April 1, 2022
Dear Students, Parents and Staff,
Full Day of School – Wednesday, April 13, 2022
Early Release Day – Thursday, April 14, 2022
As a District, we are responsible for hosting the SAT School Day for grade 11 students on a specific date chosen by the Rhode Island Department of Education.
For the 2021-2022 school year, the SAT Testing date is Wednesday, April 13, 2022. Students in grade 10 will be participating in the PSAT while the SAT will be administered to students in the 11th grade.
We have a responsibility to ensure that all students scheduled to participate in the PSAT & SAT have the required amount of time to complete the assessment. As a result, we need to change the schedule on Wednesday, April 13th to a regularly scheduled school day.
All of the grade levels are impacted because the bus runs are coordinated based on the school start and end time at each level (high, middle and elementary). The Durham Bus Company has been informed of the necessary change and will conduct pick up and drop off accordingly.
Therefore, there will be no early release on Wednesday, April 13, 2022.
Thursday, April 14, 2022 will be an early release day.
School Volunteers
I am pleased to announce that the Covid protocols for screening our school volunteers have changed. All volunteers will be asked to provide verbal attestation that they are not having any symptoms of illness when entering the building. Our volunteers play an important role in assisting with programs and special events. We look forward to having our volunteers back in the schools with more consistency.
Free/Reduced Lunch Program
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is allowing school meal programs across the country to continue serving healthy meals through June 30, 2022. The program continues to provide safe, healthy meals free of charge to children as the pandemic continues to threaten the food and nutrition security of our most vulnerable. Unfortunately, this free of charge meal program for all students will no longer be available at the end of this school year.
Families will need to complete an application for the Free/Reduced Lunch Program.
- Free/Reduced Lunch Program – Families are encouraged to complete and submit applications to your child’s school to verify eligibility. Please contact your child’s school if a form is needed.
- The application is also available electronically. Click here to apply online.
We ask for your help now. By applying for the free/reduced lunch program at this time, it will provide the school department with additional state aid for the 2022-23 school year.
Not only are there advantages for families, there are financial implications for the school department. For example, the more families that are eligible for free or reduced lunch results in more state aid coming to the school department. The loss of revenue to the school department could be devastating. As you know, every dollar counts. The free and reduced school lunch program benefits you and your family as well as the school department.
All information collected is confidential and the process that eligible students follow when getting their lunch is the same as students who are not eligible.
If you have questions about the free/reduced lunch program or the application process, please contact Kathleen Scanlon at 401-658-1600 x322.
Covid-19 Testing/Vaccination
If your child is experiencing or develops symptoms of illness, please keep him/her home and have him/her tested. Visit Portal RI to find a testing site and make an appointment. You can also call 844-857-1814 to schedule an appointment. Upcoming vaccination clinics can be found here.
April – Sexual Assault Awareness Month
Please consider supporting this cause –
Hello! My name is Sarah Leduc, I am a 2021 CHS graduate. 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! The Cumberland School Department will be having a dress down day on Friday, April 8.
Thank you so much! -Sarah Leduc GoFundMe Link – https://gofund.me/944c20de
Sincerely,
Philip D. Thornton, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools