April 26, 2021
Dear Students, Staff and Families,
I hope you were able to enjoy the school vacation week with some much needed rest and relaxation.
As stated in my communication on April 16th, I want to remind you of a few important upcoming changes to in-person learning.
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The Reopening of School Task Force decided that students in special programs, grades K, 1, 2 and students in grades 9 through 12, will return to 5 days of in-person learning effective Monday, May 3rd. Students in grades 3 through 8 will return to 5 days of in-person learning when RICAS testing is completed.
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The number of students allowed to ride the bus has increased to 75% of capacity starting this week.
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Early Release Days will continue on Mondays. Please be sure to make the necessary arrangements for your children.
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B.F. Norton & Garvin Schools – 1:50pm
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Ashton, Community & JJM Cumberland Hill Schools – 2:20pm
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McCourt MS & North Cumberland MS – 1:30pm
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Cumberland High School – 12:55pm
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As a reminder, students and staff traveling out of state can return to school on day 8 after quarantining for 7 days with proof of a negative PCR or BINAX test on or after day 5. The test cannot be done before day 5. This is for students and staff who have traveled or are planning to travel out of state and for students and staff who have been identified as close contacts.
As always, thank you for your patience and understanding as we work our way back to a more normal routine.
Sincerely,
Robert A. Mitchell
Superintendent of Schools… Read More...
April 16, 2021
Dear Students, Staff, and Families,
As you have heard, the high school is distance learning today because a number of students (11) have tested positive for COVID-19 since April 1st. This decision was made after we received a phone call from the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) late yesterday afternoon. The high school schedule presents more of a challenge when completing contact tracing because students attend several different classes over the course of the school day. High school students are not in stable pods like the elementary and middle schools. As a result, several high school students have been quarantined because they have been determined to be close contacts by the RIDOH. We are sending out a separate communication to high school students, staff, and families with information from RIDOH.
Even though more and more of us are getting vaccinated, it is still important that we remain vigilant with all of the mitigation measures that we know reduces our risk such as wearing a mask, hand washing, cleaning surfaces, etc.
- The Reopening of School Task Force decided in their meeting on Wednesday, that students in special programs, grades K, 1, 2 and students in grades 9 through 12, will return to 5 days of in-person learning effective Monday, May 3rd. Students in grades 3 through 8 will return to 5 days of in-person learning when RICAS testing is completed.
- As a reminder, the number of students allowed to ride the bus will increase to 75% of capacity after April vacation.
- Since April vacation is next week, we want to remind students and staff traveling out of state that they can return to school on day 8 after quarantining for 7 days with proof of a negative PCR or BINAX test on or after day 5. The test cannot be done before day 5. This is for students and staff who have traveled or are planning to travel out of state and for students and staff who have been identified as close contacts.
- We will be receiving a significant quantity of personal protective equipment from the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency (RIEMA) next week including adult masks, child masks, face shields, gowns, disinfectant wipes and thermometers. We will be in good shape for some time to come. We appreciate the support from RIEMA.
- There was a meeting at Cumberland Hill elementary school to begin planning for the transition to the swing space at the Trans Building. Our Owner’s Project Manager (OPM) representative, Holly Demers, will be meeting with the staff to answer questions and offer support based on her extensive experience in working with schools. We will be providing opportunities for families to meet and ask any questions that they might have at some point in the future.
- The updated COVID-19 spreadsheet is provided for your review.
As always, thank you for your patience and understanding as we work our way back to a more normal routine. Enjoy this well-deserved vacation.
Sincerely,
Robert A. Mitchell
Superintendent of Schools… Read More...
April 16, 2021
Good Afternoon CHS faculty, staff, students and families,
We received a phone call late yesterday afternoon from the RI Department of Health concerning the recent positive test results for 11 Cumberland High School Students and the need to quarantine 127 students determined to be close contacts. Given the inability to maintain stable pods of students in the high school and the inability to quarantine segments of the high school population, the DOH recommended the switch to distance learning today leading up to the April school vacation. Out of an abundance of caution, the DOH is recommending that all CHS students and staff (including those who are fully vaccinated) get tested for COVID-19. The communication from the Department of Health is attached which includes testing information.
Please be advised that we will be undertaking a deep cleaning and sanitizing of our high school over the April vacation period to prepare the building for the return of students and staff. We will be sure to update you if there are any changes to our plans.
Cumberland High School Testing Letter_04162021.pdf… Read More...
April 9, 2021
Dear Students, Staff, and Families,
Happy Friday everyone. I hope everyone is doing well. As you may have heard, a third of the country has received at least one vaccination with more vaccinations happening every day. This is a reason for optimism. However, we still have a responsibility to stay vigilant especially with concerns about the variants.
Listed below are a number of items for your review:
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I am pleased to report that all grades, kindergarten through grade 12 are back in school for 4 days of in-person learning. Grades 10 and 11 started this week. Our goal is to get all students back into school for 5 days a week. That will happen after the RICAS testing.
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As I have mentioned at our recent School Committee meetings, our biggest challenge to getting students back for 5 days is scheduling RICAS for all students including distance learners. We need to use Mondays to accommodate the testing of those students. We will be sure to keep you informed of the schedule moving forward.
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As a reminder, the Reopening of School Task Force agreed to allow students and staff to return to school on day 8 after quarantining for 7 days with proof of a negative PCR or BINAX test on or after day 5. The test can not be done before day 5. This is for students and staff who have traveled or are planning to travel out of state and for students and staff who have been identified as close contacts. This is important information since a much needed April vacation is rapidly approaching.
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We have learned that the number of students allowed to ride the bus will increase to 75% of capacity after April vacation. This will be a big help to families who have been very supportive in getting their children to and from school every day. The increase in bus ridership will take that burden away from parents.
