Community Update: April 2, 2021

Welcome to 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:

We are happy to report that principals and teachers indicated a smooth transition for students in grades 2-5 returning to full in-person instruction this week. All of us are looking forward to students in grades 6-8 joining them on April 12th. This has been a busy time and we hope our staff and families have a restful and relaxing long weekend. Please see below for a few updates as we enter the last stretch of the 2020-21 school year. 

 

Help Prevent a COVID Surge in Brookline:

This week, the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, made an emotional plea for all of us to do our part to prevent a new surge of COVID-19 cases. At their March 26 meeting, Brookline’s Panel 4 presented their weekly metrics review that showed a slight uptick in the average daily case count in the community.

 

Don’t let your guard down! We can all do our part to keep Brookline safe. The CDC still recommends that we avoid any unnecessary indoor gatherings, remain fully masked when around others, and continue to practice social distancing and good hand hygiene. As spring beckons, and we are buoyed by the increased availability and administration of vaccinations, it’s vital for us to do all that we can to contain the spread and prevent a new surge of COVID-19 in our community.

 

PSB Summer Enrichment Program - Interest Survey

At the March 26 meeting of the Brookline School Committee, the District shared a proposal for a summer program. We request your help in completing this online survey to gauge interest in such a program. 

 

The proposed program is intended to provide project-based academic enrichment for students entering grades 1-8 in September 2021 and will include community building and social-emotional learning. The program will run in-person for two 2-week sessions during July 2021, 5 mornings per week, 3 hours per day. Students may have the option to participate for two weeks or four weeks. 

 

The information gathered from this survey is non-binding. Students will still need to be enrolled separately in the program should it come to fruition. However, your responses are essential to our planning efforts. The survey will close at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, April 5.

 

Budget Presentations Next Week 

PSB leadership will give two FY22 budget presentations the week of April 5th. The first presentation will be given at the School Committee Finance Subcommittee meeting being held on Tuesday, April 6th and the second presentation will be given at the full School Committee meeting being held on Thursday, April 8th. Information on how to view both meetings can be found on the Town calendar website. 

 

School Highlight 

Starting this week, the Superintendent’s community update will provide some highlights from our schools. We hope this gives readers a glimpse into life at PSB beyond the administrative information provided above. This week’s highlights come from: