Hello Lawrence Families,

I really enjoyed seeing so many of you at the Principal/PTO Forums last week.  These are virtual meetings we have organized to take the place of our traditional in person PTO/Principal Coffees that we cannot hold due to COVID. We held a meeting for each grade band K-2, 3-5 and 6-8. We also held our first coffee for Lawrence families who are in the METCO program this past Monday. Finally, we held the first Lawrence School Council meeting on Tuesday, October 6th. Thank you to our parent representatives:  Jaime Carillo, Amy Evenson, Mendie Weylu and Ken Yamada.   I have enjoyed reconnecting with so many families! 

Reminders:

1. K-5 Open Houses on Thursday, October 8th
2. School will be closed on Monday, October 12th for all students and staff for Indigenous Peoples’ Day.  No lessons on this day.
3. 6-8 Open Houses on Thursday, October 15th
4. School will be closed for all students on Monday, October 19th as it is a Professional Development Day for staff.  No lessons on this day.
5. New Hybrid Schedule starts for students in Grade 1-8 on Tuesday, October 20th
1. Wednesday ends at noon for students in K-8-Lunch not served.
2. Friday is extended from 1:40pm to 2:30pm for students in K-8

• Hybrid in person return based on A and B cohorts starts on Tuesday, October 20th for students in grades 1 and 2.

• Hybrid in person return based on A and B cohorts starts on Monday, October 26th for students in grades 3 and 8.  Students remain at home until then.

1. Students must come to school with multiple masks in their backpacks as they are expected to wear a mask all day except during snack and lunch.  We have additional masks for emergencies.
2. Once in person starts for grades 1 and 2 on Tuesday, October 20th, families will not be able to live park to drop off students on Francis Street per the Brookline Police Department.  Also, families should not drive down Newell Road or Sterns Road to drop off students.  This practice by some has created dangerous situations in the past, and we need to make sure all remain safe.  Thank you for following these expectations.

Hybrid Model approved by the School Committee:

1.  Students in each class have been divided into A and B groups.  A great deal of time and effort has gone into making these groups with a focus on balancing groups and making sure we can service all students.  Additionally, we have been asked to make sure that siblings are in the same letter cohort.
2. A group attends school in the building on Monday and Tuesdays, while group B learns from home.   
3.  B group attends school in the building on Thursday and Friday, while group A learns from home. Reminder, Friday will now end at 2:30pm.
4. Group A and B will alternate being in school/learning from home on Wednesdays which will end at noon and lunch will not be served on Wednesdays

Some parents have reached out to ask if we can move students into particular groups to accommodate outside pods/family support groups.  Unfortunately, we are not able to do so as one move can have a domino effect on many lists.  I am sorry that this is so hard, and I wish we were able to do so.

Excited to see more of the stduents in the buidling!

Monica