Windham Public Schools

LAST NIGHT’S UPDATE FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT: This is Dr. Tracy Youngberg, Superintendent of Schools, calling to welcome your children back to school on Thursday, August 26, our first full day together. We are very excited that all of our students will be back in person this school year. I want to remind everyone that masks are mandated in our schools and offices per the Governor’s Executive Order. In addition to the mask mandate, we will continue to follow the recommended mitigation strategies designed to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 in our schools. The Department of Public Health continues to view vaccination as the number one prevention strategy. Vaccinations, as you know, are available to anyone 12 years and older. Please visit the district’s website for specific details shared with you in video format on how we will work to keep our schools in the Wellness Zone: www.windhamps.org/page/reopening-covid Video in English: www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbeT7yAV_is Video in Spanish: www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWNamN1Rlqc Have a great night everyone, and we will see you for the first day of school on Thursday, August 26.

EVENT POSTPONED! Windham Public School’s Welcome Back-Pack Drive has been postponed to Tuesday, August 24 from 3:30-5PM due to the weather. Stop by Recreation Park on Tuesday for a vaccine clinic and a backpack giveaway! One backpack per child present.

WPS WELCOME BACK-PACK DRIVE: Stop by Rec Park this coming Monday, August 23, 3:30-5PM for a vaccine clinic and a backpack giveaway! One backpack per child present. Subject to change depending on weather.

This is a message from Windham Public School’s Before and After School Program. We are informing families that programs will be starting on Monday, August 30, 2021. Please make separate arrangements for childcare for the first two days of school. We also had to adjust program hours since school day times have changed. Sweeney, North Windham, Windham Center, and Natchaug Elementary After School Program hours are 3-5:30pm, Monday through Friday. C. H. Barrows STEM Academy hours are 2:40-5:40pm, Monday through Friday. Our Before School Program will also begin on Monday August, 30, with student drop-off starting at 7am. Please find a letter posted on our website for more information: https://5il.co/xiv7. You may also contact 860-465-2595 with questions. Thank you.

Families, check out our 21-22 Bus Bus Stop Listing and Schedule online (https://www.windhamps.org/page/transportation)! You can also read our Transportation Guidelines Letter for more information.

As of this evening, electricity, phones, and internet have been restored at all Windham Public Schools. Thank you for your patience as our IT team worked with our provider to resolve this issue.

As of early this morning, all Windham Public Schools have no phones or internet. Sweeney Elementary and Windham Middle School have no electricity. Thank you for your patience as our electric company is currently on-site working to resolve this issue. We will keep you updated of any changes.

DIGITAL BACKPACK: FIND BACK-TO-SCHOOL LETTERS - Click on "Digital Backpack" in the header of our website at the very top to view back-to-school letters that were mailed districtwide (https://www.windhamps.org/browse/234805). Read the Welcome Letter from the Superintendent, read up on Transportation Guidelines, check out the school year calendar, and learn about the Community Eligibility Provision.

VACCINE CLINIC AT WINDHAM MIDDLE SCHOOL TODAY! Stop by Windham Middle School's Small Gym (123 Quarry Street, Willimantic) and walk-in before 1:30pm today to get your COVID vaccine from Hartford HealthCare!

Check out last Friday's School Reopening Update from Superintendent Dr. Youngberg. "First, I want to shout-out to all of the students who have participated in this year’s summer school and all of the staff members who are working hard to keep the program moving. Summer Fun 2021, has really been a source of pride for the district following a very difficult school year. We nearly tripled student enrollment in our summer school programs, moved to a full school day schedule Kindergarten to 8th grade, and implemented Project-Based Learning. We have one week to go and then we will reflect on how to make the summer of 2022 even more successful. Next, earlier this week the Connecticut State Department of Education and the Department of Public Health released their Interim Recommendations for COVID-19 Prevention in Pre-Kindergarten to grade 12 Schools across the state (www.windhamps.org/page/reopening-covid). You can find the document on the district’s new website, which is still www.windhamps.org, under News. These recommendations, like all things related to COVID, are expected to change as the public health crisis changes. So, just like last year we will work to keep you all informed and try our best to be flexible, patient, and respectful. This is particularly important because we are always being role models for our students and agreeing to disagree sometimes when there is a polarizing topic is a skill they will rely on their entire lives. Here are some of the highlights of the new recommendations I can share with you right now: - Vaccinations for those eligible (12 years and older) is what our partners at the state level call the #1 prevention strategy. While being vaccinated for COVID is not a requirement to attend school or work in Windham, we have been working to ensure those who wish to be vaccinated have access. - It appears we will be wearing masks for the start of the 2021-22 school year, but the state is holding out on their final recommendations on masks until we get closer to the start of the year. As it stands right now, all PreK-12 school across the state are currently still under the mask mandate issued back in May. - The CDC has changed their recommendations from 6 feet social distancing to 3 feet. Windham will be doing our best to reach 3 feet social distancing in our classrooms, but will not be impacting the in-person learning options if this distance cannot been met. - The move to 3 feet social distancing also changes the quarantine protocols for those identified as close contacts. And, students and staff who are vaccinated and remain asymptomatic will not have to quarantine if they are exposed to a person who tested positive. - Just as a reminder, Windham will not be offering virtual learning as a full time option for our students next school year. All Windham students, PreK-12, are expected to be back in school in-person on Thursday, August 26th, our first full day of school for the 2021-2022 school year. - Fall sports are expected start on time and are expected to have full seasons. We will be working to ensure safe music instruction can take place, like singing and the playing of instruments. -Finally, masks will be required on Windham school buses and we are keeping the bus capacity numbers the same as last year. We are working hard to keep your kids safe. I know this is a lot of information, so I encourage you to read the state document on our website (windhamps.org)and reach out to your child’s school or the district with any questions. In short, I am committed to trying to make the 2021-2022 school year as normal of an experience as possible. We will be sharing a parent/family video in English and Spanish a week or so before school starts that will review all of the latest recommendations for our schools at that point. In the meantime, please enjoy the rest of your summer break, and have a good night, everyone. "

