a plan for operating a remote learning program. This model must be available for individual students who cannot yet return in-person, and for all students in the event of future classroom or school closures due to COVID-19. Additional guidance on statewide support and resources for remote learning will be provided in the coming weeks. 

We will continue to monitor COVID trends and adhere to both local and state guidelines to ensure the safety and well being of our Bristol Aggie community.  Please stay tuned for additional opportunities for input such as surveys to help us better prepare for September.  Please see information below on Zoom information.  

• How to use Zoom: 
• Go to. www.zoom.us At the top right of the screen, click "Join a Meeting"
• You will need the following information to join the meeting:
• Meeting ID: see email for details
• Password: see email for details
• You may be asked to create a username (if you do not have a Zoom account).  This username is what will be displayed during our meeting. 
• On Wednesday, August 5th, starting at 2:30 pm, the “Waiting Room” will open prior to the meeting getting started to help with the transition.  Please ensure that your login name is identifiable.  I will be screening each member that requests to enter the “Waiting Room.”  
• You can enable/disable video when entering the meeting (see below).  
• Upon entry everyone’s microphone will be muted during the meeting.  
• See below for helpful links
• How to join a Zoom meeting
• Waiting Room function

Class of 2020 Graduation Ceremony:  Click here to request the official pictures from LifeTouch

• Class of 2020 Commencement Ceremony Slideshow (by Mrs. Van Rotz) We wanted to provide our graduates with one last video remembering their achievements and time spent at Bristol Aggie.  We miss you already! 

The Sharp Family post graduation: from left to right: Jameson Sharp (Ag Mechanics), Mrs. Sharp (mom), Dacia Sharp (Class of 2017/sister), Mr. Sharp (dad), and James Sharp (Arboriculture).  

Bristol Aggie Return to School Poll: We would like to thank everyone for answering our quick poll that will assist us with the initial planning for reopening school in the fall.  As we stated, we may be sending another survey in the next couple of weeks that will ask more in depth information.  Below are the results we have collected to date.  

College Board SATs: 

We know this is a particularly stressful time if you’re applying for college, and the coronavirus has heightened this stress for many. To ensure we’re providing you opportunities to support your path to college, we want to remind you registration for the SAT is open to all students for the 2020-21 school year. This year, many centers will have fewer seats because of social distancing guidelines and may encounter unexpected closures. College Board is working with local high schools, colleges, and other sites to increase seating capacity in areas where registration is filling up. If you can't find a nearby test center with availability on your preferred test date, be sure to check other dates. Change fees will be waived through the end of July should your plans change. Colleges are rightfully being flexible with their application requirements. In some cases, they're extending deadlines and/or allowing students to submit scores after deadlines pass. Check college websites to get the most accurate information on their policies and deadlines. Colleges are now: Accepting scores as late as possible in their admissions process, especially by extending score deadlines for early action and early decision to take some pressure off and give students more time to test and send their scores. Giving equal consideration for admission to students who are unable to take the exam due to the coronavirus as those who submitted scores. (The College Board will keep colleges up to date on testing availability.) Recognizing that students who do submit scores may not have been able to take the test more than once (e.g., taking into account that students who tested as high school juniors but couldn't test as seniors would've likely achieved score gains). Upcoming SAT Dates:  August 29, 2020 September 26, 2020 October 3, 2020 November 7, 2020 December 5, 2020

MSBA Update: We started a “Rendering vs Reality” series on our Twitter account.  We take a picture each week from the same viewpoint to see our progress vs the rendering that was provided two years ago by our architects HMFH.  See below for the few weeks.   July 1st July 15th July 22nd