The Pembroke Public School Committee voted to start the 2020-2021 school year in the Hybrid Model.

Families may select the full remote option if they do not want to return under the hybrid plan.

We ask that families commit to a minimum of six weeks in whichever plan they select. 

The first day of school for students will be on Tuesday, September 15th. (Grades 1-12).

The first day of school for kindergarten students will be on September 17, 2020. 

The first day of school for Preschool will be September 21, 2020 

A full calendar can be found on our district website linked here. 

All surveys were sent to the primary email contact for each student on August 12, 2020.  The deadline to submit a response is August 17, 2020.

It is possible that within a family, students were listed with different primary addresses based on how families completed the annual student registration form each fall.  Before reaching out to PPS, please do the following:

- Check all known email addresses for your family, including both parents/guardians work/personal emails.

-  Check your spam/junk folders. 

-Check your email filters to be sure you are not blocking our emails

Orientations and building tours will happen both virtually and in small groups depending on the building.  Additional information will be posted to the website as soon as these opportunities are scheduled. 

We anticipate sharing this information no later than the week of September 7th.

Though there is no defined metric at this time, the conversation at the state level is to declare a local transmission rate that would require a district to shift to remote.  The rate that is floating out there is 5%. 

Once this is determined we will update families. 

So, there are three ways that we would shift from hybrid to remote

1. The Governor shuts down all schools like previously done on 3/13

2.  Local health data, ie. transmission rate as defined by the state

For all updates regarding Protocols for responding to COVID-19 scenarios in school, on the bus, or in community settings click here.

Cohort assignments will be dependent upon how many families opt into the fully remote model versus the hybrid model.

A survey will be sent to families on Wednesday, August 12th, and be open for responses until Monday, August 17th.

Once we have more accurate numbers we will start to build out the cohorts.  We expect to release cohort assignments between August 20-21st.   

Classroom assignments and schedules will be released after cohort assignments between the last week of August and the first week of September. 

Please refer to the Student Service Presentation Linked Here for details. 

Students who are part of the 100% remote cohort will be using the Edgenuity platform as a supplement to the instruction they will receive from Pembroke teachers and staff. The goal is to use the program in addition to the learning experiences provided by our own educators. 

Once we have the exact numbers of students/staff who will be part of the Hybrid Model and the Full Remote Model we will be able to provide additional details about the break of the days for the fully remote students. 

In preparation for the 2020-2021 school year, we are asking families to commit to a learning model for a minimum of six weeks. Families may choose either the full-remote model or the hybrid model. After six weeks, families will have the opportunity to transition to another model if they choose.

A survey will be sent via broadcast email the week of August 10th. Please fill out a response for each student separately, as you may have one student who would thrive in a hybrid model and one who would be better served by the remote model.

Please note that this does not replace the PowerSchool Registration paperwork which must be filled in by all students attending Pembroke Public Schools regardless of which model they choose.

Yes, students in the same household will be grouped in the same cohort regardless of grade level.

All of the school committee meetings are recorded and posted under the minutes section of our website linked here. 

The approved calendar is posted under the Calendars section of our website linked here.

Yes, if the school district is closed for a Monday holiday then Tuesday would become the remote learning day. 

When building out the schedule, we have considered this and scheduled our teacher PD days to balance out the number in-person learning for each cohort to have equitable access. 

Our goal is the safe return of as many students as possible to in-person school settings, to maximize learning, and to address our students’ holistic needs. 

The three possible models that have to be submitted to the state are as follows:

• Face-to-face: In this model, all students return in person to school settings that are appropriately modified to accommodate the health and safety requirements outlined by DESE. Examples of modifications could include altered classroom configurations, setting up additional learning spaces, and schedule changes.
• Hybrid: All districts/schools must create a plan for a hybrid model if 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 on alternating weeks or days of the week.
• Remote model: This model must be available for individual students who cannot yet return in-person, and for all students in the event of future closures due to COVID-19. 

Plan for special populations: Finally, across each of these models, all districts and schools need a plan for how special populations, including students with disabilities and English learners, will receive necessary services and accommodations.

We will make our recommendation to the School Committee on August 4, 2020.  The School Committee voted in favor of the Hybrid Model for the start of the 2020-2021 school year on August 5, 2020.

All three plans must be submitted to the state by August 10, 2020.

Pembroke traditionally starts the school year with two professional development days before the start of the academic year. Commissioner Riley has approved additional professional development days prior to the start of the 2020-2021 school year. 