Stop by Windham Middle School's Small Gym (sign with the balloons at 123 Quarry Street) and walk-in before 1:30pm today to get your COVID vaccine! Thank you to our community partners at Hartford HealthCare & to our Family Liaisons for helping make this opportunity possible to our community.

Announcing the launch of Connecticut Summer at the Museum, a new state program created by the state in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic that allows Connecticut children to receive free admission at more than 90 museums across Connecticut during the 2021 summer months. Learn more: www.CTSummerMuseums.com

Good afternoon Windham Public School Families, We are partnering with Hartford HealthCare to offer our students, families, and the community a Walk-In Vaccination Clinic (https://www.windhamps.org/apps/news/article/1463478) next Tuesday, July 20 from 9:30am-1:30pm at Windham Middle School located at 123 Quarry Street, Willimantic. Stop by Windham Middle next Tuesday from 9:30am-1:30pm to get your Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. Thank you for keeping us in the Wellness Zone (https://4.files.edl.io/9a93/07/02/21/203715-9a1cc571-6ade-4f7d-bfd8-50ccdba46ff2.pdf)!

Windham Public Schools is proud to announce funding through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds (ARP ESSER III). We are engaging in meaningful consultation with our stakeholders (our families, our community, our students, and our staff) for suggestions on educational areas to support. What would you like Windham Public Schools to support with ESSER III grant funds? Visit www.windhamps.org to complete your survey and read our Safe Return to In-Person Instruction & Continuity of Services Plan or email esser@windham.k12.ct.us. You are also invited to provide your public comment this Wednesday, July 14th at the Board of Education’s Meeting (https://www.windhamps.org/apps/events/2021/7/14/8695433/?REC_ID=8695433&id=0). View the meeting live on our YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/c/WindhamPublicSchools), call in at 860-465-2513, or attend in-person. We are looking forward to hearing any and all creative ideas for effectively using these funds to transform Windham Public Schools post COVID.

The recently passed American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) includes funding to municipalities to help respond to and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Town of Windham would like feedback from town residents on what they believe some of the priorities may be. Take the survey today: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdoyDp7BoyPcEVp4LtvGqNUhN8vOYL8RXr5MPYcJgwzx512Kw/viewform

Hello Summer Fun 2021 families, If you haven’t already, you should receive a letter in the mail soon with information about summer school, including locations, schedules, contact information, and transportation details. We look forward to seeing our students on Monday, July 12 at 8:45 AM to kick off our summer of fun learning! You can also visit our website www.windhamps.org for this information. Additionally, please remember that we all need to do our part to keep Windham Public Schools in the Wellness Zone. We ask that you complete our Daily COVID Health Checklists with your children, and keep them home from school if they feel sick. We expect all of our students to wear masks, and we will do our part by maintaining clean facilities. We can’t wait to see our Windham students for an exciting four weeks of Summer Fun!

Today we share great news! First, Superintendent Dr. Youngberg delivered flowers and balloons to Windham Middle School's Dawn Noheimer, who was named as the District Paraeducator of the Year for 2021-2022 after 25 years of service. This is a new distinction for Windham, but one the Connecticut State Department of Education has been celebrating for quite some time now. Dr. Youngberg then made a second visit to North Windham School's Erin Holden, as she was named Windham’s District Teacher of the Year for 2021-2022. Both of these well-deserving recipients join a group of their distinguished colleagues representing our Kindergarten-Grade 12 schools. Congratulations to Erin Holden and Dawn Noheimer, and all our educators and paraeducators of the year 2021-22! We know you will represent the district well!

Free Summer Meals, in a location near you! --- https://www.windhamps.org/apps/pages/SummerMeals Comidas de verano gratis, ¡en una ubicación cerca de usted!