2020 - September

Sept 29, 2020, 11:00 AM

Dear Milford Families:

Today, September 29th, we were informed of a confirmed case of COVID-19 at the Heron Pond School. We have no evidence at this time that the infection occurred at school. More information is being gathered, therefore we will complete the school day today. However, at this time we do know that there has been limited contact with adults, and no known contact with students.

Per our reopening plan, on Page 28, tomorrow will be a remote day at Heron Pond. Staff and students will not be allowed to enter the building on the remote day. Because this is a Wednesday, the AM cohort will have live remote learning. The PM cohort will proceed with assignments remotely as they would routinely on their off Wednesday. During this time, a deep clean of the building will occur.

We are consulting with local officials and will decide in the next 24 hours on the reopening of the Heron Pond School. You will receive that information from the building Principal.

NH DHHS and our Local Health Officials have requested we provide contact information for anyone who has been identified as having had close contact (within 6 feet for longer than 10 minutes) with the infected person. Our School-Based Administration is in contact with them now. NH DHHS will contact these individuals and will instruct them on how to self-quarantine at home. Those families and staff will be directed to get tested and keep themselves quarantined until 14 days following their last possible exposure.

If you or your child are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, such as a fever, chills, respiratory illness, aches or change in taste and smell, please stay home and away from others and get a COVID-19 PCR test. If your child is experiencing symptoms, you should alert their provider that they were possibly exposed to a positive COVID case before going into the practice. You may also choose to seek out testing from your healthcare provider or at one of the testing sites located throughout the state https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/dphs/cdcs/covid19/documents/covid-testing-options.pdf If you choose either of those options, you should bring this letter with you.

Please note that if you or your child are currently quarantined, you must complete quarantine, even if your test is negative. This is because the maximum amount of time from being exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19 and testing positive is 14 days. Therefore, even if your child tests negative today, they would need to quarantine until they reach the 14th day following exposure.

The safety of our children, employees and visitors is our top priority. To ensure your health and safety, we have been following CDC guidelines for cleaning and disinfecting for our high-traffic areas and frequently touched surfaces. Our custodial staff conducted an additional level of disinfection/cleaning over the weekend to the entire school.

Because COVID-19 is most commonly spread through respiratory droplets, we should all take the following precautions to prevent the spread of the disease:

Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available.
Avoid close contact with others. When outside your home, keep a distance of at least 6 feet between yourself and others. This is known as social distancing.
Wear a cloth face covering that covers your mouth and nose to protect others when in public areas.
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, then throw the tissue in the trash and wash your hands.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
Stay home if you have a fever or are not feeling well.
Please click HERE for information related to how our schools and district respond to positive cases of COVID.
Children may worry about themselves, their family and friends getting sick with COVID-19. Tips for talking to children about COVID-19 can be found HERE.

To learn more about COVID-19, please check these trusted resources:

New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services: https://www.nh.gov/covid19/index.htm
United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

Sincerely,

Dr. Jessica Huizenga

September 24, 2020

Sept 24, 2020, 1:11 PM

Good afternoon Milford Community:

We are two weeks into the new school year, and I want to thank everyone for such a strong start in very unique circumstances. I’m writing today with some updates, and request for information as we move through our phase-in approach to school re-opening.

September 25th marks the end of Phase 2 of our reopening plan, as outlined on Page 12. The focus of this two-and-a-half-week period was to acclimate the District to the hybrid model (including safety protocols and new in-school routines), launch fully remote learning, focus on relationship building between students and their peers, as well as staff and students, ensure technology was working properly, and introduce our new social and emotional learning curriculum, “Choose Love.” I’ve visited all the schools multiple times during the past couple of weeks and have been so impressed with how students and staff have acclimated to our “new normal.” I really can’t say enough about our administrators, teachers, custodial crews, front office teams, tech team, and support staff, both school based and district wide. They have done an incredible job!

Sept. 28th moves us into Phase 3 of our reopening plan. During the month of October, we will be conducting remote and in-person assessments using NWEA and the state required NHSAS testing which will be used to identify learning skill gaps and to determine differentiated learning paths for students. Students will also move more deeply into grade-level content/curriculum.

We have had a successful start to a modified Athletic season. I want to thank our Athletic Directors - Mr. Marc Maurais and Don Gutterson, and all the fall season coaches for their hard work. Two months ago we questioned whether or not we would even have a Fall Season, and here we are.