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As I have stated in previous communications and again at last night’s School Committee meeting, despite the ramifications of the pandemic, the federal government and RIDE expects every student in the state to take RICAS. We have been told repeatedly that there are no exemptions except for medical reasons. There are no opt-outs. Please know that we have a responsibility to carry out this directive. As a result, all students, including distance learners, will be required to come to school and take this assessment.
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The updated COVID-19 spreadsheet is provided for your review.
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After today, all Cumberland School Department employees will have had an opportunity to receive both vaccinations.
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As you know, Cumberland Hill elementary school will be the first school to undergo extensive renovation work beginning this summer and continuing through the next school year. Cumberland Hill students and staff will be housed in the Trans Building while the renovations are taking place. As soon as the school year ends, work will begin on the Trans Building in preparation for Cumberland Hill’s students and staff. The Trans Building will be referred to as the “Swing Space” while the facilities work is taking place. There is a lot of planning underway and we will be sure to keep everyone informed as soon as the plans are solidified.
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I received this request from a student at the high school. Please consider supporting this cause.
Hello! My name is Sarah Leduc and I am a senior at Cumberland High School. I just wanted to let you know that I am doing a fundraiser for sexual assault awareness month. All proceeds go directly to Day One, the Rhode Island rape crisis center. I would greatly appreciate it if you could share or donate to my fundraiser! Day One provides therapies, workshops, trauma based yoga, educational classes, hotlines, law enforcement advocacy, and so much more. Day One is a nonprofit and relies solely on donations and grants so this fundraiser is very important! I put the go fund me link in this email. Thank you so much! -Sarah Leduc https://gofund.me/12805512
As always, thank you for your patience and understanding as we work our way back to a more normal routine. Have a good weekend.
Sincerely,
Robert A. Mitchell
Superintendent of Schools… Read More...
Dear Cumberland Families,
In anticipation of the upcoming April break (4/19 – 4/23) and the potential for travel during that week, we would like to remind you of the guidelines established by the RIDOH and implemented by the Cumberland School Department as it relates to travel within the US. Please note the following guidelines:
When visiting a state that is identified as a hotspot within the 50 states or DC:
During your child’s travel quarantine, please note the following as it pertains to learning:
Students in Grades K-8
Students in Grade 9-12
We hope that with these procedures in place, students will have an opportunity to continue their learning and quickly rejoin in-person instruction. In order to ensure the safety of all students following April break, we ask that you please inform your school principal of your vacation plans.
Respectfully,
Robert A. Mitchell
Superintendent of Schools… Read More...
March 26, 2021
Dear Students, Staff, and Families,
Happy Friday everyone. I hope everyone is doing well. My wife and I received our second vaccination on Wednesday. I know that more and more Rhode Islanders will have the opportunity to get vaccinated and I believe everyone will be more at ease as a result. Things are looking up.
Listed below are a number of items for your review:
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I am pleased to report that grades 10 and 11 will return to school for 4 days of in-person learning effective April 6th. We got the go ahead from the Education Operations Center (EDOC) to bring them back. Mr. Costa will be sharing more detailed information with students and staff over the next few days. As a result, all students in grades Kindergarten through 12 will be in for 4 days of in-person learning per week beginning on April 6th.
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As I mentioned at last night’s School Committee meeting, one of our challenges moving forward is scheduling RICAS for all students including distance learners. We believe we will need to use Mondays to accommodate the testing of those students. We will be sure to keep you informed of the schedule moving forward.
-
The Reopening of School Task Force agreed to allow students and staff to return to school on day 8 after quarantining for 7 days with proof of a negative test on or after day 5. The test can not be done before day 5. This is for students and staff who have traveled out of state and students and staff who have been identified as close contacts.
-
We are also hopeful that the number of students allowed to ride the bus will increase to 75% of capacity by mid April. This will be a big help to families who have been very helpful in getting their children to school. The increase in ridership will take that burden away from parents. We will be sure to let you know when that change will go into effect.
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As I stated last week and again at last night’s School Committee meeting, despite the ramifications of the pandemic, RIDE expects every student in the state to take RICAS. We have been told repeatedly that there are no exemptions except for medical reasons. There are no opt-outs. Please know that we have a responsibility to carry out this directive. As a result, all students, including distance learners, will be required to come to school and take this assessment. Plans are being developed and more information will be forthcoming.
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Congratulations to Dr. Rachel Santa and everyone associated with special education in the Cumberland School Department. Every 5 years the Rhode Island Department of Education does a support visit. RIDE representatives do an audit of files to ensure that all Federal and State indicators are being met. It is very unusual for RIDE not to find irregularities in the files. Amazingly, Cumberland has 0 findings. This is a true testament to the outstanding work of everyone associated with special education in the Cumberland School Department. Thank you all for your good work.
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The updated COVID-19 spreadsheet is provided for your review.
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As a reminder, Rhode Island PBS is excited to announce that Cumberland was selected to be featured in the next episode of the popular local series – Our Town! The Cumberland episode will premiere in September of 2021. I have been asked to invite Cumberland families and friends to a virtual informational meeting with PBS at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 31st. If you are interested in learning more, please use this registration link to attend the meeting on the 31st.
We are slowly but surely getting back to normal. I am pleased that all students in grades K-12 will be in for at least 4 days beginning April 6th. By all accounts, students are very happy to be back in school for more in-person learning. Our next hurdle will be RICAS, SAT, and PSAT planning.
As always, thank you for your patience and understanding as we work our way back to a more normal routine. Have a good weekend.
Sincerely,
Robert A. Mitchell
Superintendent of Schools… Read More...
