Our School Re-Entry Advisory Council has been working hard on developing a reopening plan that prioritizes the health and well-being of students and staff, provides solutions to the logistical challenges associated with school operations, and focuses on instructional delivery. On July 24, 2020, Watertown Public Schools submitted its re-entry plan–Reopening, Reconnecting and Reimagining: Watertown Public Schools Fall 2020 Re-Entry Plan–to the State Department of Education (CSDE). The plan provides an overview of the district’s decisions and action steps and is organized by our re-entry priorities: Health & Well-Being, Logistics & Operations and Instructional Delivery.
Additional Guidance
This initial version of Reopening, Reconnecting and Reimagining will remain fluid during the summer and will be updated based on newly released guidelines and/or health changes in our local community in collaboration with local health officials. If there are any substantive changes, the plan will be resubmitted to the CSDE, shared with staff and families and updated on the district website. Additional implementation details customized for each school will be communicated to our school community through regular updates as we approach the first day of school.
Special Board Meeting
On Tuesday, July 28 at 7pm, we will hold a Special Board Meeting focused on reopening schools in the fall. During this virtual meeting, Dr. Harrison and the Board will provide an overview of the Reopening, Reconnecting and Reimagining and answer questions/comments from the public. The Special Board Meeting will be streamed live on the district’s youtube channel and can be accessed by clicking HERE. There are two ways to ask questions or make comments:
Email – Questions or comments can be sent to questions@watertownps.org prior to the meeting. Questions and comments sent by Tuesday at 6:00 pm will be answered during the Public Participation section of the live meeting.
Live – Community members can ask questions or make comments during the Public Participation section live meeting via google meet. To join google meet and click HERE.
Please note: community members are encouraged to view the meeting on the district’s youtube channel, and to only use the google meet link during Public Participation to ask questions.
First Day of School
Given the breadth and depth of professional learning needs for the fall (health/safety protocols and teaching/learning) the Governor has changed the school year requirement from 180 days to 177 days. We plan to utilize these days prior to students arriving. Therefore, per Board approval on Monday July 27, K-9th grade students will not start until Tuesday, September 1 and 10th-12th graders will start on September 2. This change will give us three additional days for professional learning, teacher planning and other general re-opening logistics.