We have been incredibly fortunate in Milford regarding our Covid-Cases, which as of today is at 2, and countywide we have been steadily trending down. In speaking with Captain Smedick this morning, he confirmed this as very positive. This is a testament to the Milford community continuing to adhere to safety protocols, and supporting one another. As you can imagine, recommendations and guidance continue to change and evolve. Therefore, our fantastic nursing team has put together a document for families to provide some clarification and answers about what to do if your student has been sent home from school or excluded from school because of travel, symptoms of COVID-19, or exposure to COVID-19. The guidelines that follow are based on recommendations from the NH Department of Health and Human Services, the Center for Disease Control, and the NH School Nurses Association. Please click on the link below.

https://4.files.edl.io/607b/09/24/20/154108-ae7268c4-8e50-4dd5-9d34-c6dae61d9b85.pdf

This week, thanks to our nurses partnering with Rite-Aid, we held a flu clinic for staff, and will hold another next Wednesday Sept. 30th to receive their flu shots. With the circumstances we are in, along with the upcoming cold weather, we are strongly recommending all students receive their flu shots this year.

Finally, as we move into October, we are scheduled to reassess our school model on Oct. 19th. To assist us, we have put together a questionnaire to complete to provide us with a sense of how families are feeling at this time in regards to starting the process of moving towards a full-return. I want to be clear that a full return to normal operations will not be possible until social distancing parameters are lifted at the state level. However, returning more fully is a process with many implications that the Administrative team will need time to address, and planning will need to begin now. Please see the below link and complete one for each child you have in the Milford School District.

https://forms.gle/AGcRfMJhGkdQ7Tdc7

Thank you for your continued patience, understanding, flexibility, and support during these unprecedented times. It means a great deal to all of us here in the Milford School District. We are fortunate to have such a dedicated faculty, staff, and administration whose tremendous teamwork has made for such a successful start of school. Have a wonderful weekend.

Sincerely,

Dr. Jessica Huizenga

September 11, 2020

Sept 11, 2020, 12:54 PM

Dear Milford Community:

The 20-21 School Year has finally come! It has been so wonderful to visit each of the schools and see classrooms and hallways again filled with Teachers, Staff, and Students. The smiles on our students’ faces, even behind their masks were evident. They were clearly as excited to be back in school as we are to have them. It was also pretty amazing to walk into classrooms and watch teachers teaching to an entirely remote classroom, or to see a classroom of students with a teacher live-streaming from home to the class. Mrs. Michaud and I were able to visit those remote classrooms as well and wave to all our students learning remotely from home. I never could have imagined this even a year ago. I want to thank everyone, for all their efforts, patience with glitches, flexibility, and hard work. It has truly been a team effort.

I have included some important information for you in this email. I’m sure everyone is carefully watching other Districts throughout New Hampshire that have been impacted by COVID-19, and their responses. The safety and health of our students and staff will always be our number one priority. First, as I shared with staff last week, the state of New Hampshire has now put out their own recommended metric for determining School District Models during this pandemic. We will be following this new metric. As of this morning, in my conversation with the Chief, there is currently 1 active case of Covid-19 in Milford. Currently in Hillsborough County we are well within the minimal "green" level of community transmission as outlined in the guidance. What this means is that we could technically return at full capacity. Decisions on the shifting in models will be made collaboratively with the Chief and Captain, both of whom I am in daily contact with.

Additionally, here are links that provide information from Public Health Services that is updated daily, and followed closely by our local health officials.

https://www.nh.gov/covid19/dashboard/schools.htm#dash

https://covidactnow.org/us/nh/county/hillsborough_county/?s=1001208

In conversations with our local health officials, we are strongly recommending all students and staff take the time to get their flu shots this year.

In the event we need to close, please read the following process so you know what to expect.

District-wide FLEXIBLE SCHEDULE for transitioning between models (if necessary).

In the event that our school district moves from our current situation to a fully remote model, please refer to the table below for student specific instructions regarding the shift between models.

District, School or Classroom COVID case: “Next Day Remote” Notice - In the event that a positive COVID case occurs, the Superintendent of Schools and/or Building Principal will notify the class, school, and/or district-wide community that the following day will be a “REMOTE ONLY DAY”. Students will follow instructions as shown on the table below for their next school day. This would only occur should there be a Covid-19 case in our schools, and we would follow the District Re-opening Plan Protocol as outlined on Page. 28.

