Weekly Message from ENSATS 11/13/2020

Good Evening Caregivers & Students:

We have reached the end of Quarter 1. The last day of the quarter is on Wednesday, November 18th and Quarter 2 will begin on Thursday, November 19th. Please note that with the new quarter the days that each grade is on campus will change. Beginning on Thursday, November 19th, Grades 9 and 12 will be on campus for live classes on Monday and Thursday. Sophomores and Juniors will be on campus three days a week, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. Given that this change occurs midweek, the schedule for on-campus and remote classes will be altered on Thursday, resulting in three on-campus days in a row for Grade 9 and 12 students. For your convenience, here is a link to the Calendar page of our website: https://essexnorthshore.org/calendar/

Please review the schedule below carefully to be sure that your child attends school on the correct days next week.

Here is a quick preview of the schedule for this coming week.

Monday, November 16	Day 4: Blue	On-Campus: Grade 11 Academics & Grade 10 CTE Remote: Grade 9 Academics & Grade 12 CTE
Tuesday, November 17	Day 5: Blue	On-Campus: Grade 9 Academics & Grade 12 CTE Remote: Grade 11 Academics & Grade 10 CTE
Wednesday, November 18 Last Day of Quarter 1	Day 6: Green	On-Campus: Grade 9 CTE & Grade 12 Academics Remote: Grade 11 CTE & Grade 10 Academics
Thursday, November 19 First Day of Quarter 2	Day 7: Green	On-Campus: Grade 9 CTE & Grade 12 Academics Remote: Grade 11 CTE & Grade 10 Academics
Friday, November 20	Day 8: Green	On-Campus: Grade 11 CTE & Grade 10 Academics Remote: Grade 9 CTE & Grade 12 Academics

New Information

Quarter 1 Caregiver Feedback Survey

We are conducting a brief survey to get your feedback on the Hybrid model and homework. Your input will help us to reflect on the first quarter of Hybrid learning, and make any necessary adjustments to our plan. In addition, we would like to determine how long students are working on homework each day. This will help us identify the right balance of work to support the teaching and learning that occurs during the day.

Mask Break Changes

Now that we have been in school for some time and students and staff have become more accustomed to wearing their masks, we are planning to decrease the number of mask breaks each day. Beginning on Thursday, November 19th, the first day of Quarter 2, we will have two mask breaks each day in addition to lunch, for a total of three mask breaks per day. Academic, Career Enrichment and Health classes will have a mask break during Blocks B and D. CTE programs will take two breaks per day; one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Two mask breaks in addition to lunch are consistent if not more than the mask breaks that are occurring at other area high schools. Decreasing mask breaks will allow us to increase our live learning time during on-campus days.

Spirit Week

Over the next two weeks, we will be celebrating Spirit Week. We will have activities every day beginning November 18th. Each class has been assigned a date to wear their class colors. The more students that wear class colors, the more Spirit Points you will earn. More details will be provided regarding other activities next week, and every activity will be worth points for your class to earn the coveted Hawk Cup!!! In the meantime, get your best Essex Tech spirit outfit ready to show your true colors.

Class of 2024 – Tie Dye/All 3 colors on Tuesday, November 17th, 2020
Class of 2023 – Green on Wednesday, November 20th, 2020
Class of 2022 – Blue on Wednesday, November 25th, 2020
Class of 2021 – White on Tuesday, November 18th, 2020

SkillsUSA Announcement

Are you empowered to succeed? SkillsUSA will help your student(s) become world-class workers, leaders, and responsible American citizens. SkillsUSA is a co-curricular national student organization like FFA and DECA. All students of vocational programs are members of this organization. For additional information, please watch this SkillsUSA Message to Parents. Students are encouraged to check out our SkillsUSA Schoology page, a video from Mike Rowe – What is SkillsUSA?, and a video about Membership Benefits. All are welcome to join!

Holiday Travel Information from the Nurses Office

We have been getting many inquiries from families regarding their holiday travel plans and return to school protocols. We would encourage families to follow the Massachusetts Travel Guidelines at https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-travel-order and refer to your Local Board of Health for any clarifications when making travel plans. These questions are difficult for us to answer with COVID rates and restrictions changing regularly and specific to where you are traveling. Please keep in mind that Governor Baker is discouraging unnecessary travel and large gatherings this holiday season. If you do decide to travel outside of the low-risk states (refer to updated guidance on the above link for the status of states as changes frequently), know that per these guidelines upon return you must obtain a PCR COVID test and remain quarantined in your home until you receive the results. While we want everyone at ENSATs to enjoy the holiday season, especially as we end such a challenging year, we ask you to be safe and thoughtful in your planning. Some additional recommendations and tips from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) on celebrating the holidays safely can be found here. https://www.mass.gov/news/thanksgiving-during-covid-19

Prior Updates

The Larkin Gala

Our Annual Larkin Gala to support the Larkin Cottage Building Project will be held virtually on December 4th! Find information here about Catherine Larkin. The event will feature Keynote Speaker, Senator Joan Lovely. We are in need of Silent Auction items. Please contact Bonnie Carr at larkindonations@essextech.net if you would like to donate to the auction.

Open House

Our Annual Open House will be held virtually this year! We encourage all families to tune in on Saturday, November 21, 2020, at 9:00 am. Once live, you can watch at any time. You just may see one of your kids.

Sincerely,

HTR SBD TGO

Veterans Day

In 2019, we began a new tradition of raising the POW/MIA flag in honor of our fallen heroes, those serving our country, and all our veterans, including those on staff at ENSATS! The staff shown are all veterans of the various branches. We thank all those caregivers who are veterans for their service to our country. The POW/MIA flag will be flown through the Thanksgiving holiday

Flags

flag rasing Our Vets

The Larkin Project

Weekly Message from ENSATS 11/13/2020