Good Evening Caregivers & Students,
Over the next two weeks, we are very excited to take our next step in our school reopening process with our full staff returning to school for ten days of professional development as we prepare for your students to begin our Hybrid Learning Model on Wednesday, September 16th.
We understand that for some students that their transition back to school will take some time to get adjusted and to feel safe again. Most importantly, students can make new connections with their teachers as they transition between being their on-campus day and remote learning the following day.
Please know, we are here to support your students in the important work of creating a culture of academic and technical excellence for them through relationship building, high-quality instruction, and purposeful engagement in our new hybrid environment.
Schedules
Grade 10-12 student schedules will be available through Aspen on Tuesday, September 15th. Grade 9 students will receive their schedules at New Student Orientation on September 15th. Given the complexity of scheduling students throughout the school while following 6-ft social distancing guidelines, we will not be making changes to student schedules until October.
Driver’s Education
We have received several requests for information about Driver’s Education. Tanner City will be holding their classes online this fall with several options for classes. The information has been posted to our website, please use the following link to review the information: Drivers Ed Info
Virtual Learning Plan
We emailed our Virtual Learning Plan on Tuesday, August 25th which outlines the option for students who are not able to attend school with our hybrid plan. As we continue to refine the plan to provide the best possible educational experience for those that cannot attend in-person, students will be allowed to attend CTE classes virtually during the remote day of the Hybrid Learning Model for their CTE program. On the days that CTE students are on-campus, Virtual Learning students will work on common strands related to their program through the Edgenuity Learning platform, approved by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education as a Commonwealth virtual education provider. We believe this modification will enhance the technical and agricultural programs.
New Parent/Caregiver Orientation
Thank you to those families that attended our Caregiver Zoom Presentation on Tuesday, August 25th for new students. We appreciate your thoughtful questions and feedback. If you missed the meeting and would like to view the recording, it is available on our Youtube channel or by clicking this link: New Parent/Caregiver Orientation Recording
If by chance we did not get to your specific question or you were unable to attend the meeting, here are some Essex North Shore administrators to contact should you have any further questions:
- Scheduling
- Sandy Goldstein, Director of Guidance sgoldstein@essextech.net ext. 3110
- Special Education
- Sue Stevens, Director of Special Education sstevens@essextech.net ext. 1110
- Technology
- Joseph Marino, Director of Technology jmarino@essextech.net ext.1504
- Transportation
- Kathy Russo, Director of Transportation krusso@essextech.net ext. 7401
Updated Calendar
We have adjusted the school calendar for the 20-21 school year. This change reflects the 10 teacher professional development days at the start of the year as required this year by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Given this, our first day of school for students will be Wednesday, September 16, 2020.
Calendars for Hybrid Learning
In order to make it easier for families to know when their child is scheduled for remote learning and when they are scheduled for on-campus learning we have created grade level calendars to help identify each day. Please note that the regular school calendar, posted above, will still contain important information and should still be used as a resource.
Freshman & New Student Orientation
We are excited to welcome our new students to the Essex Tech family! On Tuesday, September 15, 2020, all new students will come in person to school for a formal orientation! An email about orientation was sent on Monday, August 24, 2020. If you have specific questions regarding New Student Orientation please email Ms. Jennifer Skane at jskane@essextech.net.
Athletics Update
We have been working with our Athletic Director, Ms. Lalli to review new guidance released by the MIAA and hope to share a decision about Fall athletics with you next week. Thank you for your patience.
Driver’s Education
We have received several requests for information about Driver’s Education. Tanner City will be holding their classes online this fall with several options for classes. The information has been posted to our website, please use the following link to review the information: Drivers Ed Info.
Work Permit
As many students are preparing to enter the world of work, we would like to provide you with the link for a work permit. This is handled through our Guidance Department and Ms. Larivee. https://essexnorthshore.org/
Sincerely,
Heidi T. Riccio, Ed.D., Superintendent-Director
Shannon Donnelly, M.A.T., Principal
Thomas O’Toole, Ed.D., Assistant Superintendent