The updated academic calendar is posted on our website.  The first day of school for grades 1-12 will be on September 15, 2020. 

We are currently working with several committees and subgroups that include administrators, teachers, and parents. Once the plans are more complete, we will be seeking student input. We also have regular meetings with neighboring districts to discuss and collaborate on our plans. In addition to that, we have been utilizing student, staff, and community surveys to gather input from a variety of stakeholders.  At this time, most school districts on the South Shore are anticipating they will begin the school year in a hybrid model.

Parents/caregivers may choose to send their children to in-person school or keep them at home learning remotely. In-school attendance is highly encouraged to promote student academic progress because there is no substitute for the attention and engagement possible with in-person learning. 

Families will be required to choose either 100% Remote Learning or the plan approved by the School Committee on 8/4. All students, even those who are remote learning will be responsible for taking part in academic activities during school hours each day. We are asking families to commit to their decision for a minimum of six weeks so that we can adequately plan our resources and staff. 

Yes, school districts are responsible for students who are engaging in remote learning. Remote learning models shall include the following requirements: (1) procedures for all students to participate in remote learning, including a system for tracking attendance and participation; (2) remote academic work shall be aligned to state standards; (3) a policy for issuing grades for students’ remote academic work; and (4) teachers and administrators shall regularly communicate with students’ parents and guardians, including providing interpretation and translation services to limited English proficient parents and guardians, consistent with 603 CMR 27.08. 

The plans for the Remote Learning Model will be available in August. 

Remote learning means learning provided by the school district that happens outside of the traditional classroom because the student and teacher are separated by distance. Remote learning may be synchronous or asynchronous. Remote learning may include but is not limited to online learning (603 CMR 27.08). 

Parents may also choose to homeschool their children; a type of private education. For a child of compulsory school age, the homeschooling program must be approved in advance by the superintendent and school committee of the district of residence.

It will not. Remote learning this year will be far more robust than it was in the spring. In the spring, the Massachusetts Department of Education instructed schools to “hold harmless” those students who did not progress with their lessons due to the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning students’ grades either stayed the same or went up with the eLearning effort. All standardized tests and student assessments were also canceled. This fall, remote learning lessons will include tests and other assessments, and student grades will reflect work completed or not completed. All students will be responsible for taking part in academic activities during school hours each day. Assignments will have deadlines just as they would with in-person learning. 

Yes. The same curricula will be covered whether a student is in class or learning remotely. The way subjects are covered online vs. in-person may vary slightly, but students will cover all the same concepts. All students will be responsible for taking part in academic activities during the school day.

The district will provide a Chromebook (or possibly an Ipad for younger students as needed) for each student.  

Additional information about the Chromebook Loaner Program will be released in the next few weeks.

One of the benefits to the every other day hybrid model is that students will be coming home with printed materials for their remote learning days. 

Lunch blocks include a scheduled time for time to disconnect from technology and take a true lunch break.

In addition to that virtual options have been added to the schedule for opportunities for socialization similar to a lunch bunch format.  These blocks of time would fall after the lunch block.

We are asking families to hold off on paying for athletics and transportation fees until after the school committee meeting on August 18th. 

Fees and rates will be decided and released after that meeting. 

When sports/clubs/extra-curricular activities begin, all students will be allowed to participate regardless of enrolment in remote or hybrid learning.

It is important to note that the American Academy of Pediatrics has affirmed that children, particularly younger children, are less likely than adults to be infected with COVID-19. Furthermore, if they become infected, it appears children may not have the same transmission potential as adults. The health and safety requirements for school reopening use a combination of strategies that, taken together, will substantially reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19 in schools. This combination approach includes masks/face coverings, physical distancing, handwashing/sanitizing, and staying home when sick. 

In addition to the recommendations above, we have also invested in atomizers to disinfect our classrooms and buildings. We are also working with our facilities staff to set internal guidelines that are more stringent than the CDC guidelines and include but are not limited to, more frequent cleaning of commonly touched surfaces, the use of atomizers, and cleaning supplies that meet the current health standards. 

Medical experts advising DESE have stated the greater the physical distancing the better, but that the minimum acceptable distance is three feet, when in combination with face coverings and other measures. Establishing a minimum physical distance of three feet between students when face coverings are worn is informed by evidence and substantiated by guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization.

The Hybrid Model will allow us to limit the number of students in each class. Class size will vary based on the size of the classroom and adhering to the 6-foot distance between students and/or staff. The rationale behind the hybrid model is that students will be grouped into cohorts or pods with limited movement and exposure to other students. 

