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.
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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.
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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...
March 19, 2021
Dear Students, Staff, and Families,
I hope everyone is doing well and that the news of the increasing number of individuals being vaccinated is bringing some needed comfort during what has been a trying time to all of us. In fact, all of Cumberland’s school employees will have a second opportunity for their first vaccination this afternoon. The second vaccination is scheduled for early April.
Listed below are a number of items for your review:
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I am pleased to report that grades K through 9 and grade 12 are in-person learning for 4 days per week. It is clear that students and staff are happy to be closer to a more normal schedule. The high school is planning for the return of grades 10 and 11. The goal is to get them in as soon as possible.
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Laura Canavan and Dennis Mendes for the Education Operations Center (EDOC) visited McCourt, NCMS, and the high school on Thursday to assess how those schools are responding to having all students in for 4 days for the first time in a year. They were pleased with all of the safety measures that have been put in place at all of the schools. I often think that parents would be pleased if they were able to see how much planning has taken place to keep students and staff safe.
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As mentioned in previous communications, the biggest challenge for schools has been traffic flow at the beginning and end of the school day. The police have been very helpful in addressing this concern. One of the more challenging areas is the flow of traffic onto Nate Whipple Highway from NCMS. I am pleased to report that there has been an ongoing collaboration between Principal Beth Coughlin, the Cumberland Police Department, especially Captain Iozzi, Mayor Mutter, and the residents of Staples Rd., that has led to a mutually beneficial safety plan for the school. Thank you to everyone involved in this process.
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We have learned that the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE), EDOC, and the Department of Health are working to increase the number of students allowed to ride the bus. The goal is to increase ridership capacity to at least 65%. We will be sure to let you know if any changes are made to the number of students allowed to ride our buses.
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As you know, 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 exemptions. Per RIDE, there are no opt-outs. Please know that we have a responsibility to carry out this directive. As a result, all students, including students who are distance learning, will be required to come to school and take this assessment. Plans are being developed and more information will be forthcoming.
-
The updated COVID-19 spreadsheet is provided for your review.
-
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 March 31st. If you are interested in learning more, please use this registration link to attend the meeting on the 31st.
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Also, Sodexo Food Service is hiring part-time positions for 4 or 6 hours per day – school hours, no weekends or holidays. No experience is required; we will train you!
Please visit the website https://us.sodexo.com/careers and search Cumberland, RI.
We are slowly but surely getting back to some sense of normalcy, We need to keep our guard up and stay vigilant with our mitigation measures. We are focused on getting our 10th and 11th graders in now. 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...
March 12, 2021
Dear Students, Staff, and Families,
I hope everyone is doing well. We are encouraged by the opportunity to get all school staff vaccinated. All school department staff will have an opportunity to have both vaccinations by the beginning of April. I believe there is comfort in knowing that the number of individuals being vaccinated is increasing on a daily basis. That being said, we know that we need to remain vigilant in our mitigation effort.
Listed below are a number of items for your review.
- Grades 3, 4, and 5 returned to school for 4 days of in-person learning this week. The transition went very well. All of the elementary schools are now full in-person for 4 days a week. The biggest challenge has been coordinating traffic flow at the beginning and end of every school day. The elementary school principals are reporting that traffic flow is getting better each day.
- Grade 12 returned to 4 days of in-person learning on March 9th as well. By all accounts, that has gone very well.
- Grades 6, 7, 8, and grade 9 will return to 4 days of in-person learning on Tuesday, March 16th. The high school administration is developing plans for the return of grades 10 and 11. Cumberland School Department In-Person Return to School Presentation
- As I mentioned in prior communications, there may be some minor changes to the pickup and drop off times for students riding the buses. We have been assured that there will not be a significant change. However, we wanted to make parents and students aware of this possibility. We will post the changes on the district website when we receive the schedule from the bus company.
- Cumberland’s Reopening of School Task Force agreed to reduce the number of quarantine days from 14 to 10 for students who have traveled to states with a high positivity rate and those students and staff who are quarantined as a close contact. A negative test is not required for the 10 day return if the student or staff member is asymptomatic during the quarantine period. We will reassess this decision at our next Task Force meeting and consider reducing the quarantine time with a negative COVID test.
- The updated COVID-19 spreadsheet is provided for your review.
- 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 March 31st. If you are interested in learning more, please use this registration link to attend the meeting on the 31st.
- Sodexo Food Service is hiring part-time positions for 4 or 6 hours per day – school hours, no weekends or holidays. No experience is required; we will train you! Please visit the website https://us.sodexo.com/careers and search Cumberland, RI.
We are hearing that students are excited to be back to full in-person learning. As we transition the middle schools and grade 9 to 4 days of in-person learning, we will once again utilize the support of EDOC to assess our transition to having more students in the middle schools and the high school.
Sincerely,
Robert A. Mitchell
Superintendent of Schools… Read More...
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