Welcome to the this week's Community Update. The communication below provides important information from the Public Schools of Brookline. Translated versions are available at the following links:

• Arabic: الرجاء الضغط هنا للترجمة العربية.
• Chinese: 点击这里查看中文翻译.
• Haitian Creole: Klike la a pou tradiksyon kreyòl ayisyen an.
• Hebrew: אנא לחץ כאן לצפייה במסמך בעברית
• Japanese: ここをクリックして日本語の翻訳にアクセスしてください.
• Korean: 한국어 번역을 보시려면 여기를 클릭하십시오.
• Portuguese: Clique aqui para a tradução em português.
• Russian: Нажмите здесь, чтобы получить доступ к русскому переводу.
• Spanish: Haga clic aquí para acceder a la traducción al español.
• Vietnamese: Nhấn vào đây để truy cập bản dịch tiếng Việt.

 

Superintendent Finalist Feedback

Thank you to those who were able to participate in one of the meetings this week with Superintendent finalist Dr. Linus Guillory, Jr. The school committee is grateful that principals, educational leaders, parents, students and community leaders all helped welcome Dr. Guillory to our community and share their experiences in PSB. The Superintendent Search Committee welcomes your feedback on Dr. Guillory through this survey.  

 

As a reminder, the School Committee has scheduled a public interview with Dr. Guillory on Monday, March 1 at 7:00pm. The agenda and viewing information for this meeting have been posted here. The School Committee expects to vote on Dr. Guillory’s candidacy at their March 4 meeting.

Smooth Transition of Learning Models

We are pleased to report that 44 students recently transitioned from the K-8 Remote Learning Academy back to home schools and 24 students transitioned from home schools into the Remote Learning Academy. The students started classes in their new learning model on Monday, February 22. This marks the last formal transition of students between learning models this year. We want to thank all of our K-8 teachers, principals, staff members, students and parents/caregivers for their support and patience as we have traversed this challenging year.

 

 

Summer Programs

Our town and school Summer Partners are busy planning for a full return to robust in-person summer programming for our children this summer.  We will roll out a variety of programs that will serve students prek-12. A brief summary of the summer programs can be found here.  Please keep an eye out over the next month for an update that will include program details and contact information.

Launch of the Asymptomatic Testing Program for Staff and Students

Earlier today you should have received a letter detailing the asymptomatic COVID-19 testing program for PSB staff and students. This program will launch on March 2 for all interested student-facing PBS staff, with testing for students beginning the week of March 9. Participation in this program is optional; however, students and staff must complete a testing consent form in order to participate.

 

We will send out sign-up and consent information separately from each individual school in the coming days. More information on the program can be found in the FAQ linked here. Please contact Deb Troderman at debra_troderman@psbma.org with any questions or concerns.

Update on Principal Searches at Driscoll School and Runkle School

There are principal searches getting underway at both Runkle and Driscoll Schools.  The Search Committee at each school includes educator, parent, and administration representatives who are reviewing candidate resumes to determine those they wish to interview.  Over the next few weeks, upon the completion of interviews, each Search Committee will select semi-finalist candidates to present to the Superintendent.  The Superintendent and senior leadership will interview semi-finalists and present finalists to the community. At that point, faculty and parent communities will have the opportunity to meet finalist candidates in a series of public meetings. Following thorough reference checks, I expect to be able to announce the new principals before the end of March.

Public Hearing: Returning More Students from Hybrid-Learning to Full In-person Learning

On Tuesday, February 23, the School Committee held a public hearing to solicit feedback about the proposal to return more students from hybrid-learning to full in-person instruction. This proposal is supported by scientific evidence indicating that we can reduce the 6-foot distancing parameters in school buildings, should that be necessary. As outlined in the Memorandum of Agreement, negotiations with the Brookline Educators Union will commence next week.

---

Prior community updates are available here:

• February 19, 2021
• February 12, 2021