No School Wednesday, Black History Month, Vaccine updates

No School: Wednesday, Black History Month, Vaccine updates
Posted on 02/01/2021

Dear CPS Community,

I hope this message finds you warm on this wintry beginning to February. As we shared earlier today, due to the storm, Tuesday will be a fully remote learning day.

A friendly reminder that this Wednesday, February 3, is a no school day for students, as we continue our preparations to expand in-person learning next month. This school-based planning time is critical because each school is developing solutions based on its specific student enrollment, staffing and building layout. Schools are making good progress with their preparations, including finalizing student and staff schedules, launching school-based “infection control teams” to focus on COVID-19 protocols, and sharing best practices developed over the last few months to support both remote and in-person learners.

As we mark the beginning of Black History Month, the words of 22-year-old National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman reciting “The Hill We Climb” at the Presidential Inauguration resonate. Gorman rightly noted, “We are striving to forge a union with purpose/To compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters and conditions of man/And so we lift our gazes not to what stands between us/But what stands before us.”

Many of our schools are supporting the Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action, which is “a national coalition organizing for racial justice in education.” You may also be interested in the The Cambridge African American Heritage Alliance.

Below, you’ll find additional details about:

  1. COVID-19 Vaccine Update
  2. Updated Community Meetings on FY22 Budget (Feb. 6 and Feb. 10)
  3. Important Dates & Upcoming Meetings/Events

Sincerely,
Kenneth N. Salim, Ed.D.
Superintendent


1. COVID-19 Vaccine Updates:

  • See the Cambridge Public Health Department’s COVID-19 vaccine information page. According to the state’s vaccine distribution timeline, we know K-12 workers are on the priority list for Phase Two, which has a timeframe of February to April.
  • Check out the virtual fireside chat with Dr. Anthony Fauci, hosted by the National Education Association and American Federation of Teachers. The country’s leading infectious disease expert provided answers to educators’ questions on topics including COVID-19 vaccines, and closed by thanking educators, as “the team that takes care of our students’ wellbeing, their education, and their safety, and I think that you all are a bunch of heroes…”

2. Updated Community Meetings on FY22 Budget (Feb. 6 and Feb. 10): CPS is planning for next year’s budget, which will focus on our overarching goal of all students recovering and thriving. The CPS community is invited to participate in the upcoming budget meetings, where we will ask for you to share your ideas on how CPS should use its resources to understand and address students’ academic and social-emotional/mental health needs following the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • Advance registration required, due to enhanced Zoom security needs
  • February 6, 10 - 11:30 AM: Community members (register by February 6, 9:30 AM)
  • February 10, 3 - 4:30 PM: Staff (register by February 10, 2:30 PM)

3. Important dates and reminders to mark on your calendar:

  • February 2: Remote Learning Day for All Students (due to snowstorm)
  • February 2: Regular School Committee Meeting 6PM
  • February 3: NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS - Staff Planning Day
  • February 3, 3:00 - 4:30 PM: Community Meeting on FY22 Budget for CPS Staff
  • February 6, 10AM: Community Meeting on FY22 Budget > register here
  • February 15 - 19: NO SCHOOL, February break
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