March 29, 2020
A greeting to Parents and Guardians of East Providence Public School Students,
Let me begin with a huge THANK YOU.
COVID-19, the coronavirus disease, has put us where we have never been before. This is all totally new to us. The School District staff, administrators, teachers, specialists, and paraprofessionals have all been planning and working diligently to assure learning would not be disrupted. To that end, the transition from learning in school to learning at home has gone amazingly well from the reports we have been monitoring and from the feedback we have received from parents. Much of the credit for this belongs to you, the parents, who have now taken on the role of teachers. So, again, thank you.
We receive many questions on when we can return to “normal.” Governor Raimondo has indicated she will make an important announcement this Monday, March 30, regarding the schools. Her announcements can be seen on Channel 10 each day at 1:00 p.m.
If your child does not yet have a Chromebook or access to the internet, please contact your school principal as soon as possible. We have a Chromebook for each student. If you do not have internet access, we can also provide you with a HotSpot at no cost to you. The HotSpot is a device that will make the internet available in your home.
While all our students are at home, our custodians and maintenance workers have been going though each school. Every classroom, meeting area and surface has been sanitized. The staff is also getting to address some issues that are difficult to get to with students in the building.
Chartwells, our school lunch provider, and Ocean State Transit, our school bus contractor, are working together to make breakfasts and lunches available to everyone who needs them. We have a schedule for buses delivering meals to school bus stops. For information on the bus delivery of meals go to the East Providence School Department website.
We know this virus and its impact on our daily lives is very stressful. Being cooped up in the house is difficult for everyone. We are hoping the virus has as little impact on student learning as we can possibly make happen. To that end, and understanding the stresses everyone is under, we offer some suggestions for getting through the “new” school day.
Making things work in trying times…
To make sure your child is getting credit for being “in attendance” and for completed work, remind them to answer the question of the day and, after completing work, to hit the”submit” icon to have the work sent to their teacher. Teachers are posting the times they are available to interact with students – and parents.
A key word – flexibility. Some students complete their assignments more quickly than others while other students feel more comfortable taking more time. As long as your child is getting assignments done during the course of the day, that should be enough. If your child is falling behind, his or her teacher will let you know.
Children should have a quiet place while doing their school work. As much as possible, eliminate distractions such as a TV.
Build in some break time for your child; time for snacks and lunch – and a breather. Learning can be hard work.
A thought to keep in the back of your mind. The stresses associated with avoiding the coronavirus are nothing in comparison to the stresses of dealing with a case of the Coronavirus in your home. The old saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” really applies to COVID-19.
Also, to the best of your ability, please take care of yourself. You are vitally important to your child and extremely important to us. Our goal in life is to help you to raise your child to be the best he or she can be.
One last time, thank you for making on-line learning the success it has been so far.
Sincerely,
Kathryn M. Crowley
Superintendent of Schools
Superintendent’s Letter to Parents and Guardians (ENG)