Thanksgiving and Holiday Safety Information and Materials from our Parent Advisory Group Meeting on 11/20/20
November 24, 2020
Dear Families,
Happy Thanksgiving week! Today’s memo includes information regarding holiday safety and last week’s Parent Advisory Group Meeting.
1) Holiday Safety:
As we shared previously, there has been a significant increase in COVID-19 cases in Massachusetts, nationwide, and internationally. In Massachusetts, Governor Baker has emphasized that a frequent source of transmission has been gatherings and events with non-household members, and indoor activities present an especially high risk for transmission.
Below are health and safety resources surrounding the holiday periods as well as a reminder regarding Milestones’ purpose and expectation for our proactive pivots to remote instruction after Thanksgiving and the winter holiday vacation.
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Holiday Safety Practices and Resources: Families are encouraged to review health and safety guidance that has been issued by Massachusetts and the CDC regarding the holidays. Guidance includes information about hosting virtual gatherings, risk levels for activities, and general tips for safety when celebrating.
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Massachusetts Holiday Information During COVID-19: https://www.mass.gov/holidays-during-covid-19-in-massachusetts
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Massachusetts Thanksgiving Specific Information During COVID-19: https://www.mass.gov/news/thanksgiving-during-covid-19
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CDC Holiday Celebrations and Small Gatherings: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/holidays.html
Milestones’ Proactive Pivots to Remote Instruction:
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Healthy Practices in and out of school: Since reopening onsite in July, our community has collaborated to practice strong preventive measures including: staying home when ill or when exposed to illness, mask use, social distancing, cohorting to limit exposure, avoiding large groups, strong hand hygiene, avoiding the shared use of materials, and frequent cleaning/disinfection. These same preventative measures are highly effective and recommended outside of school as well. Our proactive pivots to remote instruction are intended to provide an additional level of protection for students, staff, and our respective families, when we resume onsite instruction together.
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Travel Orders: Students and faculty are expected to adhere to Massachusetts Travel Orders. Massachusetts recently updated its Travel Advisory to remove New Hampshire and Maine from the list of lower risk states, and presently only Hawaii and Vermont remain on the list of lower risk travel areas (subject to change). Should you plan to travel or host travelers, please review the Massachusetts Travel order for updated quarantine and testing requirements: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-travel-order
2) PAG Materials: Attached are minutes from last week’s Parent AdvisoryGroup meeting and a copy of the slide presentation.
Thank you for your attention, and Happy Thanksgiving. Milestones is grateful for our students and families!
Kim