Dear Old Colony Community,

We hope this correspondence finds you well as we pay welcome to 2021. We continue to monitor CoVid-19 trends following the holiday break. We have seen an increase in positive cases in our sending communities and within our Old Colony community. In addition to the number of positive cases, we are seeing an increasing number of close contacts that have impacted our ability to staff the building for in-person learning. As a result, and out of an abundance of caution, we have made the decision to pivot to our remote learning model effective tomorrow, Thursday, January 21, 2021 with tentative plans to return to our hybrid model on Monday, February 1, 2021. We will keep our community informed as plans and reports evolve. Staff are permitted to teach from the building given they meet all prerequisites associated with our CoVid-19 protocols. Non-teaching staff should report for duty as usual.

We are monitoring the number of positive cases, the number of close contacts associated with positive cases, and identifying whether or not these cases have an impact on our in-person learning and further transmission within our school community. We appreciate the regular communication that has taken place during your student’s remote learning cycle. Please continue to communicate CoVid-19 related news even when your student is remote. This alleviates the potential piling up of information upon our return to in-person learning. Timely communication has been an integral piece of our success to date.

Our student body and staff have been closely adhering to the safety protocols including mask wearing, hand washing, and physical distancing. We continue to deep clean on a daily basis. We are grateful to our families for their continued efforts to keep students home at the first sign of symptoms. We appreciate your ongoing communication with our team in the event of a positive case. These measures, taken in combination, greatly reduce the risk of additional transmission moving forward.

Flu Vaccination Update:

On Friday, January 15, the Department of Public Health (DPH) sent a message to school nurses removing the flu vaccination from the Immunization Requirements for School Entry.

We are committed to continuous communication with and support of our families. If you have any additional questions or concerns, please contact our school nurses Ms. Lindsay Mota and Mrs. Deb Levesque (508) 763-8011 ext. 130 and/or 176. You can also reach me directly at apolansky@oldcolony.info if I can be of assistance at any time.  I am available around the clock if you have an issue that requires attention or clarification. Thank you for your continued support. On behalf of the entire Old Colony staff, we wish you a Happy and Healthy New Year.

Sincerely,

Aaron L. Polansky

Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) households will receive monthly benefits through the end of SY 2020-21. Please refer to the December 29 newsletter and Cafeteria site for detailed information. Households are asked to keep us updated of changes in your students’ eligibility status.