No, the guidance has evolved since the Initial Summer School Guidance. For the fall, there are no required maximums on cohort or group sizes, so long as schools adhere to physical distancing requirements. 

Our class sizes will be determined by the spacing in each classroom as well as the number of students who are opting into the hybrid vs. remote model.

When masks are worn, three feet is the minimum distance allowed from “seat edge” to “seat edge.” Desks should face in the same direction. There is no maximum number for group size, so long as schools adhere to the physical distancing requirements. Six feet of physical distance is required between students who are not wearing face coverings, e.g., when eating or taking a mask break. 

A minimum of six feet between students and/or staff is our standard of social distancing at school.

Students will be asked to keep all personal belongings with them during the day.  

Students will not have lockers at the middle or high school.

We have been working to implement a variety of measures to ensure social distance requirements are met. These include but are not limited to:

• Individual Technology for each student. (i.e. Chromebooks, iPads, etc. that can be brought to and from school with the student.)
• Visual Markers on the floor
• Single Direction Hallways
• Consumable workbooks (no sharing of materials.)
• Assigned Seats
• Utilization of alternative classroom spaces
• Outdoor learning spaces, tents, courtyards, etc.
• Limited movement in buildings as much as possible
• Pods/Cohorts 
• Possibility of teachers moving vs. students moving

Childcare is a huge concern statewide. We anticipate additional guidance from the state closer to the start of school to address these concerns. 

All students, educators, and staff are required to wear a mask/face covering over their nose and mouth, except for during designated breaks, which should occur throughout the day.  Neck gaiters and bandanas are not approved face coverings. 

Breaks should occur when students can be six feet apart and ideally outside or at least with the windows open. Masks/face coverings must be worn by everyone during school bus transportation. Teachers and parents should reinforce mask-wearing. 

Masks/face coverings should be provided by the student/family, but schools should make available face masks for students who need them.

 Neck gaiters and bandanas are not approved face coverings. 

Exceptions to mask/face covering requirements must be made for those for whom it is not possible due to medical conditions, disability impact, or other health or safety factors. Face shields may be an option for students with medical or behavioral challenges who are unable to wear masks/face coverings. 

 Neck gaiters and bandanas are not approved face coverings. 

During meals, because masks are not worn, six feet of physical distancing is required. To provide adequate distancing, there may need to be multiple meal breaks for smaller cohorts of students or enable some students to eat in the classroom and some in other spaces as feasible (e.g., cafeteria, hallways if permitted, etc.).

Current Massachusetts Department of Public Health guidance states that anyone who shows any COVID-19 symptoms, even if mild, should be tested. Medical experts recommend close contacts of those who test positive also get tested.

All adults, including educators and staff, are required to wear a mask/face covering over their nose and mouth at all times, except for designated breaks, which should occur throughout the day. Allow adequate space for teachers to ensure safe physical distance from students.

Please review the Protocols as outlined here. 

The recommendation is that families self-check at home before school each day. Temperature checks are not mandated at the building level due to the number of false-negative/positives. 

When handwashing, individuals should use soap and water to wash all surfaces of their hands for at least 20 seconds, wait for visible lather, rinse thoroughly, and dry with an individual disposable towel.

Staff will discuss naming protocols and timelines to streamline the process for our students. 

Hand sanitizer should be applied to all surfaces of the hands and in sufficient quantity that it takes 20 seconds of rubbing hands together for the sanitizer to dry. Hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent ethanol or at least 70 percent of isopropanol content can be used.

While handwashing with soap and water is the best option, alcohol-based hand sanitizer (at least 60 percent ethanol or at least 70 percent isopropanol) may be utilized when handwashing is not available. As has always been the case, hands should be washed whenever hands are visibly soiled and after using the bathroom.

To increase facility ventilation, we encourage schools to keep classroom windows open, if feasible, as much as possible throughout the school year.

All the elementary schools and the middle school have windows that open. We are working with the Board of Health to ensure proper ventilation within all of our buildings. We are in the process of adding 22 duct-mounted, UV light, air purification systems at the high school because they have a closed HVAC system and the windows do not open. We will be continuing to look for additional opportunities to expand the UV light systems to our other buildings as more systems become available. The current structure of our elementary and middle school HVAC systems and building windows allow for proper ventilation.

Community Service Requirements will be discussed at one of the upcoming School Committee Meetings.