District shift to Remote - 3 day Notice & Transition: If the situation arises due to data provided by the State of New Hampshire that we need to move the District to a fully remote model, we will provide families 3-days notice. This is to provide students, families, and staff lead time to move to a fully remote model. During those three days, students and staff may continue in their current model, unless otherwise deemed unsafe to do so. For example, if that decision falls on a Monday, schools would move to fully remote on Friday. If that decision was made on a Tuesday, schools would move to fully remote on the following Monday.

*** In the event that our school district moves from our current situation to a fully remote model, please refer to the table below for student specific instructions regarding the shift between models.

Student's Graph - (Download PDF file)

Food Service
As we start the new school year with so many different scenarios. We will continue to make sure student s have access to meals. All Breakfast meals will be on a pick up basis along with Lunch meals for both at home days and total remote students. These meals will be available for pick-up every Friday between 2:30-3:30 pm at the High School starting Friday September 9^th.

There is a form on the District Web page that I recommend every family fills out in order to make sure we have the correct information regarding your children’s schedules. There have been some major changes through the USDA that are happening at the moment. I am sure some of you are aware of these updates. Until we have complete clarification from the USDA on what the next step is regarding serving meals to all students we will move forward as is.

The menus should be posted sometime today for all schools. For the month of September all meals both in school and remote will be cold meal options.

If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to our Food Service Director, Maryanne Gallagher - Maryanne.gallagher@milfordk12.org

Share: SHARE Outreach is available for financial assistance with basic needs such as housing, utilities, and food, as well as things to support students including technology and paying for internet service.

Please reach out to them at 603-673- 9898, [email protected] or message through SHARE’s Facebook page, SHARE Outreach Inc.

We are fortunate to have such a dedicated faculty, staff and administration whose tremendous teamwork led to such a successful start of school in these challenging times. Your kindness and support means a great deal to everyone in the Milford School District. Please stay safe and have a wonderful weekend.

Sincerely,

Dr. Jessica Huizenga

September 1, 2020

Sept 1, 2020, 3:16 PM

Dear Milford Community:

It’s hard to believe we are one week away from the opening of the 20-21 School Year. Our Teachers, Staff, and Administrators have been hard at work preparing for a great start under incredible circumstances. Despite the challenges, so much has been accomplished, and it is a testament to the dedication and talent we have here in Milford.

Our building Principals have been offering parent forums and information sessions over the past week or so. I hope these have been helpful and informative. Due to the ever changing conditions, we will continue to update everyone and provide information to ensure a strong start to the school year, regardless of the model your child is in.

I have some important updates for everyone:

Wednesday, Sept. 9th, first day for students in Grades 1-9:

JMS/HP (Gr. 1-5): AM and PM on-campus sessions

JMS- AM 8:25 to 10:50 JMS- PM 12:15 to 2:45

HP- AM 8:30 to 11:10 HP- PM 12:30 to 3:00

MMS: ALL remote day - Welcome Back, Introductions, & Expectations

Middle School hours- 7:30 to 2:10

MHS: Freshman Only - On-campus

MHS hours:

Bus arrivals- 7:00 to 7:20

Drivers/walkers/parent drop off – 7:25 to 7:40

Tardy Bell – 7:45

Staggered dismissal by desk numbers- 2:12

Thursday, Sept. 10th, first day for students in Grades Preschool, Kindergarten, Gr. 10-12.

Bussing: Bus lists for the elementary schools will be posted on the District website on September 2nd in the “News and Announcements” section. Middle School and High School bus routes will be posted as soon as we receive them from the bus company.

Athletics: Beginning September 8th, the Milford School District will allow NHIAA approved sports to be played. In order to offer our varsity athletes a competitive season while balancing team and school safety, a small league of southern schools has created a joint plan. The Southern Cluster of schools includes: Campbell, Hollis-Brookline, Milford, Pelham, Sanborn, and Souhegan.

Varsity level competitions will occur with a revised local game schedule utilizing strategies to reduce potential risks to participants and communities. The recommendations and directives of the NHIAA, CDC, and the NH DHHS were carefully followed throughout the development of this regional plan.

Sub-Varsity level teams will be allowed to practice, train, and compete intra-squad through October 1st. At that time, the Southern Cluster of schools will consider adding inter-scholastic sub-Varsity competitions into the plan.

Coaches will reach out to their athletes to coordinate their return to play. Many teams have been already conditioning; other teams will begin now that they have been cleared to move forward and prepare for a season.

We have not made any decision regarding Middle School Athletics as of today.

