Westport Superintendent: “The energy in our halls and classrooms is palpable”
Superintendent Thomas Scarice: Good afternoon,
I truly hope that each of you have taken time this summer to unwind, unplug, and connect with family, friends and loved ones. The calendar says “August”, and within days we will be welcoming back over 5,000 students!!
Today, our entire WPS team returned to finish final preparations for the start of the school year. The energy in our halls and classrooms is palpable. It is so refreshing to feel the “new school year energy” again!!!
First Day!!
Our first day of school is Tuesday August 30. If you have not already received information, please expect follow up from your child’s building principal about the schedule for the first day and beyond. Your child’s building principal is the best source of information at the school level.
Healthy Use of Technology
This is the first school opening since 2019 where the pandemic did not play a primary role. The district is fully committed to fostering community in our schools, returning to a more active learning environment, and restoring much of the humanity of our work that was lost over the past couple of years. With a focus on well-being, the district will move to encourage and implement a healthier use of technology.
As we know, technology has become a natural part of our learning environments, and critical to surviving the pandemic. However, the distractions of personal devices have compromised the instructional setting, and the interpersonal relationships in our schools.
Each level (i.e. elementary, middle school, high school), has revisited the research that was conducted just before the pandemic, and developed expectations for smartphones, smartwatches, etc., in order to limit distractions and encourage healthy interpersonal development.
Building principals will communicate this information to parents and students at the start of the year, and again throughout the year. Middle school students will be asked to keep their personal cell devices out of use and off their person once the school day begins, and high school students will be expected to do the same during individual class periods.
Again, further information will be provided by your child’s building principal, particularly related to the specific parameters of your school, the most expeditious manner to contact your child during the day, etc.
We will do our best to limit unnecessary technology use and we ask for your support in these changes. I can assure you that it will not be perfect, but it will be better for our children. Your support will be consequential.
“WheresTheBus” Parent App
With the transportation challenges school districts are facing across the country, we will be implementing a new “app” for parents to help with communication.
“WheresTheBus” is a tool for parents to know when the bus will arrive at your stop with up-to-the-minute ETAs to reduce the uncertainty. The app can be downloaded on any Apple or Android device.
Bus times at the start of the school year tend to settle into a routine by the end of the second or third week. New routes, morning pictures of the “first day”, new drivers, all contribute to this. As a result, the app will go “live” later in the month of September once routes are firmly established.
Again, I am certain that this will not be perfect, but it has the potential to significantly increase the timely flow of information to parents. Stay tuned for more information from the Transportation Department.
Calendar Change - January 2 Holiday
Some families may have vacations planned over the holiday break. In response to a state law regarding the placement of holidays that fall on a weekend, I have asked the Board of Education to modify the school calendar in order to make January 2 a holiday. As a result, one school day will be added to the end of the school year.
Brief Note on Covid-19
Following a strong finish to the 2021-2022 school year, we will begin this year as we ended last year. The goal will be to continue to maximize in-school learning and return to normalcy and pre-pandemic status.
The risk of COVID-19 continues to change for the better with protection from vaccines and growing immunity from prior infections. We will continue to follow guidance from the State Department of Public Health and the CDC on minimizing the effects of respiratory disease in school. Our focus this year will be on promoting vaccinations, monitoring symptoms and utilizing at-home self testing.
We continue to encourage all students, families and staff to stay up to date on vaccinations. Vaccinations are the first and most important defense for preventing respiratory diseases such as COVID-19 and influenza. Everyone 6 months and older can now receive COVID-19 and influenza vaccines. Options are plentiful in our community and can be found at Vaccines.gov - Find COVID‑19 vaccine locations near you
COVID-19 at home self test kits will be available to all families and staff and their use is encouraged. Families may also obtain tests by visiting COVID.gov/tests. A more detailed document with specific information will be available on the District website prior to the start of school.
Other Critical Start of School Information
Please see the attached document for a list of where to find forms and other important back-to-school information for families.
Thank you for your continued support!! We all eagerly await the first day of school!!
Respectfully,
Thomas Scarice
Superintendent of Schools