12 • COMMUNITY ADVOCATE • Friday, April 23, 2021
COMMUNITY SCHOOLS Melican Middle School prepares for full reopening on April 26 By Liz Nolan Contributing Writer
PUP
Profile
Mac and his best friend, Largo
Meet “MAC”
PHOTO/DAKOTA ANTELMAN
NORTHBOROUGH - Robert E. Melican Middle School Principal Michelle Karb has been working with her team to prepare the school and students to head back to full-time, in-person learning to begin on Monday, April 26. Algonquin Regional High School will also start this model on the same day. Karb said during the Northborough School Committee on April 7 that she is excited that 31 students who have been on the full remote program are ready to return to the new model, leaving only 84 students in the remote program for the remainder of the year. Student schedule changes were able to be minimized. “Our biggest goal was to disrupt as few students as we possibly could,” she said. Karb said teachers and teams
Robert E Melican Middle School stands ready for students to return from months of remote and hybrid learning.
have been busy preparing for how to support returning students. “Some students are actually doing well this year because we are in a hybrid model,” said Karb. “They really like the smaller class sizes; they really like working from home a couple of days a week. We are trying to think about how we support those students where this [change] may be a struggle for them.” While recognizing that transition plans are important for some students in all grades,
Karb said a special orientation will be held for sixth-grade students who have not stepped inside the building yet this year.
In addition, she also said that students’ stamina will need to slowly be built up again as they shift to the new model. The initial plan is to have a slow roll in and not have homework assigned initially, for example. Facility and space changes made to accommodate student return New desks and dining tables have been ordered to help with social distancing. Outdoor learning spaces will be utilized, accommodating classes such as
chorus rehearsals. “We continue to be transparent on what we are doing,” said Karb. “I am confident that we will be [ready] by the time the kids return.” More student and interscholastic sports will be welcomed back after the April vacation break, bringing more feelings of normalcy again. “It’s always impressive how many logistics are involved with running a building this year,” said Northborough School Committee Chair Keith Lebel.
Northborough Southborough schools encourage students to pool test By Liz Nolan Contributing Writer NORTHBOROUGH/SOUTHBOROUGH - The Public Schools of Northborough Southborough has seen an overall 51 percent student participation in its COVID pool testing pro-
gram. This falls short of the district’s goal to have 80 percent participation. Although in-school transmission has been rare, there is a push for higher student participation in the weekly school pool testing. Grades 6-12 move forward with full in-person learning starting on Monday, April 26. Elementary schools already went back on March 22. During the Northborough School Committee meeting on April 7, Director of Wellness Mary Ellen Duggan said participation had been trending upward each week before the long holiday weekend. Simultaneously, state COVID-19 case numbers as reported to the Department of Public Health have jumped for ages under 19. Duggan acknowledged the uptick in numbers. “The Medical Advisory Team is meeting every week
to look at all those numbers and keep an eye on all of the metrics to make sure it is still staying safe,” she said. She said that the next steps are to look at possibly incentivizing participation with raffles. She is also looking at students who signed up for the screening but have not yet participated. A survey seeking feedback from all families is also being created. The results will capture information as to why families are participating or not. Screening will continue over the April vacation week, as it is mandated for all athletes and students participating in in-person extracurricular activities. Northborough leaders present COVID-19 experiences on national stage As work continues, Superintendent Greg Martineau Northborough | 13
Accidents Happen And Our Team is Ready to Help! Dottie Jean’s Pet Resort & Daycare Center 85 Chestnut St., Shrewsbury
508-944-8741 dottiejeanspetresort@gmail.com
OVERNIGHT BOARDING
Prompt Pickup (Towing Available) Professional Staff Work Directly With Insurance Certified Technicians Rental Service Send Us Your EST : Precisionautobody@live.com
Call 508.481.5979 492 South Street (off Rt. 85), Marlboro fax 508-481-9164 C O M P L E T E C O L L I S I O N R E PA I R | P r e c i s i o n A u t o S p e c i a l t i e s . c o m
Over
40
