Hanover Public Schools Week One Update 9/18/20
Thank you for your patience and support as we wrap up our first week of the 2020-2021 school year. It had been over 180 days since we saw our students in person. Although the past few days have been challenging and not perfect – they have been truly rewarding. Your child’s principal will send ongoing school-specific information as we continue to roll out and adjust our routines now that we have had the opportunity to test drive the past three days with staff and students together. We are learning as we go, and we will continue to improve in all of our safety, operational, and educational practices and procedures in the days ahead. All of our teachers, staff, and administrators are very excited to have our students back, and we can’t wait to see our friends from Cohort A on Monday! We also extend greetings to our students in the Virtual Academy and encourage them to reach out to us if they need any support, assistance, or resources.
I need to be honest here. Every time I open a news feed or turn on the TV, there is another unfortunate story about schools closed because of student parties, inappropriate behavior on Zoom calls, students coming to school when COVID-19 positive, and other obstacles to a safe return to school that could have been prevented. None of this is easy, and we are all doing our best to navigate this difficult time. Please help us keep our schools open by staying ahead of these issues at home and in your neighborhoods. I have teenagers at home and kids will be kids and mistakes will be made. We can’t be perfect, but let’s do everything possible to follow the plan so that we keep moving forward. COVID-19 cases are very low in our area – let’s keep it that way for as long as possible. This is temporary (longer than we all expected or wanted), and we will get through it together as a community.
Safety remains our top priority. To support that commitment, please take a moment to read this press release regarding our partnership with the Hanover Fire Department and their Mobile Integrated Health program for COVID-19 testing of our staff prior to school starting. To support our ongoing safety and testing efforts, please view a health update from Health Services Director, Patricia Smith, regarding our capacity and plans for future testing of staff and students if needed.
I am deeply grateful for the efforts of our teachers and staff over the past three weeks, and we will continue to improve every day. Thank you very much for your time and attention to this message. Please enjoy the weekend.
Sincerely,
Matt Ferron
Superintendent of Schools