Weekly Message from ENSATS 12/11/2020

Good Evening Caregivers & Students:

We are beyond excited to have our students back on campus on Monday! Our 9th and 12th graders will be back to school on Monday and we will see the 10th and 11th graders on Tuesday. Our Hybrid model will continue from December 14th – December 23rd. We begin our Holiday Break on Wednesday, December 23rd at 11:02 am. It is our intention to return to school on January 4th and continue with Hybrid learning. We ask that all members of the Essex Tech community do their part beyond the school day to social distance, wear masks, and consider others as we believe that in-person instruction is essential.

For those that celebrate Hanukkah, we wish you a peaceful holiday season!

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

Monday, December 14	Day 4: Blue	On-Campus: Grade 9 Academics & Grade 12 CTE Remote: Grade 11 Academics & Grade 10 CTE
Tuesday, December 15	Day 5: Blue	On-Campus: Grade 11 Academics & Grade 10 CTE Remote: Grade 9 Academics & Grade 12 CTE
Wednesday, December 16 8:45 am Late Start	Day 6: Green	On-Campus: Grade 11 CTE & Grade 10 Academics Remote: Grade 9 CTE & Grade 12 Academics
Thursday, December 17	Day 7: Green	On-Campus: Grade 9 CTE & Grade 12 Academics Remote: Grade 11 CTE & Grade 10 Academics
Friday, December 18	Day 8: Green	On-Campus: Grade 11 CTE & Grade 10 Academics Remote: Grade 9 CTE & Grade 12 Academics

New Information

MCAS Update

We received notification from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education this week that students in Grade 11 (Class of 2022) will not participate in MCAS testing in January & February 2021 as originally planned. Testing for this class in English Language Arts and Mathematics is being postponed until later in the school year. Additionally, Grade 11 students will not be required to take the Biology MCAS and, instead, will need to demonstrate a passing score in Biology I and Biology II to meet the high school science graduation requirement.

Flu Vaccine Clinic

Massachusetts requires students attending Kindergarten-Grade 12 to receive the influenza vaccination. We are happy to offer a free clinic through CVS at school on December 17th and 18th. You must register your child 24 hours prior to your scheduled date. For more information, please review the Flu Vaccine Clinic notice sent home earlier this week.

Picture Retakes

Picture retakes will be held on December 16th for grades 10 & 11 and December 17th for grades 9 & 12. If you have not signed up for a retake opportunity, please do so by December 14, 2020, at 3:00 pm by completing the Picture Retake Registration Form. Students will receive a Smart Pass with their appointment time.

Winter Sports

Winter sports will begin on Monday, December 14th. Please see the Winter Sports Letter from Athletic Director, Ms. Lalli, for more information.

***Hawk Holiday Hope Reminders***

We have rescheduled our Hawk Holiday Hope festivities to take place on Monday, December 14th for Grade 9 & 12 and on Tuesday, December 15th for Grade 10 & 11, when all grades have returned to in-school Hybrid learning. Students will work together during their A-block to wrap gifts and deliver them to the Media Center. Students can also bring gifts when they return to school on December 14th or 15th. As part of the festivities, students are invited to wear their ugliest sweater and compete in our Ugly Sweater Contest. In addition, please be aware that many of our families are experiencing difficulties due to Covid-related job loss and so if you are able to assist with gift card donations for Hawk Family members, please give these to Ms. Kelly at our Main Entrance Reception Desk by December 18th. We ask that they are in 25.00 increments to local retailers such as Walmart and Target.

Freshman Exploratory #4 Extension

As a reminder, due to the fact that Freshman Exploratory #4 took place during the two-week full-remote learning period, we have extended Exploratory #4. This will give our 9th graders the opportunity to have two in-person days in the CTE areas to learn more about the program. Freshman will continue Exploratory #4 on Wednesday, December 16th.

Schedule Change

In order to provide equal time for all grades for in-person academic and CTE classes following the two-week period of full-remote learning, we are going to change Tuesday, December 22nd from a Day 10 to a Day 5. In addition, we are going to have Freshmen and Seniors in school and Sophomores and Juniors learning remotely. This change will give every grade two on-campus days in Academics and two on-campus days for CTE before the holiday vacation. We will be sure to remind everyone in the days leading up to December 22nd about this change.

Activities: Week of December 14, 2020

Please review the following document for information about activities for the Week of December 14, 2020.

Support the Larkin Cottage Live Auction & Ticket Sales

We will be recognizing one member of our extended community as the recipient of the Catherine Larkin Lifetime Achievement Award at the Gala on December 18th! This person is committed to agriculture and the trades in the North Shore area. Tickets for dinner and the Gala are still available! Check out some great items at our auction and support our student-built multi-use facility. Our auction is ready to take bids! Please click on the link for some awesome items made by our students or donated by our community members! SILENT AUCTION tickets are also available for the Gala where Senator Joan Lovely will give the opening remarks. Tickets or sponsorship are available HERE.

Prior Updates

Homework Update

We have been working this year especially to find a solution to help our students who are struggling with homework. While we believe that homework is a valuable enhancement to instruction, we recognize that hours of homework can negatively impact students and increase stress, especially with already extended periods of screen time. This week, we provided additional guidance for our teachers regarding homework assignments. Please review the ENSATS – COVID-Related Pacing and Homework Procedure for specific information about the adjusted pacing of content and homework expectations. Keep in mind that homework time varies by level and does require our students to develop proper study habits. We also ask that your child communicates with the teacher individually to self-advocate. If they need assistance learning how to do this, please have them see their school counselor. Open lines of communication can be extremely helpful.

HTR SBD TJO

Sincerely,

Picture of the Week

Aaron Mace and Kyle Hurley from our Facilities, Farm, and Grounds Department helping us get in the holiday spirit.

The Larkin Project

Weekly Message from ENSATS 12/11/2020