July 10, 2020

Dear Families and Colleagues,

I hope this message finds you well and enjoying the summer.

We are in the process of developing our school reopening plan with our District Response Steering Committee. The Committee – comprised of district and school leadership, parent representatives, a Board of Education representative, union representation, the Supervisor of Nursing and the Madison Town Health Director – is currently meeting regularly. Our plan will be sent to the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) on July 24 and it will be shared with you after submission.

Thank you to the parents and staff who have sent questions to our email box MPSreopening@madison.k12.ct.us. Please continue to send questions. We will be creating a link on our website soon of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s) related to school reopening. We will notify you once the link is live.

Surveys
Thank you to parents who were able to complete the survey we sent in June. The survey showed K-12 on-site instruction is the most parent-preferred model for school this fall. The results identified a series of key priorities including having safety procedures in place, streamlined communication and attending to the social-emotional health of our students. Parents also provided helpful feedback on transportation and Distance Learning.

We plan to survey parents again at the end of July to obtain up-to-date information about the number of students who will be returning to our classrooms. All staff will be receiving a brief survey shortly about returning to work. We encourage everyone to respond to surveys as quickly as possible so we can adequately plan for a safe, smooth, and successful reopening.

CT Learning Hub

The Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) has created the CT Learning Hub. It is a resource for families to access curriculum and activities for their student.

Health Assessment and Immunization Requirements
As we prepare for our return to school, we want to remind parents of health assessment and immunization requirements. Please take a moment to review those requirements.

Very truly yours,

JeanAnn C. Paddyfote, Ph.D.

Interim Superintendent of Schools