Flu Season: We are anticipating a very busy flu season, and in discussion with local health officials we are strongly recommending that families consider flu shots for all students this year.

Updates to our Safety Protocols: We have updated our flowchart in our reopening plan to reflect recent changes by the DHHS (Please see attached). We currently have that if a student is sent home and not tested they must be out 14 days. The state now has a 10/1 rule. If not tested, a person must be out 10 days of isolation AND at least 24 hours/1 day symptom free before return. Additionally, according to DHHS a student cannot be "cleared by a doctor.” Per the state, only a negative COVID-19 test can clear a person from COVID. With COVID symptoms being mild and at times absent, a doctor is unable to look at someone and deem them negative. We have been instructed to not accept MD notes to break isolation. Any health care practitioner who would consider writing a note to clear someone would be held liable.

Student Attestation: Prior to the start of school, all students will need to have attestation forms completed. Please fill out one form for each one of your children.

Please click on the following link to complete the form no later than Sept. 8th.

https://forms.gle/PFqCGtMQWgs5vCKN8

Testing: In the event of a suspected case of Covid-19 the following links provide information for parents on testing options and current places to get tested readily available to staff and families:

https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/dphs/cdcs/covid19/documents/covid-testing-options.pdf

https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/dphs/cdcs/covid19/documents/covid-testing-sites.pdf

Travel Guidelines for Students and Staff: If a staff member or student travels outside of New England for vacation purposes, do they need to self-quarantine for 14 days upon their return to New Hampshire?

Yes. The recommendation from the NH DHHS General and Employee Travel Guidance is that those who have traveled outside of New England need to self-quarantine and self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms for 14 days upon their return to New Hampshire.

If a staff member or student has someone staying at their home who is required to self-quarantine (e.g., due to travel), does the staff member or student also need to quarantine for 14 days?

No. There is no recommendation that people who are close or household contacts of people who are quarantining need to themselves quarantine.

Confirmed Case Protocol for COVID-19: In the situation of a confirmed case of COVID-19 by a District employee or student who has been within the building during the suspected time of their infection, the Superintendent of Schools, or the school Principal will notify parents at the end of the day that there is a confirmed case at one of the school buildings. Due to HIPPA and FERPA, the name of the individual will not be released. The following school day will be a remote learning day for the school building in which there is a confirmed case. The Superintendent will discuss the situation with the appropriate officials such as the local health officials, DHHS and DOE. Staff and students will not be allowed to enter the building on the remote learning day. Upon notification of a confirmed case the MSD will consult immediately with officials and depending upon unique circumstances a prompt decision will be made to close/quarantine either: the classroom, school and/or District.

Technology update for start of school: We are planning to assign Chromebooks to students that are fully on campus to avoid sharing devices during the day. Students will be allowed to take the assigned device home as available. We are still awaiting the final chromebook shipment. We understand that when devices leave the buildings they are more susceptible to damage. Each Chromebook costs $200 and students will be responsible for any damage that occurs to the devices. To help protect families from unexpected costs due to damages we have arranged to have insurance available.

The insurance will cost $15 per device for the year (9/9/2020 - 9/9/2021) and will cover the following damage:

Accidental Damage (drops and spills)
Cracked Screens
Liquid Submersion
Fire, Flood and Natural Disaster
Power Surge by Lightning

The following is not covered:

Theft and Vandalism
Manufacture Defects & Mechanical Failure
Theft From Unlocked/Unattended Vehicle
Standard Wear and Tear
Cosmetic Damage

The last day to purchase this insurance is October 9, 2020. The insurance will not be available after the deadline. We will reopen the insurance offer if needed for additional Chromebooks. Please click on the following link:

https://gpo.worthavegroup.com/gpo/milfordsd

This link will also be available on the district website.

Preparing for the start of the 20-21 School Year has been unlike any other. The daily changes, updates, needs, logistics to consider, and problem solving necessary could only have been accomplished through incredible TEAMWORK! I want to take a moment to Thank the entire Administrative Team, as well as all the support staff that have carried us to this point. We are on the last leg of Phase 1. It’s been a joy to see our staff return, and fill our buildings. All of us at the SAU have been impressed with the creativity happening to make this new normal for students as engaging and positive as possible. The only thing that will top this is welcoming back our students next week! Thank you for the continued support, understanding, and flexibility as we navigate these unchartered times together.

Best Regards,

Dr. Jessica Huizenga

File attachment:
Updated Flow Chart 9-1-20.pdf